Writing Podcast Episode 707: Sheryle Bagwell on writing 'Letter from Provence'

How would you like to spend summers in Australia and then travel to a small village in France to bask in the northern summer during the other half of the year? Well, that's the current reality of journalist and author Sheryle Bagwell – and in her new memoir, Letter from Provence , she not only documents her French experiences, but also connects to her late mother and the writings of 17th century French writer Madame de Sévigné. In this episode, Sheryle talks about writing the book, resisting her journalistic instincts and her experience publishing it. 00:00 Welcome 03:21 Writing tip: Don't limit your writing identity 07:01 WIN!: Whispering Rooms by Genki Kawamura & Marie Kondo 08:45 Word of the week: 'Manel' 10:12 Writer in residence: Sheryle Bagwell 11:04 Sheryle explains her memoir, Letter from Provence 12:30 A homage to her own mother and Madame de Sévigné 15:59 Telling a new story about France and her mother 18:14 Journalism vs memoir writing 20:00 Telling a personal version of events 22:27 The timeline of writing this book 25:16 Editing and shaping the initial draft 26:14 The publishing experience 28:36 The process of writing the book 34:44 The story of three women across time 36:45 Living between two worlds 37:28 The double life is possible 40:40 Future plans for writing 41:32 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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Writing Podcast Episode 707: Sheryle Bagwell on writing 'Letter from Provence' is an episode from So You Want To Be A Writer with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre podcast by Australian Writers' Centre.

This episode is 45:17 long.

This episode was published on Mar 9, 2026.

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