From the halls of Australia’s Parliament House to the dark corners of the Vatican! In this episode, author Sophie Clark talks about her writing process and how she pitched her debut ‘romantasy’ novel, Cruel is the Light. She chats about her political background and how walking the ‘halls of power’ influenced her writing, as well as offering tips for aspiring writers.
00:00 Introduction 03:06 Nat Newman's writing tip: systematic editing 09:02 WIN! Death in the Arctic by Tom Hindle 10:47 Word of the week: ‘disputation’ 12:29 Writer in residence: Sophie Clark 14:25 Defining ‘romantasy’ 15:49 Inspiration for her book 18:35 Researching on location 22:29 Writing action and fight scenes 24:28 Drafting and experience in Pitch Wars 26:24 Mentorship and guidance 27:38 Securing an agent 30:11 Sophie’s writing process and challenges 34:30 Political influence in writing 36:31 Building a writing community 39:13 Publicity and promotion 41:17 Asking “who’s my audience?” 45:38 Sophie’s top tips for aspiring writers 48:04 Final thoughts
Sophie Clark writes dark & romantic fantasy featuring wounded girls with sharp edges, charming boys who fall for them anyway, corrupted gods and other unholy things. Her debut novel Cruel is the Light is coming out with Penguin UK and Penguin Australia in January 2025 and Knopf | Penguin Random House in May 2025) the sequel will be coming in May 2026.
