“Please sir, can I have some more Dickens?” In this episode, author Kathy George discusses her latest novel, The Scent of Oranges – a retelling of the classic Dickens story Oliver Twist from the perspective of character Nancy. Kathy shares her love for gothic literature and why she chose this story to rewrite.
00:00 Introduction 04:46 Nat Newman’s writing tip: Character milestones 08:36 WIN! The Hidden Hand by Stella Rimington 10:30 Word of the week: ‘Susurrous’ 13:02 Writer in residence: Kathy George 16:25 Getting the narrative voice right 22:22 Researching Nancy’s character 24:51 Kathy’s love for gothic literature 25:53 Understanding what “gothic” means 28:39 Thoughts on Dickens' female characters 30:24 On fleshing out Nancy's story 33:01 Retelling classic stories 36:48 Writing process and discipline 40:26 Kathy’s advice for aspiring writers 44:35 Final thoughts
Kathy George is the author of The Scent of Oranges, Estella and Sargasso, and has a master’s degree in Australian Gothic Literature. She has won the Hal Porter Short Story Award, been short-listed in a string of short story competitions, and been published in numerous literary journals including Meanjin, The Big Issue, Award Winning Australian Writing, and Margaret River Press anthologies. Kathy is represented by Sally Bird of Calidris Literary Agency.
