Overnight, Seka Torlak’s life as a regular teenager is upended as Srebrenica, her once peaceful town, falls under siege and she faces starvation, shelling, and sniper attacks. When desperately needed antibiotics and food disappear and are sold on the black market, Seka vows to investigate the corruption and bring the culprits to justice. As the war ravages Srebrenica, Seka's resilience is tested as she navigates the harsh realities of war. Yet, amidst the devastation, she finds a glimmer of hope as her relationship with Ramo blossoms from friendship to love. But as she fights for justice and love the brutal war threatens to tear everything apart. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Amra Pajalic about the complex Balkan history behind this story, Amra's own experience of living in Bosnia, and how historical fiction has the power to tell the stories of real people amidst the brutal realities of war.

Retired academic Martin Pottinger's romantic aspirations for the delectable head of his former university's archaeology department, Professor Mary Blake, seem about to be realised. If only he could devise a plan to manage the demands of his eccentric elderly mother, Edwina. Recently bereaved Grace Cavendish spends her days helping out at All Souls Church, making it her mission to drown out the Reverend Rod's tone-deaf hymn-singing and give each funeral recipient a hearty send-off. Yet the peace she craves remains elusive despite the comforts offered by psychic medium Rhondda and her eight-year-old son, Hudson. When Martin and Grace meet and bond at an All Souls service, they unwittingly set off a chain of events with far-reaching consequences. They become funeral crashers. But who could have predicted that crashing funerals might have such life-changing and life-affirming outcomes? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Joanna Nell about how funerals are not just a stage in the grieving process, her role as a G in aged care and advocacy for ageing positively, and creating stories and characters that reflect the realities of later life.

Europe, 1940. With war on their doorstep, German classmates Klara and Rachel, and French brothers Lucien and Paul, are forced to leave their homes. They are taken to Gurs, a French detention camp in the south-west of France. It's a crowded place, with little comfort and even less food. When Klara and Rachel are promised safe refuge in a remote French village, Lucien and Paul are anxious to join them — and will risk their own lives to get there. Filled with adventure, danger and intrigue, this is the story of four unlikely friends desperate to escape from a war that keeps coming closer. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Suzanne Leal the source of her fascination with World War II history, why finding the right setting for young people's introduction to historical fiction is critical, and why combining themes of loss, resilience and empathy with a great story are essential to engaging with the subject.

'I am Nannertgarrook' is based on the true story of Tasma Walton’s ancestor, a powerful, heart-wrenching novel about maternal love that endures against pitiless odds. Kidnapped by sealers and enslaved far from her homeland, Nannertgarrook has a spirit that refuses to bow/ From her idyllic life in sea country in Nerrm (Port Phillip Bay, Victoria), Nannertgarrook is abducted and taken to a slave market, leaving behind a husband, daughter and son. Pregnant when seized, she soon gives birth to another son, whom she raises with the children of her fellow captives. In the distant highlands, a puma named Dusk is killing shepherds. Down in the lowlands, twins Iris and Floyd are out of work, money and friends. When they hear that a bounty has been placed on Dusk, they reluctantly decide to join the hunt. As they journey up into this wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people of the highlands than they imagined. And as they close in on their prey, they're forced to reckon with conflicts both ancient and deeply personal. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Tasma Walton and Robbie Arnott about their ARA Historical Novel Society of Australasia's prize winning novels for 2025. Tasma and Robbie share their thoughts about the role of mythology within the genre of historical fiction, the destruction of landscape and culture that has come with colonisation, and how very different approaches to research have informed their novels.

"How do you library?" is a statewide campaign that aims to expand visitation and encourage deeper engagement and participation at libraries across Queensland by highlighting the diversity of services, programs, resources and surprising things people can do at their local library.  Libraries offer much more than you think; they are places for everyone to connect to knowledge, ideas, technology, community, history, and even other people, the list goes on. Using the word library as a verb invites the reader to consider how they currently engage with their library and how they can curate their own experience to connect to the people and things that matter to them. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Katie Edmiston about how your local library is no longer just about books, magazines and newspapers but are now critical community hubs for learning, engagement and services, how going digital has opened up new worlds for accessing information and broadening collections of all kinds, and while libraries will remain the go-to destination for quality information and research guidance, libraries around the state have a bright future that will continue to serve the changing needs of both urban and rural communities.

