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

“Please sir, can I have some more Dickens?” In this episode, author Kathy George discusses her latest novel, The Scent of Oranges – a retelling of the classic Dickens story Oliver Twist from the perspective of character Nancy. Kathy shares her love for gothic literature and why she chose this story to rewrite. 00:00 Introduction04:46 Nat Newman’s writing tip: Character milestones08:36 WIN! The Hidden Hand by Stella Rimington10:30 Word of the week: ‘Susurrous’13:02 Writer in residence: Kathy George16:25 Getting the narrative voice right22:22 Researching Nancy’s character24:51 Kathy’s love for gothic literature25:53 Understanding what “gothic” means28:39 Thoughts on Dickens' female characters30:24 On fleshing out Nancy's story33:01 Retelling classic stories36:48 Writing process and discipline40:26 Kathy’s advice for aspiring writers44:35 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Faceboo