Novel Feelings

In this episode, Priscilla interviews clinician-author Dr Sarah Sasson about the newly released Tidelines, a tender coming-of-age novel about growing up in the face of unimaginable loss. Tidelines examines the stories we subconsciously write for ourselves, and what remains later, when we have the courage to tear them apart. Discussion topics include substance use, ambiguous grief and loss, and burnout in the medical profession. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

Nobody said fifth grade was going to be easy, and Penny Lowry has a million questions going through her mind all the time. The Penny Draws series by Sara Shepard follows Penny as she navigates feelings, friendships, and all sorts of changes that life brings her way. In turns sweet and hilarious, we adored the series, and we were delighted to chat to Sara about how she approaches writing themes of mental health and anxiety for a younger audience. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

How do you pick up the pieces after life has served you enough trauma for a lifetime? Charlotte, aged 17, is trying to recover in a world that owes her nothing, but has taken so much. In our season 3 finale, we dive into Girl in Pieces' representations of self-harm, hospitalisation, and unhealthy relationships, and ask the big question: does this book risk doing more harm than good? Spoiler review starts at 31:34. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website. Note: We will going on hiatus in the first half of 2024, but hope to launch Season 4 later in the year!

Life is pretty good for sixteen-year-old Abby. When new girl Chloe arrives, Abby is pleased to be the one to show her around, to welcome her to the group. But Abby doesn’t imagine Chloe fitting in so well or quite so quickly. And before long Abby is feeling just a little left out, a little unsure of Ella’s friendship. In a moment of anger and confusion she wishes something bad would happen. When it does—with tragic consequences—everything shifts again. In this episode, we speak with the author of Let's Never Speak of this Again, Megan Williams, about the book, her characters, her writing process, and winning the 2023 Text Prize. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

Is it possible to hibernate your problems away? Our main character - privileged, vain, and traumatised - chooses to sleep for a year to take a break from her life. In our spiciest review yet, we discuss self-medication, unlikable characters, and one of the worst mental heath professionals we’ve ever encountered in fiction. Spoiler review starts at 41:36 Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

When Dale stumbles into a bedroom at a party and sees a drunk girl being undressed by a group of guys, he backs away and runs. He’s pretty drunk himself, but he knows what he saw. Why didn’t he stop them? Why did he run? We speak in-depth with author Robyn Dennison about how she approaches writing a character who struggles with passivity, representations of disordered eating, and her research. NOTE: Apologies for the audio issues in this episode. We were contending with new equipment and not everything went according to plan! Find Robyn via her website, Instagram, and Twitter. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

How do you come back from the depths of your own mind? Neal Shusterman is one of our favourite authors, so it was a no brainer for us to dive into a book he's written about an often stigmatised mental health disorder. Joined by Leah from YA Book Chat, we discuss the experiences of delusions and hallucinations; hospital-based treatments of mental health disorders; and the role of families in recovery. Spoiler review starts at 33:23. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

Three sisters. Three sisters. Three vastly different lives. A maelstrom of family secrets. The Neapolitan Sisters is riotous, provocative tale of family and sisterhood. Maritza is a princess bridezilla, Claudia is the family “fixer,” and Dulcina “Dooley” is finally sober. As the three are reunited for a wedding, their secrets are unravelled. We speak in-depth with author Margo Candela about the evolution of her writing, challenging stereotypes, control, and writing complex characters. Find Margo via her website, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

When our whole lives are online, how can we keep things private... and safe? Dark Mode delves into the terrifying reality of the dark web, and the price we pay for surrendering our privacy one click at a time. Join us as we speak with author Ashley Kalagian Blunt about online misogyny, radicalisation, narcissism and psychopathy. And the power of true crime. Find Ashley via her website, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

There are plenty of dates in this story, but Queenie is not about romance. Queenie Jenkins navigates life after a long-term relationship break-up. The premise sounds like a rom-com, but the story visits some dark places along the way. In this episode, we discuss themes such as trauma, racism, anxiety, relationship red flags, and consent. Listen to find out why we think Queenie is well worth a read. Spoiler review starts at 35:14. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

If we don't talk about complex mental health conditions, how can we expect things to change? Journalist, presenter, and producer Elfy Scott joins us to talk about her book The One Thing We've Never Spoken About. This powerful piece of non-fiction draws from Elfy's family's experience with schizophrenia to ask big questions about vulnerability, justice and duty of care. We chat about Elfy about her personal connection to this topic, her experiences researching and writing the book, and sharing lived experience authentically. Find Elfy via her website, Instagram or Twitter. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

In our latest author interview, we talk with Anne Buist, author and psychiatrist. Anne recently published the fourth novel in the Natalie King Series, Locked Ward. The novel follows forensic psychiatrist Natalie, as she stays in the mother-baby unit of a private psychiatric unit - only to find herself in the centre of a murder case. We chat about Anne's previous and upcoming work, refugee mental health, the stigma of mental illness (particularly within the mental health profession), and more. The first half of the episode is spoiler-free! You can find Anne via her website. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

In this special interview, we chat with Allayne L. Webster, who recently published her tenth novel, Selfie. In Selfie, we meet year 8 student Tully, who is shocked to find herself the new best friend of teenage influencer Dene Walker. We chat about teenage friendships, the impact of social media on trust and identity, and the importance of staying true to yourself. Allayne reflects on her publishing journey, and shares her love for the Australian writing community. You can find Allayne via her Instagram, Twitter or website. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreads.Join our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

Last episode was prompted by Elise's recommendation. This time, it's Priscilla's. Tiger Daughter tells the story of Wen and Henry, and what happens when tragedy strikes their community. We cover themes of domestic abuse, misogyny, and the ripple effect of suicide - all framed by the Chinese immigrant experience in Australia. The first part of this episode is spoiler-free. Also, we interview author Rebecca Lim! Stay tuned for Rebecca's insights on her writing process and the themes of Tiger Daughter. Spoiler review starts at 24:37 | Interview starts at 42:19 Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreads.Join our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

Everything we know about autism is wrong... or is it? In this special interview, we chat with Dr Jac den Houting, research psychologist and Autistic advocate working in pursuit of social justice. We chat about their autism research, Ted Talk and other advocacy work, and the power of media representation. You can find Jac via their twitter or website. Jac will appear at the All About Women Festival in Sydney on Sunday, March 12, on the Actually Autistic panel. Check out sydneyoperahouse.com for more info. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterThe StorygraphGoodreadsDetailed show notes available on our website.

We're baaaaack! To kick off Season 3, we're covering the very hyped memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. We discuss Jennette's experience of childhood abuse and eating disorders, complicated grief, and our thoughts on her recovery process. FYI, our episodes are now two-parters: we start with general discussions of the books without spoilers, then we dive into the details. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsJoin our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph. Detailed show notes available on our website.

We are thrilled to announce that a new season will launch on January 7, 2023. And we're mixing things up! Listeners will have the opportunity to read along, with each book title released at least 6 weeks in advance. Six books are planned for the year – one episode every two months. Episodes will also be accessible to people who haven’t read the book yet, as the first half will be spoiler-free. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsDetailed show notes available on our website.

In this special interview, we chat to author Nina Kenwood, who has been working in books and publishing for over a decade. Her first novel, It Sounded Better in My Head, won the Text Prize and other awards. Our interview focuses on her new book, Unnecessary Drama, which was published in October 2022. We chat about sharehouse living, difficult family relationships, and the transition to adulthood. Nina shares insights into her inspiration, storyteling, and writing anxious characters. You can find Nina via her Instagram, Twitter or website. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsDetailed show notes available on our website.

In this special podcast episode, we chat to the author of Sadie Starr's Guide to Starting Over: Miranda Luby, award-winning author, freelance journalist, copywriter and communications professional. Sadie Starr is her debut novel. We chat about perfectionism, disordered eating, and performative social activism. Miranda shares insights into her inspiration, writing process, and thoughts around how we write about mental health. You can find Miranda on her website, Twitter and Instagram. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsDetailed show notes available on our website.

In this special interview, we chat to Graeme Simsion, the internationally bestselling author of The Rosie Project trilogy, The Best of Adam Sharp, The Novel Project, and more. We chat about the impact of The Rosie Project, and representation of autism across the series. Graeme shares insights into his writing process, his upcoming projects, and thoughts around how we write about mental health. You can find Graeme on his website and his Twitter. Find Novel Feelings via: Our websiteInstagramTwitterGoodreadsDetailed show notes available on our website.