Better Words
Michelle Gately & Caitlin Toohey
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 Better Words Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Better Words episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Better Words for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Better Words episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
10/26/21 ⢠60 min
Sara Foster was born and raised in England but now lives in Perth with her husband and young daughters. She has previously worked as an editor in-house at HarperCollins UK and then freelance and has worked on many popular titles. She loves dystopian fiction so much that sheâs studying the genre for a PhD at Curtin University. So it will come as no surprise that today we are discussing her somewhat dystopian book, and her latest novel, The Hush.
Our interview begins at 21 minutes.
Mini book club: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
A smart and addictive romantic YA novel that explores race, relationships and what it means to own your truth.
In this interview, we chat about:
- How Sara developed the idea for The Hush and why the mother-daughter relationship was central to the narrative
- Why Sara chose to write something so close to our current reality, with a story set less than 10 years in the future, and why she set it in England
- The freaky ways the books has mirrored real events
- Exploring the nuances of the mother-daughter relationship within The Hush
- Saraâs writing career and working on other books alongside The Hush
- Blending genres and why Sara is so fascinated with dystopia - how does the genre evolve from here?
- Why Sara wanted to pursue a PhD and how the novel developed out of that
Books and other things mentioned:
- 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber
- The Hate U Give (film)
- The Hunger Games
- Divergent
- Only Ever Yours
- Help (film)
- The Handmaidâs Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison
Follow Sara @sarafosterauthor. The Hush is available now.
Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod
Please note that Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers did not affect our decision to invite Sara to be a guest, we're delighted to have her and hope you enjoy this episode. Michelle also read a PR copy.
11/03/20 ⢠66 min
Meg Rosoff spent 15 years working in advertising before writing her first novel. That book, How I Live Now, has since sold over one million copies in 36 territories, won prestigious awards and been adapted into a film. Her subsequent novels have been awarded or shortlisted for multiple awards including the Carnegie Medal. Although she was born in Boston, our guest now lives in London with her husband, daughter and dogs.
Interview starts at 15 minutes.
Caitlin recommends
2 brilliant fiction podcasts: Next Stop and Little Did I Know
For fans of rom-coms and uplifting contemporary storytelling.
Michelle recommends
Matt Haig's fiction. Beautiful magical realism exploring what it means to be human.
Books mentioned: How to Stop Time, The Dead Fathers Club, The Radleys, The Midnight Library
In this interview, we chat about
- The difficulty with trying to explain exactly what happens in The Great Godden (or any character-driven novel)
- Exploring conventional beauty, the commodity of beauty, and challenging commonly held beliefs
- Megâs struggle writing The Great Godden and her decision to keep the narrator unidentified
- The act of discovery involved in writing a novel and trusting where the characters want to go
- Megâs plans for another novel exploring a pivotal summer, set during a New York internship and featuring an intense friendship that goes wrong
- The arrival of the AIDS epidemic while Meg was living in New York in the 1980s
- How our society will change (and potentially flourish) after Covid
- The notion of adolescence and how it re-appears in our lives
- Why Meg believes self-doubt is âunbelievably importantâ to the creative process
- Megâs experience of winning the second richest literary prize in the world: feeling unworthy, working harder to prove she was indeed worthy of the prize, and re-evaluating âsuccessâ
- The person Meg regards as the best writer in the world
- Megâs advice to her younger self (and us all)
Books and other things mentioned
- Downton Abbey
- Youâre Wrong About Podcast - Princess Diana series
- Pride (film)
- This Podcast Will Kill You Podcast - Hit Me With Your Best (Polio) Shot
- Wolf Erlbruch
- The Sword in the Stone by TH White
Learn more and get in touch with Meg at her website megrosoff.co.uk.
Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod
Caitlin and Michelle both received copies of The Great Godden from Bloomsbury Publishing.
Recognisable hair with Danielle Binks
Better Words
08/08/17 ⢠62 min
Saddle up your kangaroo, take a bite of your Vegemite sandwich and grab a glass of Milo to join Caitlin and Michelle chatting to writing wonder woman Danielle Binks. The #LoveOzYA anthology editor talks sharing our culture and positive change in publishing. âStraya mate.
