tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15301648040904088632024-03-14T06:35:21.110+11:00Genie In A BookEugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.comBlogger441125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-1236432440230624372023-02-19T22:40:00.001+11:002023-02-19T22:47:59.597+11:00Artist Interview - Julia Abbey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: 400;">Just as there are many talented local writers, so too are there artists who each capture the landscapes they see in their own uniquely creative frames. Today I'm interviewing Julia Abbey, whose works celebrate the unique flora and birdlife that call our great country home. </span></h3></div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<b>Native flowers and birds feature in most of your works, what is it about these elements that make them a focus?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Having grown up in Europe, I was stunned when I first visited Australia, by the beauty of Australian native birds and flowers. I had never witnessed flocks of parrots flying overhead before and was in awe of their size and colours. The sounds that these birds made was unfamiliar to me and I am only just getting used to the high pitched screech of the cockatoo! When I visit my son on the Mid North Coast I am treated to rare sightings of red tailed black cockatoos. I love that these creatures play an important role in Dreamtime stories. I decided to honour them in my paintings, sometimes linking them for fun with a picture, for example the Rosella in my Arnotts biscuit painting.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Native flowers have a similar effect on me! Again I am stunned by their size and beauty. The King Protea and Banksia are two of my favourites and feature a lot of my work. The petals of the Protea and the leaves of the Banksia are so wonderful to paint. Like the birds, they have a presence - there is something magnificent about them.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I feel honoured and lucky to live in Australia. By featuring native birds and flowers I feel as though I am saying thank you and that I am grateful for these things! Native birds and flowers have become a definite theme for my work.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Can you share with us your creative process for an artwork from an idea to the finished product?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshaM5TbIYdV8izyN5YMZp0y45jiWC-vvMMh6nmQMY_pCkdXVoVVVp5qS8jAEmtbHYmkfRM8inB0XcM5FnXZCFRi-b4faXpH_FzAzFB2hem_frhlrGGyxLgflgInW2Fg0yIE-_zJuDXr0KLo67Nzcq3zLR1j4s-YWZotH8Xjnu72fkDi9Wr4Mpn8zk/s1288/IMG_20221214_160614_065.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshaM5TbIYdV8izyN5YMZp0y45jiWC-vvMMh6nmQMY_pCkdXVoVVVp5qS8jAEmtbHYmkfRM8inB0XcM5FnXZCFRi-b4faXpH_FzAzFB2hem_frhlrGGyxLgflgInW2Fg0yIE-_zJuDXr0KLo67Nzcq3zLR1j4s-YWZotH8Xjnu72fkDi9Wr4Mpn8zk/w269-h320/IMG_20221214_160614_065.jpg" width="269" /></a>I can only describe the creative process as a kind of wave which increases and develops until it is let out onto the canvas! It can begin in the most unlikely of places, and like a seed, begins to grow. Recently an old cotton reel in a tatty box on the floor caught my eye at a market. It instantly triggered images of vintage sewing patterns in my head (my daughter happens to be handy with sewing and has many vintage patterns). The idea then develops into colours and which objects I wish to include in the picture. I try not to overfill my pictures, so three objects is usually enough, just enough to evoke a thought or memory for someone. Many of my paintings relate to a moment; just about to sew, taking a break or a summer afternoon drink, so they don't need too many objects to be interpreted. Often I will search the internet for images if I don't own the objects. Then it's a case of mapping out the arrangement, usually in a sketch book before doing a rough paint on the canvas to make sure that the size and shape of the objects is correct, and composition is ok. </div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The process begins with a messy paint, thinking about undercolours, in other words which colours I would like to show through a little at the end. Each layer of paint becomes neater however detail is only usually added in the final phase. I would say there are usually around five phases for each painting. I decide at the beginning where the light source will be in order to highlight objects and often I will use objects which throw an interesting shadow. When a painting sits well with me I stop. Often I take a photo of the painting and look at it from a different perspective, adjusting small things I may notice. My daughter is amazing at giving me honest feedback!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div>
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<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What have been some of the biggest highlights of your career so far?</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal">For many years friends had been saying 'You should sell your paintings!' One of the biggest highlights for me has been seeing the pleasure it gives someone to own an original painting. I love that many of my friends have my work hanging in their homes! When people I didn't know started to buy my work, that felt strange and exciting! The other huge highlight was when I was contacted by Gig Moses at Moree Gallery, asking me if I would like to exhibit at the gallery. I was literally over the moon! Gig has been amazing, she gives me advice and encouragement. I'm still fairly new to the art world and it's great to have the advice of someone who has been doing it for a long time. As I begin to realise my dream of painting partly for a living I feel very lucky. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