Hirsch is checking firearms. The regular police audit: all weapons secured, ammo stored separately, no unauthorised person with keys to the gun safe. He’s checking people, too. The drought is hitting hard in the mid-north, and Hirsch is responsible for the welfare of his scattered flock of battlers, bluebloods, loners and miscreants. He isn’t usually called on for emergency roadside assistance. But with all the other services fully stretched, it’s Hirsch who has to grind his way out beyond the Mischance Creek ruins to where some clueless tourist has run into a ditch. As it turns out, though, Annika Nordrum isn’t exactly a tourist. She’s searching for the body of her mother, who went missing seven years ago. And the only sense in which she’s clueless is the lack of information unearthed by the cops who phoned in the original investigation. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Garry Disher about the character of Paul Hirschhausen he originally envisaged, how his own research into far right and sovereign citizen groups turned out to be very timely, and why small town Australia is defined by the people who live there.

When Little Peach Tree was just a sapling, all they could see was row upon row of other peach trees. And, on top of the hill, watching over the orchard - the Peach King. As seasons pass, bringing cycles of change, Little Peach Tree grows and grows. But darker changes are stirring. Soon rain is scarce, the forests turn brown, animals flee and the sky turns red.To protect the orchard, the Peach King faces grave danger and Little Peach Tree must find their voice. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Inga Simpson and Tannya Harricks about their shared passion for the natural world, why stories of resilience in nature have meaning for us all, and why the peach is the king of fruit.

For Blake 'Blakey' Johnston growing up around the beaches of Cronulla, life was good and surfing was everything. At sixteen, he turned pro and took off around the world, chasing his dream to become the world's best. The thing about dreams, though, is that they change - sometimes by choice and sometimes by circumstance. For some people, that change can be too much. 'SwellBeing: Everyone Deserves to Feel Awesome' is a powerful memoir and mental health toolkit from the world record holder for longest surf. Blake Johnston's first book is an honest and inspiring story about carrying a family history of suicide and struggling with mental illness, what he did to rise back up and the lessons he wants to share to help others. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Blake Johnston about his idyllic childhood growing up in the beachside suburb of Cronulla, his early success on the pro surfing circuit, and the toolkit everyone one needs to make it through the tough times and live their best lives.

Jessie Hickman was a woman who lived outside the norms of her time. A brave and formidable woman, Jessie lived a life full of adventure, action and danger. At the age of eight she joined a travelling bush circus, learning to perform as a whip cracker, sharpshooter and rough rider. She would perform dangerous feats, like tightrope walking or handstands on bare-backed ponies. When the circus closed, Jessie became an outlaw and cattle rustler, famous for her daring escapes. This picture book brings to life the fascinating but little-known story of Jessie Hickman (1890–1936), Australia’s so-called ‘Lady Bushranger’. This lavishly illustrated picture book immerses the reader in the wilderness of what is now the Wollemi National Park as Jessie’s life unfolds with every turn of the page. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac their shared passion for Australian history, about life in a travelling bush circus at the turn of the twentieth century, and how a young girl from humble beginnings became an Australian bush legend.

When 37-year-old Leila suffers a health tragedy, she doesn't recover as quickly as she expected. Her partner, James, suggests a year away from the city - they'll stay on his family farm, where the wide, open spaces and clean country air will help her come to terms with her grief. But the property is remote and the house oppressive. Leila is disturbed by strange noises, fleeting visions and intrusive dreams. James worries that her medication is causing hallucinations.As Leila's isolation grows amid the haunted landscape, so does her suspicion that she isn't the first woman James has relocated to the farm. Is what she's experiencing real? Or is it all in her head? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Jessica Mansour-Nahra about the power of imagery to create a ghostly atmosphere, how isolation can lead to heightened sensory experiences, and how a barren, open landscape can contribute to an intense feeling of claustrophobia.

