So You Want To Be A Writer With Valerie Khoo And Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre Podcast

They always say ‘write what you know’, right? Well, authors Gareth and Louise Ward (two British ex-cops who moved to New Zealand and opened a bookshop) fully leaned into it with The Bookshop Detectives series – all about, you guessed it, British ex-cops who move to New Zealand and open a bookshop! The murders are fiction though – and they join the podcast to share their experience writing book 2 in the series. 00:00 Welcome02:56 Writing tip: yWriter app04:47 WIN!: Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers06:04 Word of the week: ‘Moiety’07:26 The world of words: 'Jail' vs ‘Gaol’09:28 Writers in residence: Gareth and Louise Ward10:35 Gareth’s other writing and magician life12:36 Buying a bookshop together15:17 Leaning into ‘write what you know’18:18 The collaboration process21:38 Incorporating local culture and the setting24:12 Real-life inspiration for the book 2 climax25:37 Advice for aspiring cosy crime writers28:24 Tips on co-writing a book30:10 The value