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<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Did you always know you wanted to be an artist, and if not, what was the defining moment for you in deciding to pursue it and sell your work to the public?</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"> I always knew I loved art and I always knew I had creative energy inside me, but I never consciously decided to be an artist - it just started to happen! So many people had asked me when I was going to sell my work that I decided to make an instagram page. I sheepishly put four paintings up to start off and see what happened. The next morning I woke to find that three of the four had sold! So I painted some more, and they sold too! It went from there! My instagram page is still active @juliaabbey.art and I can also be found under 'artists' on the Moree Gallery website. I am yet to make my own website, that's the next thing! I am also keen to develop original art for childrens rooms. I love painting the charming Danish designed Maileg toys and hope to develop this side of my work. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What is your favourite artwork produced by another artist (contemporary or classic) and why?</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"> I don't have one particular artist that I favour, but rather many artists who I follow, for example Cressida Campbell who has recently exhibited at the National Gallery in Canberra. I enjoy following a variety of styles.Thanks to social media artists worlds can be shared and enjoyed by many. I do have favourite designers who feature in my work, for example William Morris (1834-1896) Whilst living in England (the home of wallpaper!) I was inspired by the designs of William Morris. Recently I have begun to add my interpretation of some of his designs into my work. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What advice would you give to other budding artists who are starting out and looking to have their works available for purchase?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My advice is that you have nothing to lose! Be brave and put yourself out there! Try selling your work on a platform such as Instagram to begin with. See what happens, you may be pleasantly surprised! Find a local gallery and enter some of their exhibitions. Paint for yourself and if others like it, that's a bonus! If nothing else, painting is a wonderful, mindful hobby which allows your creativity to flow.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Is there a sneak peek you could provide for any pieces you have underway and how people can see them once they are complete?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">I have three pieces underway, all featuring the same William Morris design in three different colours! There are a number of things I will change before these three are finished but they are well under way. They are going into an exhibition to raise money to support the mental health needs of children and young people in the community which runs from 24th March to 3rd April at BDAS in Bowral NSW. The pieces will be for sale in the exhibition and on my Instagram page after the exhibition unless they sell prior. Unfortunately due to the busy backgrounds these three do not feature my usual bird so they are slightly different to my usual works. I am challenging myself at the moment to develop my style. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydMvX-LoZuY7CObz3DnpUYc1f-wJ3xVb9p6xcZ4Rhfn9xxEYfsoDNYjsWsUUKI8dX6eMrI2FIXtBHygG7vf6u2jtaO4Eua4xw5o6ZieiE8z0fI5k4leM6n-YkJjAtSnkSD7Nl0zE-9qsH9QEf8fc6ndHFc-rPNFBhbZ25Ekm3td7cINYPhOq5awv9/s904/julia%20work%20in%20progress.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="904" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydMvX-LoZuY7CObz3DnpUYc1f-wJ3xVb9p6xcZ4Rhfn9xxEYfsoDNYjsWsUUKI8dX6eMrI2FIXtBHygG7vf6u2jtaO4Eua4xw5o6ZieiE8z0fI5k4leM6n-YkJjAtSnkSD7Nl0zE-9qsH9QEf8fc6ndHFc-rPNFBhbZ25Ekm3td7cINYPhOq5awv9/w640-h242/julia%20work%20in%20progress.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the artist</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBFkVf5_UeBH_9A_EArVHH5bmqIg45iNPgbm_7w6ywLU0h2Tg9aX_NDdCKYcpYLZUV7msN-XoCSp37r2FfNO8l-_m0LSs7ySiKHNQo9shpYia-B6BYakOA3IVa5A31z4s715amfeeoCJIc80JbThM0ua1bXsTWNevOUkPZ-d3WynetdgV8wP0esoH/s933/IMG_20230203_135556_015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="933" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBFkVf5_UeBH_9A_EArVHH5bmqIg45iNPgbm_7w6ywLU0h2Tg9aX_NDdCKYcpYLZUV7msN-XoCSp37r2FfNO8l-_m0LSs7ySiKHNQo9shpYia-B6BYakOA3IVa5A31z4s715amfeeoCJIc80JbThM0ua1bXsTWNevOUkPZ-d3WynetdgV8wP0esoH/s320/IMG_20230203_135556_015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Born in South Africa, Julia was later schooled in both England and Germany. She came to Australia first as a backpacker and later to live in Bowral NSW in 1998. Julia has two grown up children who