Writing Podcast Episode 696: Susannah Fullerton talks 'Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them'

We've all heard of the 'muse' but what about the 'mewwwws'? That's the sound of authors' cats, and in this episode, Susannah Fullerton discusses her wonderfully titled book, Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them – exploring the unique relationships between famous authors and their feline companions. Susannah shares how she researched the topic, choosing the authors and the magical publishing story, as well as offering tips to aspiring nonfiction writers. 00:00 Welcome 07:26 Writing tip: Follow the formatting guidelines 09:36 WIN!: Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson 12:24 Word of the week: 'Clerisy' 12:59 Writer in residence: Susannah Fullerton 14:10 Explaining her book, Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them 14:45 The inspiration for the book 17:50 Choosing and placing authors in the book 19:30 Animal protection and authors 22:30 Research methods 24:40 Organising all her notes 26:41 The timeline of writing the book 27:35 The pitching process 30:01 The joy of getting published 32:22 Publicity and promotion of the book 36:34 Merchandising and collaborations 37:27 Balancing lecturing and writing 38:22 Where her ideas come from 42:51 The timeless appeal of classics 46:32 Advice for aspiring nonfiction writers 48:58 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 696: Susannah Fullerton talks 'Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them' is an episode from So you want to be a writer by Australian Writers' Centre.

This episode is 53:39 long.

This episode was published on Dec 22, 2025.

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