Words and Nerds Podcast is an entertaining and conversational podcast that aims to get inside a writer's mind. We discuss books, the social and political influences of a writer's work and how literature has the power to change the world.
The podcast digs deep to bring you an in depth and sometimes humorous analysis of the author's book and its influences. Join us for a new way of looking at literature.
Dani Vee your host, English teacher, podcaster, reader, book enthusiast and over-thinker. Dani is joined by various guest co-hosts and has a number of spin off episodes including the Feedback Sessions, Summer Series Takeover, Bite-Size Episodes, livestreams, mash-ups and cross-overs.
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841. Dani, Adrian Tristan & Cristy with SPECIAL GUEST Andy Griffiths - NaNoGang Episode 2
2026/11/09
⭐️ Episode 841. Dani, Adrian Tristan & Cristy with SPECIAL GUEST Andy Griffiths - NaNoGang Episode 2
Dear writers,
Don’t miss this episode with our special guest Andy Griffiths who brings the ultimate writing and creative tips ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ What’s our big news?
✅ What’s the secret to our word counts?
✅ What has helped us and what have been the challenges?
✅ Predictions
Andy Griffiths talks about:
💫 The importance of collaboration
💫 Experimentation is key to creativity
💫 Tips and advice from the best in the industry
💫 Writing process
💫 How many drafts he writes for each book
💫 Punk rock energy
Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books!
Dani 💋
Mentions:
🎉 Natalie Goldberg - Writing down the bones
🎉 Terry Denton
🎉 Jill Griffiths
🎉 Bill Hope
840. Dani Vee and Julie Anne Grasso - Trad Publishing vs Self-Publishing - Music, Mayhem and Matrimony
2026/11/07
⭐️ Episode 840. Dani Vee, and Julie Anne Grasso - Trad publishing vs Self Publishing - Music, Mayhem & Matrimony.
Dear book lovers,
When publishers aren’t sure where the book fits on the shelf, what do you do next?
✅ Cosy mysteries and where they fit on the shelf
✅ Strong women in historical fiction
✅ Reflecting women in different eras
✅ The challenges of choosing to self-publish
✅ Misconceptions about self-publishing
✅ Distribution as an indie author
✅ Celebrating creatives
✅ Putting in boundaries for your creativity
Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books!
Dani 💋
839. Dani Vee, and Jack Heath - Choppy Water, readership and breaking rules
2026/11/04
⭐️ Episode 839. Dani Vee, and Jack Heath - Choppy Water, readership and breaking rules ⭐️ Published by Allen & Unwin.
Dear thriller lovers,
Buckle up as I welcome Jack Heath back to the podcast to talk all things genre, thrillers, writing and
We chat about:
✅ Writing in sub-genres
✅ Researching behind the scenes of Choppy Water
✅ Writing Process - Making sure the reader has a good time while reading
✅ How to make a story work
✅ How following rules made his writing worse
✅ Being influenced by other writers
✅ Writing with AuDHD
✅ Being kind to yourself
Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books!
Dani 💋
838. NaNoGang Day 1 with Adrian, Dani, Tristan & Cristy
2026/10/31
⭐️Episode 838 - NaNoWriMo 2026 - Day 1 ⭐️
Adrian, Cristy, Dani & Tristan will try and write 50,000 words in 30 days 🎉
⭐️ Handwriting vs writing on the laptop
⭐️ Meeting word counts
⭐️ The challenges we’ll face this month
⭐️ Making art anywhere
⭐️ Making your own rules
⭐️ What to avoid during NaNo
Find out who’s following the rules, what everyone is hoping to achieve and what bugs Adrian …
Join us in writing a bunch of words in November!
Are you coming with us?
Dani 💋
Adrian 🍩
Cristy ⛰️
Tristan 🇫🇷
837. Celebraring 9 years of Words and Nerds with a cast of creatives
2026/10/30
Episode 837: Celebrating 9 years of Words and Nerds with a cast of creatives 🎉
Dear listeners,
Join us for a chaotic and fun chat where amongst the oddball questions we talk about:
✅ Voice
✅ Self-belief
✅ Self-doubt
✅ Where do ideas come from?
✅ Creative superstitions
✅ Mandating teacher librarians
We also ramble on about a reality TV show for publishing, publishing vs writing, what would you love to put in a children’s books but wouldn’t be allowed and community 🔥
Support the industry and read more books! 🩷
Dani 💋
*Please note there is a tiny bit of adult language, you may not want little ears to hear 💯
Thank you
🔥 Adam Wallace
🔥 Nicole Hayes
🔥 Joel McKerrow
🔥 RWR McDonald
🔥 James Layton
🔥 Ingrid Laguna
🔥 Dan Thomas
Some adult language
#podcast #podcasting #creatives #writer #author
S4, E17 - Date With a Debut - Nick Wasiliev and Bryony McGuinness - Violet Town
836 - Dani Vee, Ashleigh Barton and Erin Reeves - That’s What Makes it Christmas ⭐️ Published by Hachette
2026/10/24
Dear book lovers
We talk about capturing an Aussie Christmas, nostalgia and pushing back against AI
We also explore:
✅ Unique experiences of an Aussie Christmas
✅ Human made art
✅ Working together as author/ illustrator
✅ The process of illustration
✅ How to make a Christmas book stand out
✅ A book they dream of creating
✅ How often we create
Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books!
Dani 💋
835. Dani Vee and Ben Ryan - Coming Out at the end of the Worldmp3
2026/10/23
⭐️ Episode 835 Dani Vee and Ben Ryan - Coming Out at the End of the World ⭐️ Published by Midnight Sun
Dear book lovers
We talk about positive masculinity, coming out, the writing process and the zombie apocalypse.
We also explore:
✅ Misconceptions of masculinity
✅ The LGBTQIA community
✅ Why zombie apocalypse’s resonate with readers
✅ How the story came from a personal story
✅ The divisive nature of the internet
✅ How screenwriting influences writing books
Support the industry by hitting play and reading more books!
Dani 💋
S4, E16 - Date With a Debut and The Book Deal with Nick Wasiliev and Tina Strachan
834. Dani Vee and Riley James - The Wreck, thrillers and the Bermuda Triangle
2026/10/17
⭐️ Episode 834 Dani Vee and Riley James - The Wreck, thrillers and the Bermuda Triangle ⭐️ Published by Allen and Unwin
Dear book lovers,
I have a thrilling chat with Riley James about her new book The Wreck. We chat about the Bermuda Triangle and how we thought it would be so much more of a problem in our lives!
Inspired by real-life events of Frederick Valentich, a pilot who went missing under mysterious circumstances.
✅ Who become in the worst times
✅ Why thrillers resonate with readers
✅ The writing process of writing thrillers
✅ Creating tension
✅ AI and what it can’t do
✅ Publishing journey and getting an agent
Support the industry by hitting play, reading more books and throw on a record!
Dani 💋
833. Dani Vee and Andrew-Clarke - Songs that Changed the World
2026/10/15
⭐️ Episode 833 Dani Vee and Andrew Clarke - Songs That Changed The World ⭐️ Published by Rockpool Publishing
Dear music lovers,
I have something very cool for you this week! I chat to Andrew Clarke about songs that have changed the world! Andrew is a football, motorsport and motoring journalist, and now he’s writing about music.
Some of the songs we focus on are I Am Woman, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Strange Fruit, F@$k the Police,
✅ Songs throughout history that changed the world through popularity, protest and lyrics
✅ The nostalgia of music
✅ Important movements that have been driven by music
✅ The courage of artists and record labels
✅ Songs that can empower you
✅ Feminism
✅ The importance of the punk and grunge movement
What an inspired chat!
Support the industry by hitting play, reading more books and throw on a record!
