If you love fantasy, you’ll love our delightful interview with author Madeline Te Whiu, who shares her journey from writing her first book The Assassin Thief to completing her trilogy with her latest release, The Queen Thief. Madeline talks about her experience writing while working full-time, her planning process, harnessing social media and advice for aspiring writers.
00:00 Introduction 03:29 Holiday book recommendations 08:33 Nat’s writing tip: Structure 12:24 WIN! The Bogan Book Club by John Larkin 13:51 Word of the week: ‘Chrestomathy’ 16:51 Writer in residence: Madeline Te Whiu 27:05 Finding time for writing 28:56 The journey to getting published 31:05 Madeline’s experience pitching her trilogy 31:58 Experiencing reader reactions 35:36 Writing the second and third books 37:15 Overcoming writer's block 43:11 Balancing writing and full-time work 45:36 Madeline’s approach to social media 53:21 Advice for aspiring authors 56:07 Final thoughts
Madeline Te Whiu is a veterinary nurse based in Perth, Western Australia. Her passion for books began when she was growing up in rural South Australia. Her youngest memory of books is sitting on the lounge room floor while her mum read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
She has always had a love for reading with some of her favourite authors being Peter V Brett, Kristin Cashore, and C.L Wilson, just to name a few. Madeline was shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Prize for Emerging Writers 2023.
