Talking Aussie Books with Alyssa J Montgomery

From award-winning author Alyssa J Montgomery comes a compelling romantic suspense called ‘Whispers at Wattle Crossing’ - a novel about small towns, family secrets, murder and the healing power of love.Alyssa is a USA Today bestselling author who won the RWA Romantic Book of the Year Award for long contemporary romance in 2025. Alyssa grew up in Queensland, has worked as a international flight attendant for Qantas, once moonlighted as a professional pianist and ran her own speech pathology practice for many years before retiring with her husband to a property south of Sydney. I so enjoyed reading 'Whispers at Wattle Crossing' and was delighted to welcome Alyssa to the podcast recently to chat about it.

Mandy Magro is one of Australia’s most cherished and best selling story-tellers.  Based in Hobart - one of my favourite of all Australian cities - Mandy is a passionate romantic and keen observer of the human heart who writes emotionally rich stories that celebrate love, resilience, family and the enduring power of hope. With 28 novels to her name and more than 300,000 books sold, Mandy is a force to be reckoned with. Her latest novel ‘Whispers of Sweetwater’ was published recently HQ Fiction.The first of Mandy’s books I’ve had the pleasure of reading and it definitely won’t be the last.I loved chatting with Mandy for the podcast recently.

Glenn Orgias is a Sydney-based writer whose memoir ‘Man in A Grey Suit’ was published in 2012 - and is about Glenn’s journey of rehabilitation, and overcoming anger and anxiety following a shark attack at Bondi Beach which left him without an arm. This year, Glenn’s first novel - ‘Teeth Kicker’. was released by HarperCollins Australia. A book about a different kind of shark - but one no less dangerous. Set in Newcastle in the 1990's, a time of economic uncertainty and difficulty for many who lived there, 'Teeth Kicker' was both terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measures.I was thrilled to have the chance to chat with Glenn about the book and his journey to publication for the podcast recently.

It's been a couple of years since I last interviewed Tania Blanchard. But every time I do, I am gobsmacked by her capacity to write stories that are both heartfelt and compelling. Books that give readers a glimpse into a bygone era, but also quietly document women’s histories - those women whose stories disappear from the history books or who are forgotten by the passage of time. Tania is an international bestselling author and powerhouse in the historical fiction space with titles that include the 'The Girl From Munich', 'A Suitcase of Dreams', 'A Woman of Courage' and  'An Undeniable Voice'.And this year, in her first predominantly Australian set novel, ‘The Paris Prize’ , Tania has delivered a sweeping story of life on the land through the difficult years of the second world war to the post-war years where demand for southern hemisphere wool put Australia’s wool growers front and centre of the international stage of haute couture.An absolutely fantastic read that I’m certain you will love as much as I did.

Kit Haley is a queer author who describes himself as an obsessive tennis fan and an obsessive romance fan. Which in the case of their new book ‘In Your Court’ published by Hachette Australia and released in paperback on the 1st of September 2026 makes a successful and highly readable combination. ‘In Your Court’ follows tennis players Matteo Russo - an underdog from Australia whose once bright future was derailed by a car accident and superstar Miles Callahan from America- currently ranked world number three. When their paths cross in a preliminary round at Roland Garros in Paris, sparks fly. But falling in love with a superstar is not going to help Mat get his career back on track - even if Miles seems to bring out the best in him. Playing each other again in another match means difficult decisions must be made. A thoroughly enjoyable read. This is was a fascinating discussion and one not to be missed.

Monica McInerney is the international bestselling author of 14 novels. Titles that include ‘The Alphabet Sisters', 'Lola’s Secret', 'Hello from the Gillespies' and 'Those Faraday Girls'.  All published internationally and have been translated in more than 12 languages.  Last month, Monica's new book 'When Sullivan Met Lola' was released by Penguin Books Australia. It's the fourth book featuring eponymous character Lola Quinlan and the second featuring delightful 12 year old , Sullivan Farrington.A beautiful book filled with warmth and humour I just know you’ll all love. I had a wonderful time chatting with Monica about her new book for the podcast recently. Happy listening!

Bridie Jabour is the Head of Multimedia at Guardian Australia who previously worked as a journalist reporting on social affairs, politics and regional issues.Bridie is the author of a book of essays - Trivial Grievances: On the contradictions, myths and misery of your 30s as well as the 2018 novel The Way Things Should Be.And this year Bridie has a new novel out.  Called ‘Ordinary Funny Tragic’ (published by HarperCollins Australia) it’s an exploration of family and grief - but specifically about what it means to be a good mother. Something that resonated with me on a deep level. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Bridie for the podcast recently.

Award-winning journalist, former television presenter and author Whitney Fitzsimmons who is best known for her work at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has just released her debut novel. ’The Rising’ published by Ventura Press  is set in a small northern NSW town plagued by floods. When the flood waters recede and the cleanup begins, a decades old mystery is unearthed and a journalist’s desire to solve the mystery is met with resistance by the townspeople she has come to know and whom she call friends. 'The Rising' is a twisty, compelling rural noir novel that has captured the attention of some of Australia’s best known authors - people like Matthew Spencer, Fiona Lowe, RWR MacDonald and many more.I was delighted to welcome Whitney to the podcast recently to talk about her journey from journalist to published novelist and the many twists and turns along the way.

I was thrilled to welcome the uber talented Karen Brooks back to the podcast recently to discuss her brand new novel.  Called ‘The Extraordinary Florence Stoker’ this book is both fascinating and enthralling in equal measures. A book that follows the life of Dubliner Florence Balcombe, a witty and beautiful woman, who marries Bram Stoker - the man who would become best-known for his gothic horror novel ‘Dracula’.With impressive attention to detail and underpinned by extensive research, what Karen has done with this novel is to give us an intimate glimpse into the life of this woman who it becomes clear was indeed extraordinary for so many reasons. Not the least of which was her marriage to a man who was to all intents and purposes  an enigma as well as her fight to ensure copyright in her husband’s work was protected against unauthorised adaptations. From the moment I began reading this book, I knew I was in skilled hands. I simply couldn’t put it down.Out in Australia from the 1st of September, if you are a fan of historical fiction, you will not be able to resist this book.Happy listening!

'All Her Beautiful Deaths' is the new historical gothic mystery by author extraordinaire Allison Rushby. Allison is the author of more than 30 books across junior, middle age and YA fiction as well as adult fiction. 'All Her Beautiful Deaths' published by HQ Fiction in Australia this year is a dual timeline novel centred around Victorian death photography - a macabre, yet popular practice of memorialising dead people in photos. It comes hot on the heels of another of Allison's novel, 'Slashed Beauties' which was released in 2025 and inspired by another unsettling phenomena - 18th century wax anatomical models known as 'Anatomical Venus'. In this wide-ranging chat, guest host Cassie Hamer talks to Allison about both these books and their inspiration, her incredible 25 year career, the creative pillars that underpin her writing process and what it takes to bring up a new generation of readers. A wonderful interview!