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 Introduction03:06 Nat Newman's writing tip: systematic editing09:02 WIN! Death in the Arctic by Tom Hindle10:47 Word of the week: ‘disputation’12:29 Writer in residence: Sophie Clark14:25 Defining ‘romantasy’15:49 Inspiration for her book18:35 Researching on location22:29 Writing action and fight scenes24:28 Drafting and experience in Pitch Wars26:24 Mentorship and guidance27:38 Securing an agent30:11 Sophie’s writing process and challenges34:30 Political influence in writing36:31 Building a writing community39:13 Publicity and promotion41:17 Asking “who’s my audience?”45:38 Sophie’s top tips for aspiring writers48:04 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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