Walking Sydney invites you to walk with a city’s writers as they share their places of home and imagination. From the streets of the suburbs to the shores of the harbour, as we walk amid diasporas, countercultures, activists, artists, dreamers and thieves, the city comes alive with story. Written by Belinda Castles from walks taken with fifteen writers, Walking Sydney is an opportunity to see the city afresh. Eveleigh and Carriageworks with Jazz Money – Surry Hills with Fiona Kelly McGregor – The Rocks, Walsh Bay and Circular Quay with Gail Jones – Parramatta with Eda Gunaydin – King Street, Newtown with Vanessa Berry – Freshwater with Malcolm Knox – Yagoona and Bankstown with Sheila Ngọc Phạm – Rushcutters Bay Park and Elizabeth Bay with Delia Falconer – North Willoughby and Middle Cove with Jakelin Troy – Casula and Liverpool with Max Easton – Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills with Neal Drinnan – Bronte and Clovelly with Beth Yahp – Bankstown and Punchbowl Boys’ High School with Michael Mohammed Ahmad – Cooks River with Michelle de Kretser – City and Redfern with Larissa Behrendt. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Belinda Castles about her fascination for the people, places and history of the city of Sydney, why walking is both a physical and creative experience, and the hopes she has for the future of this city and for its people.

Brisbane, 1975: Andie Tanner's world is small but whole. Her mum is complicated, but she adores her dad and the kennel of racing greyhounds that live under their house. Andie is a serious girl with plans: finish school with her friends, then apprentice to her father until she can become a greyhound trainer, with dogs of her very own. But real life rarely goes to plan, and the world is bigger and more complicated than Andie could imagine. When she loses everything she cares about - her family, her friends, the dogs - it's up to Andie to reclaim her future. She will need all her wits to survive this new reality of secrets and half-truths, addictions and crime. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Toni Jordan about how her varied work history found its way in this story, how the triangulation of mother, father and daughter shapes relationships and character, and how we are all truly children in adult form.

After years away from his home town of Melbourne, Luke Harris is back on track. All he wants is a normal job, his own house and a dog. But Luke is a man with a past, when life was anything but peaceful and his skills ran to the dark side. A past not easily forgotten – or forgiven. When he crosses paths with Gus Alberici – the brutal criminal he worked for as a teenager – he's dragged reluctantly back to his old life. Luke's father has vanished, along with a chunk of Gus's cash. And something is up with his new girlfriend's father. As his past and present collide, can Luke keep his long-held secrets – and outsmart a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Tanya Scott about the long journey to her first novel, how her work in mental health informs her fiction writing, and why accountancy is the perfect cover for a criminal lifestyle.

Bryce Courtenay was one of Australia's highest-selling and most-loved authors. From his first book, The Power of One, he captivated readers. Many of his fans would have thought they knew him, and they did - they knew the version of him that he wanted to present to the world. To his son Adam, Bryce Courtenay was larger than life, mercurial, and impossible to know completely. In this moving, unforgettable memoir, Adam searches for the real Bryce. His father was a natural born storyteller and occasional fabulist whose tales never quite felt true. He was a man who forever publicly grieved the loss of his son Damon, the subject of April Fool's Day, but who seemed reluctant to connect with his remaining two sons. Several years after his death, Bryce still looms large in Adam's life. In seeking to understand his father, who made so many people happy with his books, Adam recounts his own 1960s and 1970s childhood, Bryce's career in advertising and his metamorphosis into bestselling novelist. In the years after The Power of One, Bryce became a household name even as his personal life was plagued by tragedy and heartbreak - some of his own making. All the while Adam did his best to love his father and hang on through the wild ride of his life. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Adam Courtenay about his idyllic childhood, his father's rollercoaster career in advertising, and how his father's talent for storytelling was present from the very early years.

News cowboys – it was the nickname the reporters and camerapeople at Seven Network’s Los Angeles bureau jokingly gave themselves as they headed off on assignments, not knowing what to expect and often unprepared for what they found. It was a way of coping, of not taking too seriously what was often deadly serious, as they witnessed some of the worst moments in recent world history. For 18 years Mike Amor was one of those journalists. He was on the ground during 9/11 and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He reported on mass shootings from Port Arthur to Sandy Hook, covered the earthquake in Haiti and the astonishing rescue of a little girl named Winnie, investigated Mexican drug cartels, came under fire in Gaza – and much more. There were good times, too – following the Olympics or Chloë McCardel’s record-breaking Cuban swim. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Mike Amor about his pathway to a career in journalism and as a foreign correspondent, the sometimes grim reality of covering some of the biggest news stories in the world, and the mental and physical toll it has taken on him, on his wife and on his son.

