In this episode host Pamela Cook chats to Karen Viggers about her recent release Sidelines.

The novel centres around a violent brawl  at a suburban junior soccer game. Some onlookers are shocked. But others saw it coming. Rivalry, parental pressure, coaching bias, inequity, and many other factors have played a part in turning Saturday mornings into a pressure cooker. The story is told from multiple points of view and takes us into the competitive world of children's sport.

Karen Viggers is an author, veterinarian and podcaster. She is the author of five novels: The Stranding (2008), The Lightkeeper’s Wife (2011), The Grass Castle (2014), The Orchardist’s Daughter (2019) and Sidelines (2024).

Her work is set in Australian landscapes and communities, and explores contentious issues, such as dying with dignity, displacement of First Peoples, wildlife conservation, clear-felling of native forests, and now, modern parenting and junior sport.

She is co-host of the Secrets From the Green Room podcast in which she interviews writers and other book industry colleagues about books and writing.

Her novels have been translated into several languages and have enjoyed great success in France where she is a bestselling author and has won a literary award.

Karen lives on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land in Canberra with her ecologist husband.

Grab a cuppa or pop on your walking shoes and enjoy this chat with Karen about the book, creating interesting characters, writing about the things that burn inside of you, writing from multiple viewpoints, and a whole lot more!

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Karen Viggers

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Buy Sidelines here

Pamela Cook

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This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.