In this episode of Created to Write, Michelle Dennis Evans speaks with author Tony Rissen about building a writing life that reflects both passion and stewardship.

Through her journey from teacher to author and biographer, Tony has followed a path shaped not by trends but by a genuine love for storytelling and people. Her work captures the histories of businesses and families, highlighting the power of listening well and writing with intention.

This podcast explores the discipline required to protect creative time, the challenge of comparison, and the freedom found in not forcing yourself into a single niche.

This conversation will encourage you to take your writing seriously, not someday, but now. What you do with your calling matters.Storyteller and cultural historian Dr Toni Risson has penned everything from a picture book about mermaids to a PhD about lollies. An expert on Australia’s Greek café phenomenon, Toni published two books on the subject, and following a State Library fellowship, curated one of the Library’s most popular exhibitions: Meet me at the Paragon ran for six months in 2019-2020. Toni now finds herself writing family business histories. After completing a book for a trucking company, she wrote another Greek migrant story—this time about Australia’s cinema history—and she’s now working on the story of a local shoe shop. She is also an active member of Women Writers Queensland and has published their anthology for the past four years. In the cracks between all this activity, Toni enjoys writing short stories.https://greekcafesinbrisbane.wordpress.com/author/tonirisson/https://tonirisson.wordpress.com/