are her biggest supporters. As a primary school teacher Julia has always admired the naivety of children's work, their lack of inhibition and bold choice of colours. Some of this is reflected in her work. Having grown up mainly in the UK, Julia is still in awe of the beauty of nature in Australia. Native birds and flowers focus in her paintings along with a pop of colour and a touch of vintage. A self-taught artist, Julia just loves to paint everyday scenes which evoke a moment, whether that's sitting down for a cool drink on a warm afternoon or hanging up the gloves after a day of gardening. Julia is keen to explore original art for nurseries and you will encounter a few whimsical and cute creatures she has painted for this purpose. Julia paints in acrylic on canvas and the art is framed in a Tasmanian Oak box frame. As her career as a teacher draws to a close, Julia would love to open the door to more painting.</i><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>You can find more of Julia's paintings Instagram @juliaabbey.art</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-84068998297625098412022-10-31T18:00:00.002+11:002022-10-31T18:00:00.190+11:00Author Interview - Susanne Gervay, The Edge of Limits<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-VgVy-zBn0TK9PuyIEAj8BeDx45SLMMw5aGyTk4LlufkgAmUvl_vvd_KR_HWE3dXKHer21fqcFyeI30LDNwwrvKiNhWTSVfC9tieT73zVxieBu4Yta83_rCEx0S-BmjPhBvsajFQL3dDLTFnz3kYFKM9sJ2VA2qI1K6ZLDL9_m6yvuyymAbOP-1o/s841/The%20edge%20of%20Limits%20cover%20-%20low%20res.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="609" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-VgVy-zBn0TK9PuyIEAj8BeDx45SLMMw5aGyTk4LlufkgAmUvl_vvd_KR_HWE3dXKHer21fqcFyeI30LDNwwrvKiNhWTSVfC9tieT73zVxieBu4Yta83_rCEx0S-BmjPhBvsajFQL3dDLTFnz3kYFKM9sJ2VA2qI1K6ZLDL9_m6yvuyymAbOP-1o/s320/The%20edge%20of%20Limits%20cover%20-%20low%20res.JPG" width="232" /></a></div><b style="text-align: left;">The Edge of Limits by Susanne Gervay</b></div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">1 November 2022</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Flying Elephants Media</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">YA Contemporary</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">305</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/edge-of-limits-susanne-gervay/book/9780648203551.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/the-edge-of-limits/susanne-gervay/9780648203551/">QBD</a> | <a href="https://sgervay.com/">Susanne Gervay Website</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">When Sam, 17, treks into the wilderness on the school survival camp, he misses his girlfriend Laura with her belly-button ring. The gruelling physical challenges are hard, sometimes hilarious, sometimes cruel as he treks deeper into unknown territory forced to confront the underbelly of real mateship, sexual consent and the dangers of guys like Watts. Ultimately, the camp winds to the final place of initiation, to the edge of limits, where Sam must choose what he stands for. This is a journey from the city culture of beach parties, girlfriends, sex and consent, to the vast wilds of trekking, abseiling, rock climbing, white-water rafting, sweaty days and freezing nights. This is a novel which needed to be written and needs to be read.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">The YA space is one where authors have the opportunity to explore the real issues facing young people through fiction that pushes the boundaries and confronts readers with its raw honesty. It's an honour to host Susanne Gervay on the blog today, an Australian writer who is well-known for her books in both the children's and teen arenas, with a focus on young people finding their voice. In <i>The Edge of Limits</i> this comes to the fore - a novel that goes to the heart of the complexities of growing into the identities that shape us at this turbulent stage of life. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Susanne Gervay</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<b>What are the main elements of <i>The Edge of Limits </i>that make it relatable to its target audience?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">‘The Edge of Limits’ is a camp trekking into the mountains
with the dreaded ‘long-drop’, no showers, sleeping on rocks, hard trekking,
abseiling, climbing, wild rivers, wilderness. There are the boys on the camp,
but there’s are the girls too at the parties, beach culture, school. There’s humour,
challenges, stories of mateship, enemies, friendship, families, school and
personal relationships. It goes deep into the ethos of male identity and comes
out with a courage. It gives girls insight in the way boys see them. It gives
boys the powerful opportunity of thinking about how they will act. It’s a book
that changes you.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>A stand-out element of the story for me was Sam's relationship with his grandfather. What drove you to explore the influence of different male role models in the life of teenage boys?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Men matter. Boys matter. Sam’s relationship with his
grandfather matters. His grandfather has life experience and he shares it with
his grandson. It gives Sam choices. His grandfather is beside him, even after
his death, although it takes time for Sam to understand this. As the boys go
