Episode 40: Bucket Lists (with Holly Brunnbauer)
Souped up cars, life lists and pleasure quests...
Thanks for listening to That Rom Com Pod, recorded on Gadigal land.
Holly Brunnbauer is a multi-award-winning emerging fiction author with numerous accolades in writing competitions across Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. Holly writes stories filled with heart, humour and hijinks. Her signature style includes a strong commercial voice, quirky cast and putting the 'com' in rom-com. She first caught the writing bug via blogging and later transitioned into copywriting. Holly's now a sought-after virtual assistant for published and aspiring authors. Based in rural Victoria, she spends her time with her husband, two rambunctious boys and a cheeky pug, planning and building their off-grid country home.
Holly’s debut novel, What Did I Miss?, was published by HarperCollins just last week!
Find Holly on Instagram @hollybrunnbauer, visit her website, sign up to her newsletter for readers No Shelf Control, or her Substack for writers The Write Track.
We also shared a little personal news in this episode: Karina’s Duck a l’Orange for Breakfast will be published in German by Pola, an imprint of Bastei Lübbe! And Clare is preparing for the arrival of a lovely little non-book baby in late July. Wish us luck!
OK, here’s episode 40!
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 Spotify:
Mentioned in conversation with Holly Brunnbauer
What Did I Miss?, Holly Brunnbauer (2025, HarperCollins)
The Debut Crew 2025
Natasha Rai’s excellent Substack The Write Reads includes a round up on the 2025 Debut Crew’s new releases each month
Bucket Lists
It’s Been A Pleasure Noni Blake, Claire Christian (2020, Text Publishing)
Dying For Sex (2025, Disney+)
Someone Else’s Bucket List, Amy Matthews (2024, Simon & Schuster)
Emergency Exit Only, Michelle Upton (2023, HarperCollins)
The Life List (2025, Netflix)
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006 / 2010 film on Stan)
The Bucket List (2007, ABC iView)
Shelf Love
Holly: Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice, Cynthia Timoti (2025, Pan Macmillan) & Midnight Gate, S.K. Stapar (2025, self published)
Karina: Big Feelings, Amy Lovat (2025, Pan Macmillan)
Clare: Starry Eyed, Katharine Pollock (released August 1, Wakefield Press)
More about us:
Clare Fletcher
Love Match, 2023 & Five Bush Weddings (2022, Penguin)
Instagram: @ClareFletcherWriter
Newsletter:
Karina May
That Island Feeling (Dec 31, 2024), Never Ever Forever (2023, Pan Macmillan), Duck a l’Orange for Breakfast (2023, Pan Macmillan)
Instagram: @KarinaMayWriteÂ
Tiktok: @KarinaMayWrite
Newsletter:
That Rom Com Pod is expertly edited by Joshua Broadbent at Marker Creative Co.