Kate, Katherine & Anna Downes on retreat plus Featured Book ROSEGHETTO by Kirsty Jagger

Kate and Katherine are hidden away on a writing retreat in the mountains with Sydney writer Anna Downes.

Anna Downes is an actor-turned-writer, born in the UK and now based in Australia. She is the author of two bestselling novels, The Safe Place and The Shadow House, with a third Red River Road to be published in 2024. Anna lives on the NSW Central Coast just north of Sydney with her husband and two children. We’ve spoken to Anna before on the pod on author headshots and back in 2020 on motherhood, agent hunting and The Safe Place.

This episode the Featured book is brought to you by UQP and we’re delighted to be talking to Kirsty Jagger about her debut novel, Roseghetto.

Kirsty Jagger is a journalist by trade. In 2019, she won the inaugural Heyman Mentorship Award, established by acclaimed Australian author Kathryn Heyman for a writer from a background of social or economic disadvantage. Roseghetto takes some inspiration from growing up in the housing commission estates of Sydney’s western suburbs.

Kate, Katherine and Anna discuss:

• what they are working on
• how they have used workshopping and the idea of ‘the writers’ room’ to generate ideas together
• believing in your red herrings
• what to pack on retreat
• tips from screenwriters
• Anna describes what is involved in recording an audiobook and recording for Anna Snoekstra’s Out of Breath. (We spoke to Anna Snoekstra about this book here)

Reading

• Anna recommends The Guest by Emma Cline and the audiobook Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And other lessons from the crematory by Caitlin Doughty
• Katherine read Ten Awful Truths About Publishing

Listening

• Anna recommends Ghost Story

Watching

• Kate loved Bodies on Netflix: Four detectives. Four timelines. One body. To save Britain’s future, they’ll need to solve the murder that altered the course of history first. Reminded her of the high concept SBS series Beforeigners which she also loved.

Coming up

• Katherine launches the collection Into Your Arms: Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined at Readings St Kilda, Thurs 16th November. 6.30pm. Free but bookings essential.
• Kate’s booked to celebrate Into Your Arms at Eltham Bookshop on Wed December 6th. Bookings here.
• Kate will be talking about The Hummingbird Effect at Wheeler’s Hill Library on Thursday 16th Nov at 7pm. Free but bookings required.
• And both Kate and Katherine will be at Great Escape Books in Airey’s Inlet on Friday Nov 17th. Free but bookings required.