How much research is too much when writing historical fiction? This is just one of the topics that bestselling author Emilia Hart discusses in this episode as she shares details of her latest novel, The Sirens – a blend of nautical history and fantasy across two stories separated by time and distance. 00:00 Welcome04:23 Writing tip: ‘The Most Dangerous Writing App’07:25 WIN!: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs08:51 Word of the week: ‘Luthier’11:01 Writer in residence: Emilia Hart12:48 Inspirations for the books two timelines19:45 Writing about Australia during the pandemic20:24 Exploring the themes of distance and journey22:17 Researching convict history25:00 Note taking methods25:59 The importance of her day job in her writing 28:11 Deleting 300,000 words30:00 There’s no such thing as a perfect draft30:32 Learning to sail for the book31:20 The book deal and publishing process32:50 Balancing writing with public engagement35:10 Emilia’s writing tips37:29 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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