Mark Smith is Surf Coast based author of five novels, including his critically acclaimed Winter Trilogy. The Road to Winter was shortlisted for multiple awards and is on the school curriculum around Australia. The sequel, Wilder Country won the 2018 Australian Indie Book Award for Young Adults. His first adult fiction novel, Three Boys Gone, was published in 2025 and his latest Where Truth Ends, has just been released.

Mark's own story of how he became a professional writer is a classic sliding doors moment.

In this fascinating conversation we discover how Mark incorporates Country within his stories, his methodology of writing, and how his passion for teaching young people to love reading has shaped his career.

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