Reviews: In the hands of the reader
Better Words
01/23/18 ⢠63 min
How and why do we review and what happens when we didnât love the book? This week we chat reviews (the good, the bad and the indifferent) and the relationships between authors and readers. Remember folks, be kind.
11/28/17 ⢠57 min
This week we get a sneak peek behind the scenes of our favourite book store and a taste of the publishing industry. Weâre joined by Tonile Wortley from Hachette to talk about the books we donât even know we want to read yet. Get those Christmas wishlists ready!
Ravish me, Rafael
Better Words
09/05/17 ⢠60 min
Blogging, booktubing, bookstagramming... what does it all mean?! Caitlin and Michelle sit down with a cuppa to discuss how writing about books online has changed their lives (and their bookshelves). It's time to hit publish!
Better Words and All That Jazz
Better Words
01/09/18 ⢠57 min
This week we are taking you on stage to share our favourite musical moments. Weâre a little bit naughty as we talk about those summer nights and singinâ in the rain in an episode where anything goes.
Handmade love with Kate from Lillytales
Better Words
08/29/17 ⢠66 min
There's no need to resort to dog-earing those pages (the horror!) with the sweet handmade bookmarks sold by Nook and Burrow, co-created by Lillytales blogger and booktuber Kate. Find out how Kate turned her hobby into a business and how scents are decided, plus the usual bookish banter. Because, we like talking.
11/14/17 ⢠44 min
This week Caitlin and Michelle are joined by their IRL bestie, Indy of TapsLifeAndBooks! We're chatting about series versus stand alones, our fave series, booktube and sharing some friendship stories! If you're a Cassandra Clare or Sarah J. Maas fan you're in for a treat!
10/17/24 ⢠65 min
Gary Lonesborough is a Yuin man, who grew up on the Far South Coast of New South Wales as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. Gary was always writing as a child, and continued his creative journey when he moved to Sydney to study at film school. Gary has experience working in youth work, Aboriginal health, child protection, the disability sector (including experience working in the youth justice system) and the film industry, including working on the feature film adaptation of Jasper Jones. His debut YA novel, The Boy from the Mish, won multiple awards. It was published in the US in 2022 as Ready When You Are. His second novel, We Didnât Think It Through, was published in 2023. Today we're discussing his new novel, I'm Not Really Here.
Our interview begins at 19.00
We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi!
Caitlin recommends: Gilmore Girls and The Pumpkin Spice Cafe*
This autumnal sensation was inspired by Gilmore Girls and although the seasons are different, this is a delightful romantic read.
Michelle talks about the books she bought in Edinburgh.
- Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald
- A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike
- The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale
- Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
- Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout
- Affinity by Sarah Waters
- His Bloody Project by Graeme MacRae Burnett
In this interview, we chat about:
- The very personal experience that inspired Jonah's story
- How the story developed from a dark horror into a contemporary story
- Writing authentic teen boys
- Why it was so important for Gary to explore the youth justice system through his second book, We Didn't Think It Through
- Gary's journey to publication and what it's like to hear from teenage readers
Books and other things mentioned:
- Nobody Wants This (TV show)
- Veronica Mars (TV show)
- Only Murders In the Building (TV show)
- Gilmore Girls (TV show)
- Sophie Green (listen to our interview here)
- Happy Head by Josh Silver (listen to our interview)
- The Rest is Entertainment podcast episode: Showmance or Romance? Inside Celebrity Relationship Contracts
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
- Panther by David Owen
- Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel by Sophie Green (listen to our interview)
- Banged Up: Stars Behind Bars (TV show)
Follow @garylonesborough on Instagram
I'm Not Really Here is available now. Thank you to the publishers for providing us with copies of the book in preparation for the interview.
Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Better Words have?
Better Words currently has 203 episodes available.
What topics does Better Words cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Books and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Better Words?
The episode title 'Fancying your friend, writing with heart, and publishing prejudice with Matt Cain' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Better Words?
The average episode length on Better Words is 62 minutes.
How often are episodes of Better Words released?
Episodes of Better Words are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.
When was the first episode of Better Words?
The first episode of Better Words was released on Aug 2, 2017.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