deeper into the mountains, they confront their search for identity. ‘Heroic’
Luke reveals his father has expectations he struggles to meet. The teacher Mr Seaton,
who Sam calls the ‘orangutan’ just doesn’t get the complexity of identity
crisis. ‘Fat George’ with his Italian background is ‘beautiful’ although he
doesn’t know it. Sam’s relationship with George helps him define who he is. The
girls matter too. How the boys treat them from a stereotypical object to
discard or not, to that deep sharing of youth. The search for identity is complex
and confronting.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div>
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<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>There is a strong yet subtly woven storyline surrounding consent and the manifestation of toxic behaviour with a "nothing to see here" culture driven by some of the characters. Given it is such a big issue, did you have any challenges in coming up with how this would come through in the book?</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal">It was hard writing ‘The Edge of Limits’. I had to get into
the male mindset. Identification with the character drives ‘The Edge of
Limits’. Sexuality is the trigger, but the search for identity is the journey.
‘Nothing to see here’ is on the surface, but there is so much to see. It’s
about girls – getting them, discarding them, wanting them where consent is
subjective or coercive or real love or distorted through peer group pressure of
the Rave Party and the rape. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
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<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular line or scene in <i>The Edgs of Limits </i>which you found particularly powerful while writing it?</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">‘The Edge of Limits’ holds so many powerful moments. I find
it difficult to decide what moves me most. All of it really. This scene with
Sam and the grandfather stays with me:-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>We were walking back from the river, pretty satisfied with
ourselves. We’d caught three trout and dinner looked like it was going to be
great. Grandpa had his fishing rod over his shoulder and I was holding the
fishing box and bucket with the trout. We’d seen dogs in the area, so when we
set up camp we’d been careful to move away from their territory. "Don't
trespass," Grandpa said. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>But these were looking for trouble. They found us walking
back and started to follow, tagging us with low growls.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>"Grandpa," I whispered.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Grandpa looked back at them. "It's all right,
Sam."<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>I saw from the periphery of my eye their snarls, the black
undersides of their lips, their yellow fangs, their butcher tongues. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>"Walk next to me," Grandpa said quietly. "Not
too fast."<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>I wanted to run. I knew they’d get me if I ran, but that was
what I wanted to do. I started to walk faster. They did too. Then they began to
gain on us, worrying the bush, snarling jarring growls. I walked faster, they
moved more quickly. I smelt their spit.
Suddenly Grandpa clenched my arm, forcing me to stop. I could hardly
breathe. He turned around. I turned
around after him.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Snarling saliva dripped like blood. They were going to rip
out our throats for sure. I was cold, frozen, breathing razor blades. I looked
at Grandpa. We had nothing to fight with. He stared into their eyes and they
stared back still edging forward. Then Grandpa started. I’d never heard him
swear like that before but he swore then, angry frightening swearing,
obscenities of words, spitting out “fucking bastards” “crap dogs” "bloody animals” “killing shits" "fuck off”. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>I couldn’t move. The ferals stopped edging towards us unsure
of whom this ferocious Grandpa was in his checked flannel shirt. He took out
his flimsy fishing rod whipping it at the dogs, then he charged them, my
Grandpa with his white hair and heavy rimmed glasses.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p>T</o:p>hey stopped snarling, unsure, then they turned, running
like cowards into the scrub.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>I learnt something that day.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>How did the experience of writing this novel compare with your previous works? I still remember reading<i> I Am Jack </i>and<i> Super Jack</i> when I was a child!</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">All my writing is inspired by my experiences. When I wrote
the ‘I Am Jack’ books I was shell-shocked that my son was bullied at school and
I did not know. My kids mean everything to me, but I was so busy working and
managing life. When I asked Jack if I could write the book, he said – ‘It helps
kids and teachers and parents. So it is okay.’<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">As it is a younger book, I entered into the mind of Jack and
his community, and wrote from his perspective. Kids are remarkably resourceful.
