The give-and-take dance
Connections in relationships
I’ve been fortunate to spend lots of time in June with people I admire, love and respect. I went to Orange for the long weekend with my best friend. Since then, I’ve caught up with friends, talking writing and therapy, food, books, all the good stuff. It’s got me thinking about relationships and the nature of connection.
We all need connection in our lives, even the most introverted of us, likes to be heard and connect with someone we love. We don’t need to read the Harlow experiment to really get a sense of how important attachment and connection is for us. We know how it feels when someone listens to us, understands us, and when we can do the same for someone else.
I love listening to the people in my life. It’s important to me to really get where they’re coming from, to be able to offer a space that’s judgement-free. The other day a therapist friend talked about following the goodness, and it resonated with me. When I’m in the company of a loved one, and they’re sharing something, I love noticing the goodness even in the dark. There are always glimmers in the despair, and solid relationships help us catch those glimmers even as we sit side by side with someone in pain.
Reflecting on all of this, I started to think about how to write about relationships. How do we capture a genuine relationship in fiction? The give and take that is essential to all healthy connections. It’s a tricky one. We all recognise genuine relationships when we hear about them, but writing about it can be challenging. Do I describe behaviour between two people? Or perhaps a glimpse into their inner world as they are affected by the other person? Maybe it’s exposition in which the reader discovers the many years of togetherness these characters have lived. I’m figuring this out as I write, working to finish a manuscript I started a few years ago; and I’m loving where these questions are taking me.
I just finished reading Birding by Rose Ruane. I’ll be starting The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bains by Sarah Clutton (a member of the #DebutCrew2025).
And now, as I’ve done for the last six months, I present our fabulous debut authors and their books out in July (and what they’re reading).
There are a few (very) busy writers in the Debut Crew 2025 who are releasing two books this year. Tina Strachan, my co-host on The Book Deal podcast, writer extraordinaire, and excitingly, my writing buddy on the Magnetic Island residency has her second book out in July. It’s the second book in the Wilder Zoo series, and this is what she said about the experience of publishing a second book within the same calendar year as her first.
“It’s been just over four months since my debut middle grade book, Neeka and the Missing Key, entered the world and already I find myself preparing for next week's launch of the second book of the Wilder Zoo series, Neeka and the Storm! The first launch was a busy, fun, wild adventure like no other and I enjoyed every minute of it. Strangely, this time around I feel less prepared! I should be more organised now I know what to expect, but this time I’m busier. Author admin is a real thing, edits for Book 3 are due and I’ve got many more events to plan for! Not to mention wanting to start on a new manuscript! But it’s a wonderful problem to have and I’m appreciating every moment of it. Releasing a book into the world truly is a magical experience and I think it will feel just as magical every time I get the privilege to do so. So, bring on the coffee and early mornings to get ready for this next wild adventure - then I can start preparing to do it all again for Book 3!”
Sam Guthrie - The Peak
The Peak publishing 2 July by HarperCollins. An Australian Senator receives a message from the father of a former lover and commits an unspeakable act in Parliament House. His best friend investigates memories of a love triangle during the handover of Hong Kong and discovers it is the end of the world.
About the author: Prior to publishing his first novel, The Peak, Sam Guthrie had a twenty-five-year career in international relations serving as a trade envoy to China, an Asia Pacific corporate affairs adviser and political lobbyist and a senior government official.
What was the best/most surprising aspect of the publishing process?
That it takes a village. From agents, to editors, to proof-readers, to publicists, to marketers – everyone knows what they are doing – and what the author needs to bring is trust and (most of all) patience.
How are you celebrating the release of your novel?
By talking about it to anyone that will listen.
What supported you during the publishing process?
Faith in the process and the professionals around me – and their belief in the quality of my novel.
Where can people buy your novel? How can people find attendance information for your launch(es)?
Just visit my website:
https://www.samguthrieauthor.com
Or my Instagram @sam_guthrie_author
What are you reading right now?
The Revisionists by Michelle Johnson (which is brilliant!)
Chloe Adams - The Occupation
The Occupation publishing July 15 by Penguin Books. In 1948, a young Australian woman travels to Japan to join the Allied occupation. There she confronts moral ambiguity on a grand scale.
About the author: Chloe Adams is the winner of the 2024 Penguin Literary Prize. She is a journalist and fiction writer and holds a master's degree in creative writing.
What was the best/most surprising aspect of the publishing process?
The best part was reading through the brilliant feedback from my publisher Meredith and editor Jojo, and seeing with great clarity how to resolve issues. An absolute thrill!
How are you celebrating the release of your novel?
With a quiet night at home, surrounded by my kids and husband, each of who played a key role in this achievement.
What supported you during the publishing process?
My family. Friends. Writing mentors. Nature. And the writing (always, the writing).
Where can people buy your novel? How can people find attendance information for your launch(es)?
The Occupation is available to purchase through major and independent bookstores across Australia. The Occupation by Chloe Adams - Penguin Books Australia
Events will be listed on the Penguin events page -- Events - Penguin Books Australia
What are you reading right now?
Josephine Rowe’s weird and wonderful Little World.
Samantha Byres - Dead Ends
Dead Ends publishing 1 July by UQP. A sexy, blackly comic mystery, where the impossibility of closure collides with a desire to fix the past…
About the author: Samantha Byres is from Whanganui, Aotearoa. She is a graduate of the International Institute of Modern Letters and lives in Footscray, Naarm with her wife and dog.
What was the best/most surprising aspect of the publishing process?
Best: getting specific and lovely feedback on your work – the thing you’ve probably been hanging out to hear for however long you’ve been writing your book.