Where’s Moon? follows a day in the life of June, a toddler who is searching for the moon! The story was written by Speech Pathologist, Olivia Purvis, and edited by her sister, Amelia. The story was inspired by their young nephew, Sebastian, who innocently enquired about the Moon’s whereabouts one day. Olivia’s inner Speech Pathologist could not resist weaving a strong narrative with a variety of language features to support emergent literacy during shared book reading. The story works in harmony with the illustrations to invoke a sense of wonder while making subtle references to Australian culture. This “cheeky” book is sure to capture the hearts of young and old! In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Olivia Purvis about the origins of Where's Moon?, how elements of her speech pathology training found their way into the book, and the importance of an enthusiastic caregiver in engaging young children and enhancing language development.

The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s friendship with the charming Eugene Chantrelle and the murder mystery that contributed to Robert’s need to create a novel focused on the dualistic nature of the psyche. From a séance with the Shelleys at Boscombe Manor to a haunted wardrobe made by an infamous Scottish criminal, the novel is underscored by the story of two writers very much in love. Fanny and Robert were married in 1880, when she was forty and he was twenty-nine. An American who divorced her philandering husband to marry Robert, she was already the mother of children, a self-supporting writer, and with intelligence and wit very much the rock in their relationship. Brilliantly told in Fanny’s voice, this atmospheric novel is both the story of an unconventional literary relationship and a page-turning mystery that reveals the truth about the people, objects and events that inspired Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Belinda Lyons Lee about her fascination with all things nineteenth century, the remarkable Fanny Osbourne Stevenson, and how a haunted wardrobe may have been the genesis of a literary classic.

In the dying days of the Roman republic, a remarkable woman steps out of the shadows and beyond the boundaries imposed on her sex, driven by an unstoppable ambition. Kaarina Parker's stunning debut novel, told in the compelling voice of this brilliant woman from history, brings Fulvia and the society in which she lived vividly to life. Born into a wealthy but unimportant family, Fulvia is raised in the peace of the Etruscan countryside but longs for a life of excitement and influence. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, she makes her way to the city of Rome to secure her future. Motivated by both passion and opportunism, Fulvia marries Clodius, a hedonistic young senator. They are perfect partners - risk takers, scornful of convention and eager for change. Although Clodius is heir to a leading aristocratic family, he has spent his life criticising the rules of his class and championing the common people. As a wife and mother, Fulvia fulfils her role in a society that denies women any influence outside the home - but she is also a ruthless political strategist, intent on seeing her husband rise through the ranks of Rome's governing body, the senate. And, through him, wielding her own authority. But Rome is a dangerous place, and power can become notoriety overnight. Fulvia soon learns just how high the stakes really are, and that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Kaarina Parker about her passion for Roman history, the hedonsim of the late Roman Empire, and how Fulvia, a young woman from the provinces, rose to become one of its most influential citizens.

The liver's ability to heal and regenerate can greatly improve your wellbeing. Clinical nutritionist and bestselling author Sarah Di Lorenzo’s four-week plan has helped hundreds of her#diet patients repair their inner health and now she’s sharing it with you. One in three Australians have a fatty liver, one of the most prevalent liver conditions worldwide. Revitalising your liver health can increase energy, aid weight-loss, improve sleep, slow aging, reduce headaches, improve skin health, reduce brain fog and lower anxiety. The Liver Repair Plan offers practical guidance, easy-to-follow meal plans, and more than 50 delicious, nutrient-dense recipes that will support your liver's health and vitality. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Sarah Di Lorenzo about what this incredible organ does for our body, it's amazing capacity for repair and the simple steps we can all take to improve every aspect of our wellbeing.

As animals, our brains float above the planet’s surface. We were made to be mobile and carry our intelligence with us. A huge leap for mankind is happening right now. Contained within our minds and everything around us is the solution to our anxiety. Ecologist and naturalist Simon Mustoe shows us how to consume a more balanced variety of knowledge to become healthier and happier by reconnecting with nature. The key to avoiding disaster is to work within the natural balance of our beautiful world. Cats can make us too conservative (or just enough). Grasshoppers, eels and blue gropers teach us to solve global obesity and food crises. Simply saving wildlife in our own backyards can reduce cost of living by sixty or seventy times. How to Survive the Next 100 Years unlocks the power of our relationship with animals and nature and shows us we are already on our way to rebuilding a healthy, habitable planet. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Simon Mustoe about how our consumption of negative news about the environment can affect our hope for the future of the planet, how animals and re-wilding can change our environment in a very short space of time, and how positive change is happening at all levels – from the corporate down to your local environment.