Totally Lit!

Host Ky Garvey talks with Lauren Williams about her debut novel Neighbourhood Watch — a darkly comic, Melbourne-set thriller inspired by a real scarecrow competition. The episode explores the book's plot (a judge's body arranged as a scarecrow), Detective Sergeant Priyanka Powell's investigation, and the sisters Emma and Margot grappling with the fallout and corruption close to home.
They also discuss Williams's journey from acting and diplomacy to publishing, her writing process and influences, the lead-up to launch day, and her forthcoming projects.
About the book: ‘Neighbourhood Watch is a sharp, stylish thriller with a killer opening hook, a generous dose of dark humour, and a truly distinctive voice.’ Christian White
The annual Curlew Street scarecrow competition is back, and the residents of Melbourne’s inner north have never seen an entry like it. Shirt bloody, head and arms slumped over a scarecrow crucifix: Victoria’s most conservative Supreme Court Judge, Harry ‘The Pope’ Somerton, is dead.Priyanka Pal, a former psychologist turned homicide detective, is disturbed when her investigation uncovers corruption close to home. Forced to confront the abuses of powerful men – the very reason she left psychology – Priyanka’s faith in the justice system falters. Emma Bloom is sophisticated, intelligent, and seems to have it all together. But her prickly, estranged sister, Margot, knows the truth. Their attempts at reconciliation spiral into crisis with the death of Emma’s abusive husband, The Pope.As secrets unravel and Priyanka’s investigation cuts close to home, the sisters risk losing what fragile family ties they have left, and Priyanka’s career is on the edge. None of them will ever feel the same way about themselves (or their neighbours) again. P.S. Mind the cat.
Buy the book: Books | Online Bookshop | QBD (This is an affiliate lin
About the author: Before turning to fiction, Lauren worked as a lawyer, diplomat, actor, arts journalist and museum communications manager (not all at once). This is her first novel.
Neighbourhood Watch | Book by Lauren Williams | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster AU
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com

Host Ky Garvey interviews thriller author Matt Rogers about his new book The Damned (the sequel to The Forsaken), his transition from years of successful self-publishing to traditional publishing with Simon & Schuster, his writing and editing process, thoughts on AI and the industry, and practical advice for aspiring writers.
About the Book: Retired assassin Logan Booth is ready to settle down – but Jacinta Murphy, the President of the United States, has other ideas. Paranoid he will expose her past mistakes, the President triggers a chain of events that drive Logan to Colombia and into the middle of a new war.After colliding with the wrong cartel, Logan finds himself on the run across the mountainous Colombian countryside. His only chance of survival lies with Alice Mason, an unlikely friend and confidant. Desperate to keep her out of harm’s way, Logan refuses to call on her for aid. But what if she turns up unbidden? How is he supposed to stop her running headfirst into danger when he’s barely keeping himself alive?
Buy the book: Books | Online Bookshop | QBD (This is an affiliate link)
About the Author: Matt Rogers is the internationally bestselling author of the Dante Jacoby series. Matt began self-publishing at the age of eighteen, and in the following eight years he single-handedly wrote and marketed more than thirty-five thriller novels. His books have collectively sold over one million copies. His stories weave stimulating philosophy with relentless, page-turning action, and he aims to educate and entertain in equal measure. As an ultramarathon runner and mountain trekker, Matt enjoys exploring the capabilities of the body and mind, lending experiential weight to his visceral writing. You can follow Matt on Facebook and Instagram @mattrogersauthor.
Home | mattrogersbooks
The Damned | Book by Matt Rogers | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster AU
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
 

Martin Evans, known online as This_Chubby_Bois Life, shares his journey from an on-again/off-again reader to a thriving Bookstagram and BookTok creator who champions indie and traditional authors, builds meaningful friendships, and navigates the highs and lows of content creation.
The episode highlights Martin’s community-driven work with Chapters for Change, his passion for supporting literacy and authors, and how bookish events, interviews, and genuine connections have shaped his reading revival and online career.
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast

Lauren recounts her journey from viral Wattpad success to signing with Penguin, explaining how she moved from self-publishing to traditional publishing and now writes across multiple romance subgenres.
She also discusses balancing a day job, motherhood and social media, shares launch and marketing experiences, and offers practical advice to aspiring authors to keep writing and get the first draft down.
About the author: Lauren Jackson is an Australian author and an avid reader. Her hobby of writing stories developed into a passion when she discovered an online writing website at age fourteen. Since 2012, she has garnered thousands of followers and millions of views on her stories, which have helped grow and develop her love of writing. Lauren loves to write steamy romances (with a little mystery) and is always writing a new book.
Home | Lauren Jackson
Fight for Us by Lauren Jackson - Penguin Books Australia
Mine After Midnight by Lauren Jackson - Penguin Books Australia
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast

Host Ky Garvey interviews K D Aldyn about her new crime thriller You Girls Play Nice, exploring themes of female rage, revenge and loyalty as four friends’ hypothetical murders are replicated in real life. They discuss Katie’s writing process across genres, her publishing journey, and personal insights from life on the road and living with dyscalculia and mild synesthesia.
About the book: When their best friend is murdered, four women decide to take hypothetical revenge. But their imagined murders soon turn into total carnage when someone discovers their secret desires and is bent on taking them down in this dark thriller perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and The Butcher Game.
Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and The Butcher Game, comes a chilling, "Good for Her" revenge thriller that paints a searing picture of friendship, justice, and vengeance, both imagined and actualized, that will leave you questioning how far would you go to avenge your friend?Four friends. Four plans for revenge. One secret killer.
When Helen Wyatt is brutally murdered, her four best friends anxiously wait in the courtroom to ensure justice is served. But when her attacker is acquitted of all charges, the women decide to get revenge.
Hypothetically, of course.
The friends host a girl's night, each presenting a different way they would kill the culprit to avenge Helen. It's a silly thing, a way to ease their grief. Until, a week later, a murder is discovered that mirrors one of their imagined killings. Then another. What started as a cathartic exercise soon ends in carnage, with suspicion quickly falling on the four friends.
Someone has discovered their secrets. And now, the women will have to hunt down who is framing them for murder. Or, even more chillingly, question who among them may be capable of being a killer themselves…
You can buy the book the book here: Books | Online Bookshop | QBD
(This is an affiliate link) 
About the author: KD Aldyn lives everywhere and nowhere (home is where the Wi-Fi is). She most often wears black (and sometimes red) and sometimes dances like Elaine from Seinfeld. Sister, Butcher, Sister is her debut.
https://kdaldyn.com/
You Girls Play Nice by KD Aldyn - Penguin Books Australia
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast
 
 
 
 

Author Dinuka McKenzie joins host Ky Garvey on Totally Lit to talk about her Kate Miles series, her upcoming standalone SHEER LIGHT FIRST, and her work as an ambassador for Chapters for Change.
They discuss the Chapters for Change readathon—how to register, how teams and social media boost participation, and how the fundraising supports community-led literacy projects in Cambodia.
You can register for the 2026 Chapters for Change Readathon here:Sign Up • Chapters for Change Readathon 2026

Host Ky Garvey interviews debut author Inessa Jackson about her award-winning crime novel Devil Mountain, a small-town police procedural with a creepy, witchy twist. They discuss the grisly murder that kicks off the story, the themes of misogyny and power, and how folklore and Wiccan practice inform the mystery.
Inessa shares her ten-year writing journey, the surprising moment she won the Verena mentorship, working with her publisher, research into police procedure and witchcraft, and practical advice for aspiring writers. The episode blends book chat, publishing insights, and the pleasures and challenges of life as an author.
About the book:
A wickedly dark police procedural with a hint of the supernatural, this crime novel is Dinuka McKenzie meets The Bluffs.
When Detective Sergeant Anastasia Brown is sent to investigate a grizzly murder in a small New South Wales town, she welcomes the chance to run from heartbreak and humiliation. But she quickly discovers that this is no ordinary murder. The body of a popular doctor has been found on the mountain, chained and burned, with arcane ­symbols carved into the soles of his feet – and the boy who found him swears he saw a ghost lingering in the trees.
Is this a clever killer with a flair for the macabre? Or the work of an elusive Wiccan coven that worships on the mountain? Or, even stranger, are the local murmurs of the mountain being haunted more than just folklore? 
As the investigation grows ever murkier, Ana realises that everyone in town has a secret … and some are deadly.
You can buy the book the book here: Books | Online Bookshop | QBD
(This is an affiliate link) 
About the author: Inessa Jackson is a Sydney crime writer living on the land of the Garigal people, within the Eora Nation. Her debut novel, Devil Mountain, won the Affirm/Varuna Mentorship Award. Her first murder mystery was runner-up for the 2023 Banjo Prize and short-listed for the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Award. Before she fell in love with crime writing, Inessa backpacked around the world, worked in corporate PR and then settled into life as a stay-at-home mum. When she’s not writing, Inessa is reading, swimming at Manly beach and walking her loyal assistant, Billy the Cavoodle. She has a passion for travelling to far-flung places … and is terrified of sheep.
Home | Inessa Jackson Author
Devil Mountain | Book by Inessa Jackson | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster AU
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast

Host Ky Garvey interviews Mary Colussi, the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize winner, about her debut novel Touch Grass — a near‑future speculative story in which a woman wakes up as a cactus and consciousness‑swapping becomes an endemic phenomenon. They discuss the book's themes of derealisation, digital life versus material reality, and the strange, humane humour behind the premise.
Mary describes her writing and editing process, the surprise of shortlisting and winning (including the Penguin publishing deal and $20,000 prize), early ARC reactions, influences like Octavia Butler and Ling Ma, and her background in scriptwriting. She also shares practical advice for emerging writers: finish a project, embrace rejection as part of the craft, and keep going.
The book is published June 2 with a launch at Gleebooks in Sydney; Mary will tour around Australia and can be followed on Instagram @marycolussi for dates and updates.
About the book:
When her consciousness starts spontaneously ejecting from her body, Charlie becomes the first known case of a bizarre new phenomenon – and the unwilling centre of a global crisis.
And an immortal sheep might be the key to everything.
As disembodiment spreads, corporations celebrate it, governments fear it, and Charlie can’t decide whether she’s losing herself or finally escaping. But the memories she worked so hard to delete won’t stay gone, and the only way to survive a world splitting at the seams may be to reclaim the self she tried to erase.
Astute and inventive, Touch Grass explores identity, consent and the hilariously messy business of being a friend, sister and person – especially when someone keeps editing the footnotes.
About the author: Mary Colussi is an Australian American writer currently based in Sydney. She’s a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
Touch Grass | Mary Colussi
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast

Host Ky Garvey interviews Samantha Ross about her debut novel Impossible Springs—covering her journey to being published by Penguin, the practice of manifesting alongside scientific insight, and the novel’s magical-realism telepathy concept inspired by family and her grandmother’s mediumship.
They also discuss 90s music influences, Ross’s industry experiences, practical advice for emerging writers, book-launch plans, and personal stories of resilience, creativity and grief.
About the Book:
Welcome to Possible Springs, where secrets are a way of life.
Jimny Adams should have died on that hot summer day in 1987 in the remote town of Possible Springs. Only eleven at the time, she was saved from drowning by her school teacher Mr Cross.
Seven years on and she has grown into a watchful, quirky eighteen-year-old - her near-death experience having left her with an unnerving psychic ability.
It’s an unwelcome gift that she tries desperately to hide: from her parents, from her best friends, from everyone in town. In such a tight-knit community, being different means becoming a pariah.
However Possible Springs is actually a town teeming with dark secrets. And with her ability to read people’s thoughts, Jimny is closer than she would like to be to discovering its truth…
About the Author:
Samantha Ross is an author and scriptwriter, who left the cold climes of Melbourne for the more glamorous yet remote country town of Port Douglas. Samantha has travelled the globe working in the circus of nightclubs, and recording music with DJs and bands. Although her first love was for all things literary. Throw a medium grandmother in the mix and Possible Springs, her first novel, was born.
Possible Springs by Samantha Ross - Penguin Books Australia
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast

Host Ky Garvey interviews author Anna Johnson about her new novel 'When Lemons Give You Life', following retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow as cooking brings purpose, community and long-buried secrets to light. They discuss themes of aged care, LGBTIQ+ communities, midlife ADHD, family reconciliation, Anna’s background in aged care and public health, her writing and publishing journey, and the book’s screen interest.
Listeners also hear practical tips for aspiring writers, details about upcoming launches and tours, and personal stories that illuminate the joys and challenges of caring, creativity and second chances.
About the author:
Anna Johnston is a former baby, aspiring octogenarian and emerging Australian author with a love for the heartfelt and hilarious. She grew up in country Victoria before moving to Melbourne where she lives joyously with her husband and daughters by the beach. Anna left an imminent career in medicine to follow her heart into her grandfather’s nursing home where she became the social support coordinator, taking great delight in shaking up the usual program. When injury left her unable to continue working in aged care, she began to write about it,
About the book:
Redemption is a dish best served warm . . .
Retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow has lost his appetite. He’s done with grief, guilt and the beige slop they dare call food at Sunny Glen Aged Care Facility, where he now resides.
Life’s given him all the lemons he can handle – so he breaks into the nursing home kitchen to bake himself one last tart. It’s supposed to be his final meal, but the act of cooking stirs a dormant joy. Soon, he’s regularly sneaking in after dark, serving up flavour and comfort to his fellow residents. Yet behind the apron is a lie so big it could destroy the one thing he has left to protect . . .
Meanwhile, Griff’s younger sister, Lisa, is navigating a new ADHD diagnosis and the spark of an unexpected romance. Despite their fractured sibling relationship, she dutifully visits Griff, though she knows hope of a reconciliation is gone, buried in the silence between them.
But the truth has a way of boiling over – and when secrets, soufflés and second chances collide, they may discover a recipe for forgiveness.
When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston - Penguin Books Australia
Anna Johnston Author
Host: Ky Garvey
Theme Song: Claire Houghton
Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/
Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/
Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit
For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc. 
I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media:
Totallylitpodcast@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast