Author Emma Pignatiello wondered why romance novels didn’t have more murders in them – so she wrote her own! In this episode, she discusses her book Last Shot, the inspiration behind it and the Australian Writers' Centre course that helped her get there.

00:00 Introduction
02:57 Writing tip: Follow the guidelines
10:33 WIN! Headcases by John McMahon
12:30 Word of the week: ‘Redolent’
15:43 Writer in Residence: Emma Pignatiello
17:20 Emma’s inspiration for the story
24:20 Mapping out the plot points and character arcs
25:49 The writing process
29:42 Balancing her day job and parenting with writing
32:11 The publishing journey
40:51 Two amazing things happen in one day
41:40 Receiving the “yes” from her agent
44:53 Pitching two books to publishers
50:25 Future projects
52:32 How the Australian Writers' Centre Romance Writing course helped her
55:41 Top tips on finding publishing success
1:00:51 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

Author Emma Pignatiello wondered why romance novels didn&rsquo;t have more murders in them &ndash; so she wrote her own! In this episode, she discusses her book Last Shot, the inspiration behind it and the Australian Writers' Centre course that helped her get there.
00:00 Introduction 02:57 Writing tip: Follow the guidelines 10:33 WIN! Headcases by John McMahon 12:30 Word of the week: &lsquo;Redolent&rsquo; 15:43 Writer in Residence: Emma Pignatiello 17:20 Emma&rsquo;s inspiration for the story 24:20 Mapping out the plot points and character arcs 25:49 The writing process 29:42 Balancing her day job and parenting with writing 32:11 The publishing journey 40:51 Two amazing things happen in one day 41:40 Receiving the &ldquo;yes&rdquo; from her agent 44:53 Pitching two books to publishers 50:25 Future projects 52:32 How the Australian Writers' Centre Romance Writing course helped her 55:41 Top tips on finding publishing success 1:00:51 Final thoughts
<a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-652/">Read the show notes</a>
Connect with Valerie and listeners in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346749828883788/">the podcast community on Facebook</a> Visit <a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/">WritersCentre.com.au</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://valeriekhoo.com/">ValerieKhoo.com</a>

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo – author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre. 

Everything you&rsquo;ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo &ndash;&nbsp;author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers&rsquo; Centre.&nbsp;