Meet Alli Parker, author of the Australian historical fiction novel, At the Foot of the Cherry Tree. The novel is based on the real-life story of Alli's grandparents, who were among the first Australian-Japanese couples after the Second World War. The discussion covers Alli's journey as a writer, her transition from screenwriting to novel writing, the process of researching and writing the book, and her advice for aspiring writers. Alli is also a graduate of several courses at the Australian Writers' Centre, including the Write Your Novel program.
00:00 Introduction and welcome 00:16 Recommendation: Pamela Hart’s ‘The Fatal Crossing' 01:39 Guest introduction and writing tip discussion 03:13 Writing organisation tips and tools 11:34 Win ‘The Broken Wave' by Matthew Ryan Davies 13:53 Word of the week segment 14:20 Interview with Writer in Residence: Alli Parker 21:04 Writing journey and inspiration 21:13 Transition from screenwriting to novel writing 22:22 Breaking into the screenwriting industry 24:17 Decision to write a novel 26:33 Pathway to novel writing 28:05 Getting published and media coverage 30:11 Planning the story arc 39:31 Future writing projects 40:36 Advice for aspiring writers 43:08 Fun fact: what is the origin of the word “dubious”
Alli Parker is a Japanese-Australian author and screenwriter, with a background in script editing and script co-ordinating. Her debut historical fiction novel, At the Foot of the Cherry Tree, is a novelisation of the true story of Australia's first Japanese war bride and Alli's grandmother. She co-wrote episodes of crime drama series Jack Irish, romantic thriller series Secret Bridesmaids' Business and mystery telemovie series Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries. Her credits as a script editor and co-ordinator include Irreverent, Jack Irish series 1, 2, & 3, Shantaram, Secret Bridesmaids' Business, Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, Ride Like A Girl, Sunshine, Please Like Me series 4 and Utopia series 1 & 2.
