Novelists have long drawn inspiration from the history of the western Allied forces in WW2. In recent times, more authors are featuring stories written from the German perspective. Linda Funnell discusses with Steven Conte, Tania Blanchard and Catherine Chidgey the challenges they faced in overcoming the taboos of centering their novels around German or Nazi ... Read more
Debate continues as to whether an author should only write from the confines of their own experience, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural background. What impact does this have on historical novelists who must also avoid imposing modern biases on characters from different historical periods? Renee Otmar discusses with Rachel Bin Saleh, Tim Darcy Ellis and ... Read more
The Middle Ages extended from the collapse of the Roman Empire through to the dawn of the Renaissance. Expert researchers and talented authors, Isolde Martyn and Felicity Pulman, are happy to field your questions or hear about your own Medieval research gems. This chat salon will not be recorded. Isolde Martyn Historian and former editor ... Read more
When LGBTIQ characters are represented in historical fiction, the men are often a little light on their feet, the women a little man-ish, or are either a stylish couturier or a muscle bound mechanic. Why are such characters often sidelined into sub-plots or endure tragic fates? Greg Johnston will talk with Nigel Featherstone, Kelly Gardiner ... Read more
Enjoy our signature TWC First Pages pitch contest with $200 prize money on offer. ‘First pages’ from aspiring authors are read by a narrator to industry experts who will provide a critique of chosen submissions. The session will provide other attendees with a chance to learn what attracts the attention of agents and publishers when ... Read more
The Early C20th was a period of rapid change extending from the Suffragette Movement, WW1, Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. Kim Kelly has written novels traversing all these periods. Christine Bell has focused on the Great War. Join them to share your favourite pocket of history or ask questions about writing across this period. ... Read more
Female hysteria, aristocratic waxen heads, and a secret cadre of Australian codebreakers. Kirsty Murray explores these intriguing lost female histories with the authors who reveal them - Josephine Taylor, Belinda Lyons-Lee and Alli Sinclair. How did they discover them? What was needed to bring the stories to life? The Panellists Kirsty Murray (Chair) Kirsty Murray ... Read more
Leaving one’s country of birth is a momentous and life changing decision. These challenging odysseys and new beginnings are of great interest to writers and readers. Join Roanna Gonsalves as she chats with Andrew Pippos, Mirandi Riwoe and Suzanne McCourt about their inspiration and reasons for writing novels examining the clash of cultures in an ... Read more
The C18th was a time of political upheaval and new political ideas of the Enlightenment which led to the French and American Revolutions. Join Stephanie Parkyn, author of Into the World and Josephine’s Garden, to chat about this tumultuous era. This chat salon will not be recorded. Stephanie Parkyn Stephanie Parkyn is the author of ... Read more
Jewish history is one of pogroms, dispossession and diaspora. Over the centuries, the process of dehumanisation lay the groundwork that underpinned the Holocaust. Medieval historian, Gillian Polack, talks to Tim Darcy Ellis, Richard Zimler and Bram Presser about hidden stories of Jewish faith, endurance and survival from the Middle Ages to present times. The Panellists ... Read more
Richard Lee, founder of the Historical Novel Society, joins international bestselling authors, Ben Kane and Colin Falconer to discuss how these authors approach writing epic novels, and the challenges encountered in finding new angles to depict stories within well traversed eras of history. Richard Lee Richard Lee founded the Historical Novel Society in 1997 after ... Read more
Are you interested in discussing history beyond the prism of the Western world? Meet with other writers and readers to share your love of fiction and history centred around the other half of the globe with Roanna Gonsalves, author of The Permanent Resident. It’s time for more diverse voices and history to be heard. Roanna ... Read more
