We’ve all heard of the ‘muse’ but what about the ‘mewwwws’? That’s the sound of authors' cats, and in this episode, Susannah Fullerton discusses her wonderfully titled book, Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them – exploring the unique relationships between famous authors and their feline companions. Susannah shares how she researched the topic, choosing the authors and the magical publishing story, as well as offering tips to aspiring nonfiction writers.

00:00 Welcome
07:26 Writing tip: Follow the formatting guidelines
09:36 WIN!: Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson
12:24 Word of the week: ‘Clerisy’
12:59 Writer in residence: Susannah Fullerton
14:10 Explaining her book, Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them
14:45 The inspiration for the book
17:50 Choosing and placing authors in the book
19:30 Animal protection and authors
22:30 Research methods
24:40 Organising all her notes
26:41 The timeline of writing the book
27:35 The pitching process
30:01 The joy of getting published
32:22 Publicity and promotion of the book
36:34 Merchandising and collaborations
37:27 Balancing lecturing and writing
38:22 Where her ideas come from  
42:51 The timeless appeal of classics
46:32 Advice for aspiring nonfiction writers
48:58 Final thoughts

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