Dani 💋
Date with a Debut - Second Date - Lenny Robinson & Bryony McGuinness
832. Dani Vee and Bridie Jabour - Ordinary, Funny, Tragic and scheduling creativity
2026/10/10
⭐️ Episode 832 Bridie Jabour - Ordinary, Funny, Tragic and creativity ⭐️ Published by Harper Collins
Dear book lovers,
This week I talk to Bridie Jabour about her new book
Ordinary, Funny, Tragic 🩷
I love, love, love Bridie’s work!
We chat about
✅ The challenge of writing comedy
✅ The important relationship between siblings
✅ Complexity of mother daughter relationships
✅ Parenting
✅ Scheduling creativity
✅ Writing process
✅ Publishing journey
✅ Leaning into her voice
Support the industry by hitting play and reading books 💫
Dani 💋
831. Dani Vee and Carla Fitzgerald - How to make the World Cup and writing middle grade
2026/10/08
⭐️ Episode 831 Carla Fitzgerald - How to Make the World Cup and writing middle grade ⭐️ Published by UQP.
Dear middle grade readers,
This week I talk to Carla Fitzgerald about her third book in this series.
We chat about
✅ Being inspired by women’s sport
✅ Writing middle grade stories to engage kids
✅ Interesting research
✅ Writing process
✅ The challenge of the editing process
✅ Switching from middle grade to picture books
Support the industry by hitting play and reading books 💫
Dani 💋
S5E6 QWS - Troy Hunter and Thomas Vowles - Our New Gods
2026/10/08
QWS S5E6 Thomas Vowles and Troy Hunter
TEXT 🎙️ New QWS Podcast Episode! 🌈✨
In QWS S5E6, Troy talks to Thomas Vowles, author and screenwriter, whose incredible debut psychological thriller OUR NEW GODS came out last year
While discussing OUR NEW GODS, Tom and Troy also talk about crime and thriller tropes, about how Tom’s screenwriting helped inform his novel, about moving to a new city, about writing sex, and about the joy of being queer, among heaps of other things.
Books and authors discussed in this episode:
- Dead Ends by Samantha Byres (see the ep with her QWS S5E1)
- A Fairly Honourable Defeat and The Sea The Sea by Iris Murdoch
- James Baldwin
- Garth Greenwell
- Brandon Taylor
You can find Tom on the Gram at @thomasvowles and at www.thomasvowles.com and via his substack thomasvowles.substack.com
You can find Troy on the Gram @troyhunterwriter and at www.troyhuntwriter.com Troy is the author of Gus and the Missing Boy and Gus and the Burning Stones and the upcoming Gus and the Climate Killer
#Gayauthor #Queerwriting #adultfiction #WordsandNerds #LGBTQIABooks
Podcast reviews
Read Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature. podcast reviews
4.9 out of 5
14 reviews
★★★★★
dirtysouth666 2020/08/11
Refreshing!
Stumbled across Words & Nerds on Twitter! Not disappointed. Interesting conversations, interviews & reminds me of why reading is so pleasurable
★★★★★
BookMan80 2018/02/16
Wow unexpected !
What a great fun and interesting interview format. Loved the Craig Johnson episode, will definitely check the other episodes out!
★★★★★
Dani5469642 2018/01/06
Great way to connect with authors
What a delightful podcast! I enjoyed the conversation and wanted to immediately buy the book the author talked about even though it's not my usual gen...
★★★★★
asamaroo 2017/12/30
So happy I found this Podcast
For book lovers and writers. Wonderful to hear the authors give insight taking us deeper into the story and the process of creating our stories. And, ...
★★★★★
Lilrockerpixie13 2017/12/12
Such a Delightful Podcast!
This is such a comfortable, chatty podcast. It feels like a casual conversation between friends more than an interview. And the hosts ask such great...
★★★★★
Pirate egg 2017/12/09
Awesome show!
I really enjoy this show. Currently on ep 4 and loving every minute of it! Totally bookworm approved😃💞📚
★★★★★
thankzAcademy 2017/12/09
A great listen for readers and writers alike!
I love a good conversation and this is exactly that! Informative, yet not too formal! A great listen for those who love to read books, and those who l...