Surprising: how utterly great the UQP team is.
How are you celebrating the release of your novel?
A trip to my neighbourhood bookstore and a drink at my local bar where a fair bit of the novel was written.
What supported you during the publishing process?
My wife, Alex, and a succession of foster pups (great distraction!)
Where can people buy your novel? How can people find attendance information for your launch(es)?
Buy from your local bookstore, and find info about my launch here: https://www.readings.com.au/events/dead-ends-by-samantha-byres
What are you reading right now?
Catching up on a stack by my fellow debuts, and Delirious by Damien Wilkins. He’s a master of quiet characterisation.
Holly Brunnbauer - What Did I Miss?
What Did I Miss? publishing 2 July by Harper Collins. Married young. Finally divorced. Turning thirty ... A fresh and feisty romantic comedy about what happens when you meet someone special before truly knowing yourself.
About the author: Holly Brunnbauer is a multi-award-winning emerging fiction author and a virtual assistant for authors. She writes stories filled with heart, humour and hijinks.
What was the best/most surprising aspect of the publishing process?
Working with the best in biz to create a novel that I’m super proud to have my name on.
How are you celebrating the release of your novel?
Hubby and I are taking the day off work to go for a hike, have a long lunch and pop into my local bookstore to get a piccie (if my book is there).
What supported you during the publishing process?
TimTams. Just the plain chocolate ones.
Where can people buy your novel? How can people find attendance information for your launch(es)?
What Did I Miss? will be available through all major retailers online and in most bookstores – including the airport!
www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460767085/what-did-i-miss/
For all my author events, please visit my website:
What are you reading right now?
Salty, Spiced and a Little Bit Nice by Cynthia Timoti (who is also a member of our #DebutCrew2025). It’s a sizzling multicultural rom-com with plenty of snark.
Emma Babbington - The Neighbours
The Neighbours publishing 2 July by HQ/ HarperCollins. You're almost certain your daughter didn't kill the neighbour - but what if she did? It's a domestic thriller set in the height of a Sydney summer…
About the author: Emma Babbington is a London born, Sydney-based journalist who is currently news editor for Woman's Day magazine where she looks after the real life and crime section.
What was the best/most surprising aspect of the publishing process?
How quickly everything happened in the end. I've been writing novels for more than a decade, signed my contract last November and my book's coming out now, seven months later!
How are you celebrating the release of your novel?
By visiting my friend who works in a local bookshop to see The Neighbours displayed there. It's going to be a special moment.
What supported you during the publishing process?
Determination that I'd eventually get here despite four unpublished novels suggesting otherwise. And a very supportive, patient family.
Where can people buy your novel? How can people find attendance information for your launch(es)?
https://linktr.ee/emmababbington has links to find out about my events and how to buy my book which will be available at bookshops/online from July 2.
What are you reading right now?
I'm reading Something In The Water by Sarah Clarke and listening to G.D. Wright's Into The Fire on audio. Both superb thrillers!
Mikayla Bridge - Of Flame and Fury
Of Flame and Fury publishing 17 July by Pan Macmillan. On an island where phoenix racing is deadly and lucrative, seventeen-year-old Kel Varra teams up with her arrogant rival to save her struggling team. But when her home is destroyed and a sinister conspiracy unfolds, Kel must navigate fiery secrets, volatile magic, and unexpected feelings—before everything she loves burns to ash.
About the author: Mikayla Bridge is a Melbourne-based YA fantasy author who writes high-energy, heart-pounding stories. Her debut novel, Of Flame and Fury, is published globally by Pan Macmillan.
What was the best/most surprising aspect of the publishing process?
Just how fast the pre-publication process flies by. I had a year until my release, and then I made the mistake of blinking. I thought I had so much time. I didn't fully appreciate how much goes on behind the scenes for a book release. Every publicist, marketer, sales rep, editor and employee at Pan Macmillan is a Duracell bunny. Witnessing that myself was easily the best and most surprising part of this process.
How are you celebrating the release of your novel?
I'm extremely lucky that I get to celebrate my release with a launch event at Readings Emporium in Melbourne! My amazing friend, Maithree Wijesekara, is moderating the event, and I get to talk utter nonsense with her for an hour in front of family, friends and readers. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the release. I might force some friends to join me for karaoke afterwards.
What supported you during the publishing process?
An incredible community. My partner, my friends, my writer friends, my day job colleagues, my publishers. I can't imagine having survived the last year without them.
Where can people buy your novel? How can people find attendance information for your launch(es)?
People can buy my novel anywhere books are sold, in stores and online. You can buy the hard copy, the e-book, or the audiobook. I'm biased towards the audiobook, with the iconic Safiyya Ingar narrating and bringing Of Flame and Fury to life.
What are you reading right now?
I'm fortunate that I've tricked most of my favourite authors into being my friends, so my inbox is gloriously filled with their upcoming works. I'm working my way through them at a very slow, indulgent pace. My current read is Elle Tesch's upcoming YA Fantasy, The Hanging Bones. If you haven't read Elle's gorgeous, gothic debut, What Wakes the Bells, I could not recommend it enough.
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from our fabulous debut authors. You can support them in the following ways:
Buy their book from your local independent bookshop for yourself and for others. Books make great gifts for all ages!
Borrow their book from the library.
Attend an event to hear them speak about their book.
Post on your socials.
Tell your friends, family and colleagues about the book.
Set these titles for your next bookclub meeting.
Happy reading and you’ll hear from me next month.
Natasha
Thank you Tash! Really appreciate being featured here 💕 Lovely reading everyone’s answers.
Great to hear about all these incredible debuts - what a lineup!