Hi, Louisa! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi Nerd Daily Readers! I am 29, from Sydney, Australia, and I love the sunshine, the beach, and all things books. My husband calls me a sunflower, because when I’m in a bad mood all he has to do is put me out in the sun and I lighten up immediately. When it’s a cloudy day, he’s screwed, watch out world. I originally started writing this book at 19, so it’s been a whirlwind ten years of writing and rewriting, but the day is finally here!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I can’t remember a time that I didn’t love writing. Creative writing was always my favourite subject in school, and I was always a big reader, especially of fantasy. I don’t think it occurred to me that I could try and make this my career until I was in my late twenties and decided to take it seriously. I started writing for me, and now I get to share it with all of you!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: OH My Secret Unicorn by Linda Chapman
• The one that made you want to become an author: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I recently read Because I Killed Him by Edith Birde and can’t stop thinking about it!

Your debut novel, The Shadows that Listen, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Tension, destruction, survival, betrayal, and nostalgia!

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

It took me 10 years to get here, so there have been many hurdles in my journey. I wasn’t planning on publishing this book, until I was 26 and thought hey maybe there are other people out there who are craving this story. That’s when the stakes completely changed, and everything became so much harder. My biggest foe has always been imposter syndrome, as I think is the case for many authors. I try not to let it drag me down, and instead use it as motivation to improve. I think that it’s important to always be improving, and that it’s the best way to combat your inner voice telling you that you’re not good enough.

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

My road to publishing has been full of many twists and turns, ups and downs. I originally self published The Shadows that Listen in January 2025, and that was an incredible but challenging experience. In May 2025, an agent reached out to me via Instagram to say she read my book and loved it and asked if I was looking for representation. At first, I thought it must be a scam, because what are the odds?! Alas it was real, and three days after I signed with my agency, we had Orbit UK requesting a 24 hour exclusive on the manuscript, and 24 hours after that they made an offer with Orbit US and Hachette Australia. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so simulatenously stressed and absolutely ecstatic. The timezone difference meant that I was tossing and turning all night knowing I’d wake up to big news, I was running off very little sleep. There is a terrible video of me crying at 5am reading the offer letter while my husband tells me he’s proud of me. It will never see the light of day. It’s been 14 months now since I signed on with Orbit, and 10 years since I started my first draft, so it has really been a long time coming and I am so excited to see it in bookstores!

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on developmental edits for book two, but honestly I think a holiday. Somewhere tropical with no reception where I can sip cocktails and read for leisure, maybe a book that I’ve never heard of. But I am not good at shutting off and always have to be working on something, so keep your eyes peeled for other things in the pipeline.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

My tbr is almost as long as Australia at this point! I just read Because I Killed Him by Edith Birde, and absolutely loved it. I recommend it to everybody that enjoys dystopian. Next up I’m going to finally read Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe, and then maybe something light after that, because I think I’ll need it!

Will you be picking up The Shadows that Listen? Tell us in the comments below!

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