Through discussions and interviews with writers, artists and health professionals, author friends James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt explore the big questions: how do books get written? How do people navigate life with chronic illness? And just what are you reading?
Ashley Kalagian Blunt is the author of Dark Mode, an internationally published psychological thriller. Her earlier books are How to Be Australian, a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge, collected fiction and essays. Her writing appears in the Sydney Morning Herald, Overland, Griffith Review, Sydney Review of Books, and more. Ashley is an enthusiastic teacher of writing and creativity. Originally from Canada, she has lived and worked in South Korea, Peru and Mexico. Find her on Twitter and Instagram or visit her website.
James McKenzie Watson is the author of Denizen, which won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize and was shortlisted in 2023 Ned Kelly Awards for Best Debut. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings and the Newtown Review of Books. He has appeared at events including the Sydney Writers Festival, Newcastle Writers Festival and BAD Crime Sydney. He works as a nurse. Find him on Twitter and Instagram or visit his website.
Apr 28, 2026
In March, Ashley launched her new thriller 'Like, Follow, Die.' In episode 129, hear a live recording of the very special Sydney launch event at Gleebooks, Glebe, where James interviewed Ashley and superstar actor and audiobook narrator Claudia Karvan.
Claudia Karvan is one of Australia’s most respected and acclaimed...
Mar 26, 2026
In episode 128, author Susan Francis joins James and Ashley to share the insidious ways invisible illness and ageism have impacted her sense of self and forced her to reframe her thinking.
At 65 years old, Susan lives with atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of arrhythmia that can lead to heart failure. She shares...
Feb 17, 2026
It’s been 30 years since award-winning author Anita Heiss made her debut on the Australian literary scene. She reveals the moment she finally felt she’d made it in the industry and why her powerful historical novel, Dirrayawadha, was one of the most challenging books of her career.
Anita opens up about crafting a...
Dec 16, 2025
In episode 126, internationally bestselling author Christian White describes, in graphic detail, how he thinks of his readers as lobsters. He also shares how his grandmother convinced him to fear trees (but only at night) and why he finds comfort in horror stories, like his latest novel, The Long Night. Plus, he shares...
Nov 11, 2025
It’s that time of year again! (Well, almost … it’s actually a bit early.) Collected here is a varied selection of 2025’s ‘What Are You Reading’ book recommendations, nice and early so you can get your Christmas shopping started sooner rather than later!
Books and authors discussed in this episode:
From ep....