Are YOU a middle child? Author and AWC grad Seetha Dodd is, and that’s just one of the parallels between her life and the characters in her debut junior-fiction novel, Myra in the Middle – a fabulous take on finding your place in your family, and the world. In this episode, Seetha discusses how she found her way back to writing and her experience bringing this book and its characters to life.
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00:00 Welcome
06:28 Writing tip: Take part in Furious Fiction!
09:02 WIN: Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli
10:18: Word of the week: “Darkle”
11:11 Interview with Seetha Dodd
13:55 Furious Fiction beginnings
19:23 Courses and confidence
24:28 The importance of community
27:25 About her book, Myra in the Middle
28:53 Culture on the page
31:05 The book’s themes
32:42 Working with an illustrator
34:03 The pitching, editing and publication timeline
38:56 Writing picture books
43:20 Writing advice
44:34 Book recommendations
47:00 Final thoughts
Links mentioned in this episode
- WIN Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli
- Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
- Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer
Writer in residence: Seetha Dodd
Seetha Dodd is a children’s author who loves wordplay, humorous rhyme and lyrical prose. She hopes her stories will connect with readers by touching their hearts or tickling their funny bones.
Her debut junior fiction novel Myra in the Middle is out now, and she has two rhyming picture books on the way – one in late 2026 and the other in 2027.
You can also meet Seetha on our blog.
Follow Seetha on Instagram.
Follow UQP Books on Twitter and Instagram.
This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Writing Picture Books.
Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).




