Florence Knapp's debut novel The Names is a sliding doors story about the naming of a child and has been a surprise success (for her). Plus Brandon Jack, former Aussie Rules Football player on his novel Pissants about the players who don't win glory on the field and how they get their nicknames.<a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/florence-knapp/the-names-the-best-debut-novel-in-years-sunday-times">Florence Knapp</a>'s hugely popular debut novel The Names explores the power of a name. Starting in 1980s England, it's a sliding doors story about the seismic impacts of a woman's choice of name for her newborn son. Florence also talks about dealing with the unexpected success of her first book.And something a bit different, a novel by former Aussie Rules Football player, Brandon Jack, who played for the Sydney Swans (finishing in 2017). <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Pissants/Brandon-Jack/9781761633072">Pissants </a>tells the story of a ragtag group of fringe AFL players making bad choices and getting into trouble. Brandon talks about his shift from football to fiction, why nicknames are important for team spirit and having Helen Garner (Australian literary royalty) as a fan. Read this <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-17/former-afl-player-brandon-jack-publishes-debut-novel-pissants/105517366">article </a>for more background about the writing of Pissants.

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Florence Knapp and Brandon Jack on the power of a name

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