Fresh Voices
Meet some of our hottest debut authors!
At Penguin Random House, we’re all about hearing exciting new stories from fresh voices. With a focus on new authors, we’re celebrating 'Fresh Voices' to platform some of the biggest up-and-coming names in literature.
With so many debut authors offering up their individual writing styles, plotlines and insights, we can’t help but celebrate their amazing work. By spotlighting these fresh voices, we hope to introduce readers to new favourite works from the authors who will shape literature in Australia and beyond over the next few years.
Check out the featured authors on the slider below, and find related articles including Q&As, exclusive interviews, preview extracts, fun activities and more!
A stunning, thought-provoking debut to read with your book club.
The Fresh Voices of 2023 look back on what they found most surprising when publishing their debut novels.
A deeply moving novel to read with your book club.
An exploration of mental health and family to read with your book club.
Brooke Robinson shares how one article inspired her debut novel.
A story of motherhood, daughterhood, trauma, race, privilege, music and queerness to discuss with your book club.
Find out why it’s so important to support authors upon the publication of their first book and meet a few of our 2023 debut authors.
Learn more about death doulas and discover the debut novel that shines a new light on what it means to live and die.
‘Chain-Gang All-Stars’ is shaping up to be one of the buzziest debuts of 2023. Learn more about it and see some of the rave reviews for Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s first novel.
A life-affirming novel to read with your book club.
Melissa Jacks, a metadata optimisation executive at Penguin Random House AU, shares the supernatural story she’s loving lately.
Learn about ‘Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder’ and check out rave reviews from readers.
An unforgettable story to read with your book club featuring themes of obsession, friendship and the love of music.
Find out how Shelley Read wrote 'Go as a River', what the publishing process was like, and what she hopes readers will take away from the book.
A soaring coming-of-age novel to read with your book club.
A sparkling (and heart-breaking) Australian romantic comedy to read with your book club.
A fierce, funny and utterly captivating book to read with your book club.
Find out why Georgia Harper’s writing routine ruined her mum’s idyllic vision of a writerly life. Plus, learn about her love for Anne Rice and her unlucky skill for attracting strangers’ stories.
Sarah-Jane Collins shares how her background as a reporter inspired her to write her debut novel, Radiant Heat.
Plus, find out why he taught himself to memorise an entire deck of cards while researching for the novel.
Plus, learn about which fictional character he’d like to dine with and the musician he always turns to when singing karaoke.
She took up a few new hobbies, including horseback riding, sewing and Georgian dance.
Plus, the cosy fictional world she’d most like to live in.
We caught up with debut author Ela Lee to learn about how she made time for writing while working full-time, her ‘big break’ into publishing and more.
Plus find out why he’d choose to live in Middle Earth and main difference between him and Hugh Jackman.
The debut author also shares the fictional character she’d most like to meet and why she loved Lemony Snicket’s writing as a child.
We caught up with Jessica Yu to learn more about her writing routine and the shortlist award that helped launch her career.
Debut author Jessica Seaborn shares a few things that helped her get her debut novel, Perfect-ish, published.
Plus, find out what inspired Claire's first novel and how her previous work experience helped her write The Secrets of the Huon Wren.
We chatted with sydney khoo about writing routines, fanfic, and how the Write It fellowship lead to their first book deal and debut novel, The Spider and Her Demons.
The 2022 Penguin Literary Prize winner shares her unique method of writing On a Bright Hillside in Paradise.
‘I did any job that enabled me to be paid to write.’
Find out how she was inspired by her experience as a makeup artist and woman living in modern Trinidad.
We caught up with Katie Bishop to learn more about her debut novel, The Girls of Summer. Find out how #MeToo inspired the novel and what it was like writing during Covid lockdowns.
Plus find out how they turned a university project into a debut novel.
Plus find out why he loves David Sedaris and what inspired him to become a writer.
Plus find out how her sister inspired Ink Blood Sister Scribe and what she’s looking forward to most about being published in 2023.
Darcy Tindale shares how submitting her writing to awards helped get her debut novel published.
We asked debut author Kate Dramis about the publication of her first novel, The Curse of Saints. Read about her ‘fairy-tale’ submission experience, how she came up with the idea for the book and more.
The debut author talks about his writing process and how reading inspired him to become a writer.
Find out what books inspired this debut novelist, how she came up with the idea for ‘Clytemnestra’ and the number one thing she wishes she could go back and tell her younger self.
