In The Good Books with Luke Bateman

The Writer's Room: Paullina Simons

In The Good Books with Luke Bateman

Show Notes

Paullina Simons talks how her life shaped her writing, The Bronze Horseman, her new book The Bell and the Blade, and why she writes 'love in loveless times' [00:43] - Paullina on finding Luke [02:21] - Paullina’s early life [05:34] - How Paullina’s love of stories began [07:35] - Paullina’s earliest literary loves: The Three Musketeers, Les Miserables, the Count of Monte Cristo [12:22] - Paullina’s first story [15:15] - Why Paullina is drawn to writing about hardship and resilience [17:13] - Victor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ [18:48] - The Bronze Horseman [25:00] - The Bell and the Blade [33:22] - What is Paullina’s favourite out of everything she’s written? [35:38] - what Advice would Paullina give to an aspiring writer? [36:21] - East of Eden by John Steinbeck [39:35] - Paullina’s Good Book [40:45] - Ordinary People by Judith Guest [41:06] - Shopgirl by Steve Martin [41:50] - Paullina’s relationship to fantasy [42:49] - The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien [43:07] - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien [44:38] - What’s next? We want to hear from you! Send us your audio by emailing us at [email protected]. Follow all the action on our socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inthegoodbooks_podcast/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@inthegoodbooks_podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More from In The Good Books with Luke Bateman

Oct 20, 2026

History was written by the victors and the wealthy— but Ariel Lawhon is on a relentless mission to resurrect the women they erased. From an off-grid childhood reading by kerosene light in New Mexico to teaching herself how to write after leaving home at 16, Ariel shares the unconventional roots of her storytelling and why she views historical fiction not as a genre, but as an unflinching lens on human survival. She dives deep into the fierce, 70-year journey of Irish pirate chieftain Grace O’Malley, reveals the Dublin jewelry-shop breakthrough that sparked the novel's "Maiden, Mother, Matriarch" structure, and explains what it truly means to be a "mercenary" author who grips readers by the jugular. Along the way, Ariel touches on why history's deepest truths are found in the home rather than the war room, and finally, reveals the 800-page masterpiece she wishes she could read for the first time all over again. Stay connected on our socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inthegoodbooks_podcast/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@inthegoodbooks_podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 14, 2026

How do you hold your ground when speaking the truth makes you a target? For award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and author Antoinette Lattouf, at least one way is to draw upon the stories of all those who've done it before you. In this episode, Antoinette unpacks the brutal reality of challenging power and the personal price of unflinching integrity - discussing her own battle against the ABC after speaking out on human rights in Gaza, and many other incredible examples from her book Women Who Win. Antoinette reveals the books that shaped her, why a First Nations teacher changed the way she saw stories, how reading taught her to question authority and what effective communication really means to her today. It's a conversation about institutional retaliation, mental health stigma, why women’s stories have so often been written out of history, and what “winning” means when the cost is high.

Oct 6, 2026

Prepare for a peek inside the one-of-a-kind mind behind some of the most seriously kid-approved stories ever! In this episode, record-breaking and internationally bestselling children’s author and Australian Children’s Laureate Andy Griffiths shares: How telling neighborhood kids fibs about his bath time led to his love of storytelling How his path to being an author first led to teaching and punk-rock Why iconic children's stories like Hansel & Gretel have a special blend of horror and humour The 5 Essential Elements of Children's Fiction How Andy still listens closely to his inner ten year old Andy's mission as Australian Children’s Laureate to defend endangered school libraries and rebuild long-form focus in a screen-obsessed world. How all his books (including his latest You and Me and the Gigantic Knucklehead) are always true stories (even if nothing true happens in them) How absurd, uninhibited play is the key to imagination and creativity for anyone And much much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 1, 2026

Luke becomes acquainted with this regency romance classic, with it themes, characters and moments, and what they all have to show us about modern romance today. Stay connected on our socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inthegoodbooks_podcast/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@inthegoodbooks_podcast Thanks to Hachette - for the list of their expert readalikes for Pride and Prejudice and other Good Book Club picks, go to https://www.hachette.com.au/news/in-the-good-books and for more, visit www.hachette.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 29, 2026

Luke is joined by Shen Tao, the brilliant debut author behind The Poet Empress—a novel Luke proudly declares as his favorite book of the year so far! But despite being a debut, it was far from Shen's first work. In fact, as she reveals, there were many unpublished books before it... Shen details exactly what made The Poet Empress different, the breakthrough that allowed its first four chapters to "flow like water," how dark themes of forbidden female literacy and systemic corruption shaped the narrative, and how ancient Chinese philosophy and different views of masculinity helped humanise her complex antagonists. Plus, she reveals the books that most influence her life, and why writing to her is a true form of magic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See all episodes →