A Little Bit Booked

Episode 17 - Small Town NZ Takes Centre Stage in Slash by Gavin Strawhan

A Little Bit Booked

Show Notes

After putting his main character, the plucky Honey Chalmers, through the wringer in “The Call,” author Gavin Strawhan is back with “Slash.” He joins to talk about dialogue, developing character and the social issues that underpin his thrillers.

Books mentioned in this episode: - My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell (Penguin Classics) - The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese (Grove / Atlantic) - Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese (Penguin) - We Do Not Part, Han Kang (Penguin) - Truth, Peter Temple - Other People’s Bodies, Megan Nicol Reed (Allen & Unwin NZ)

Gavin’s books are: - The Call (Allen & Unwin NZ) - Slash (Allen & Unwin NZ)

Gavin’s upcoming talk with author Megan Nicol Reed is called “Creating compelling characters;” 4 June 2026, 5:30-6:30pm. More information at: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/2026/06/creating-charismatic-characters/

More from A Little Bit Booked

Oct 21, 2026

Ahead of his appearance at the 2026 Nelson Arts Festival, Booker Prize-winning author Shehan Karunatilaka joins to talk about his magical realism novel “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” – from ghosts and truth-finding to absurdism and a little bit of hope.

Oct 7, 2026

Catherine Chidgey’s latest captivating novel follows Hazel, a young woman who signs up as a Blackpool sideshow act where she won’t eat for 40 days. As the days tick by and strangers watch Hazel transform, she must decide how far she’s willing to go for what she wants.

Sep 23, 2026

With over 30 children’s books to his name, author and illustrator Ned Barraud looks at the world a little bit differently. With an eye for detail and love of nature, his love of New Zealand’s environment are brought to life for little readers around the country.

Sep 9, 2026

Allyson Gofton’s latest cookbook, Give: Seasonal Recipes for Gifting, is all about recipes you can bake, make and share with the loved ones in your life, any time of the year. We talk everything from recipe development, what qualities a “giftable” recipe needs to have and the secret to flaky pastry. $30 from every book sold goes to support Breast Cancer Cure, funding vital breast cancer research in Aotearoa New Zealand. Learn more at https://breastcancercure.org.nz.

Aug 26, 2026

How do you learn to work in publishing? Whitireia Publishing Programme tutor Theresa Crewdson and current student Gaby West do their best to tempt me into a career change...and share some exciting you-heard-it-here-first news about what’s next for the course!

See all episodes →