In Episode 37 of the Writers off the Page podcast, Tobias Madden chats about his YA novel Anything but Fine. Plus, his tips on bringing characters to life, plotting, achieving cultural authenticity and the importance of reading outside your genre.
Tobias Madden worked for ten years as a professional dancer, touring Australia and New Zealand with musicals like Mary Poppins, CATs, Singin' in the Rain and Guys and Dolls.
In 2019 he edited and published Underdog, a #LoveOzYA short story anthology. He also co-wrote the cabaret show ‘Siblingship’, which played to sold out audiences in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
Most recently Tobias released his debut Young Adult novel Anything, But Fine, the story of aspiring ballet dancer Luca, whose dreams are crushed by one missed step.
Tobias has a natural talent for bringing his characters to life. They are so real, it's as if they breathe! In the above episode of Writers off the Page, Tobias shares his tricks on characterisation, particularly interesting in the case of his secondary character, Amina, who is Indonesian and muslim. Amina's background is very different to that of Tobias, so how did he make sure he achieved cultural authenticity? Click play and find out!