Caroline Overington
In this episode, Caroline Overington takes us through the process behind writing her novel The Cuckoo’s Cry. Caroline talks about how the novel began its life as an audiobook commissioned by Audible, the process of turning it into a paperback novel, and the wonderful knock-on effect on her backlist of novels. We also discussed character development, the power of the opening first page, Caroline’s writing process and the two things that motivate her to get words down on the page fast.
You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The Cuckoo’s Cry here.
About The Cuckoo’s Cry
A compulsively gripping lockdown thriller by the bestselling author of The One Who Got Away
On the eve of the global lockdown, Don Barlow opens the door of his old beachside cottage to find a pretty girl with pink-tipped hair, claiming to be his granddaughter. She needs help and has nowhere else to go.
He welcomes her in, and so begins a mystery set in unprecedented times: with the virus raging outside their home, the girl cannot be asked to leave, but what does he risk by having her stay?
As Don and the girl start to forge a bond, Don's adult daughter has her own suspicions about what the newcomer is after. But, unable to travel, how can she protect Don and discover if the girl really is who she claims to be?
'You won't put The Cuckoo's Cry down. It's an addictive, read-in-one-sitting book with some surprisingly tender moments, a compelling relationship between the two main protagonists, and an unexpected twist at the end.'
Better Reading
About Caroline
Caroline Overington is one of Australia's most successful writers and journalists. She has twice won the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism; she has also won the Sir Keith Murdoch award for Journalistic Excellence; Australia's richest prize for business writing, the Blake Dawson Prize; and the Davitt Award for crime writing.
She has written fourteen books, including the runaway bestseller, The One Who Got Away.
Caroline has worked as a journalist for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and The Australian Women's Weekly, where she has profiled many of the world's most famous women, including Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton.
Her books have earned critical and commercial success: two of Caroline's novels - I Came To Say Goodbye and The One Who Got Away - were short-listed for Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards; her book about the UN oil for food scandal, Kickback has been optioned for film. Her most recent works include a thriller, The Cuckoo's Cry; and the true crime story, Missing William Tyrrell, an investigation into the disappearance of a three-year old foster child from the village of Kendall in NSW.
Website: https://www.carolineoverington.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overingtonc/