Petronella McGovern
My guest this month is a brilliant writer of psychological thrillers, the wonderful Petronella McGovern.
Petronella went deep into the writing of this novel with me - we talked about inciting incidents, setting, research, editing, character development and all the techniques she uses to achieve narrative tension and keep that pace cracking along such as foreshadowing and writing cliffhanger chapter endings. This was also the first time she’s written an historical thread which added another layer of rich complexity to the story.
ABOUT THE LAST TRACE
What if you're scared you committed a crime but can't remember...
Family. It means everything to Sheridan. She has missed having her brother around. At last, Lachy is back in Australia, and Sheridan can’t wait to spend the Easter holidays all together in the mountains with their kids.
But, on Good Friday, something devastating happens that rips their two families apart, and now she can’t imagine ever forgiving him.
Lachy knows he’s not coping, but his sister doesn’t have the full story. And, terrifyingly, nor does he. There are some critical gaps in his memory. How is he connected to a missing woman, a hit and run, and a request for DNA?
To untangle the truth, Lachy must decide who he can trust. His sister? His friends? Even himself?
The Last Trace is a gripping thriller about siblings and secrets, and the traces we can never erase.
ABOUT PETRONELLA MCGOVERN
Petronella McGovern is fascinated by what makes us tick, the lies we tell, and the secrets we keep. She is the best-selling author of Six Minutes, The Good Teacher, The Liars and The Last Trace. Her books have been nominated in the Ned Kelly Awards, the Davitt Awards and the Australian Independent Bookseller Awards. The Liars was selected in the Top 100 Big W/Better Reading list for 2023. Petronella has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and tutors in creative writing. She grew up on a farm in central west NSW and now lives with her family in Sydney on Gadigal Country. Among other adventures, she has worked on a summer camp in America and travelled in eastern Africa which inspired parts of her fourth novel, The Last Trace.
Website:https://www.petronellamcgovern.com.au/
Buy The Last Trace by Petronella McGovern here.
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This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation.
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