When Jack is happy and safe, he is adventurous and hilarious. When confronted
by the bullying, he tries to keep brave, until he can’t anymore. There is so
much in ‘I Am Jack’ and the other books ‘Super Jack’, ‘Always Jack’, ‘Being
Jack’. They are such gorgeous books
about resilience and courage.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">When I wrote ‘The Edge of Limits’ I went into tough
territory. It is YA so I wrote with truth. It was so liberating. I did not have
to make compromises. I wrote the narratives that capture male humour,
challenges, stories of mateship, enemies, friendship, families, school and
personal relationships. ‘The Edge of Limits’ take teens to the edge. They can
confront racism, homophobia, misogyny, sexual abuse. However more importantly they
confront their personal journey of identity. Who they want to be. ‘The Edge of
Limits’ is an edgy place to make those critical choices.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>The boys in this book all have very different personalities and ways of coping with the challenges of the camp. What were the easiest and most challenging aspects of capturing the adolescent experience in this situation?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">During teen and young adult years, the brain that is responsible
for reasoning, planning, and problem solving, is developing. When you add
puberty, peer group pressure and often alcohol, it can lead to impulsive
action. As an author, I go to the hard places of identity. I laughed when there
was the leech invasion, but could hardly breathe when Sam witnessed the rape. There
are so many choices, dead-ends, feelings of ‘If Not Me, Who? If Not Now, When?’ </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>I love the personal growth we see in so many of the main characters in your stories and unique, honest voices of the protagonists that shine through. Could you give us a sneak peek as to what you're working on next? </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">I am having a ‘rest’ from confronting YA literature and
delving into joy. ‘There’s a Gang on Our Street’ stars sulphur crested
cockatoos and kids. It is so funny and naughty, celebrating diversity, games,
adventures. It has a non-fiction element with lots to learn. Did you know that sulphur-crested
cockatoos play tricks? Did you know that kids are just like the cockatoos? Big
Sky publishers fell in love with this picture book. Looking forward to its
publication in 2023.<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2q46Q6uOr5XQ08HjBa8rPIZoRxfGmZjSFTShthl9uQ1EIfWGXYYd9zSbznTiPQtxpErNSEzJqYzAFrKupSyleCFugamJhQgeUANjdw1FDVocxGc9Hv5ZNiY-VPSJAsy5iC0CbGy99Hu-7IuEwLFuuMCw46z5QpWkyCO8EkG7SIlK3NbWJlegKBKz_/s5760/Susanne%20Gervay%20-%20high%20res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5760" data-original-width="3840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2q46Q6uOr5XQ08HjBa8rPIZoRxfGmZjSFTShthl9uQ1EIfWGXYYd9zSbznTiPQtxpErNSEzJqYzAFrKupSyleCFugamJhQgeUANjdw1FDVocxGc9Hv5ZNiY-VPSJAsy5iC0CbGy99Hu-7IuEwLFuuMCw46z5QpWkyCO8EkG7SIlK3NbWJlegKBKz_/s320/Susanne%20Gervay%20-%20high%20res.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>You’ll find Susanne Gervay planting 3000 mangroves in
Kiribati as part of a mission for action against climate change. In Istanbul
speaking to 1000s of young people about NO bullying. In remote Aboriginal
communities supporting education. In a juvenile detention centre sharing books
with teenage girls. At the World Burn Congress in New York presenting ‘how the
inner person can triumph over a preoccupation with surface scars and know that
basic values of commitment, caring and trust are more important than the
texture of the skin.’<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Why? Gervay’s passion is empowering people to be critical
thinkers and develop the resilience to advocate for justice. As the child of refugees,
growing up with the emotional complexities of parents who had been through the
Holocaust, migration and loss, books were Gervay’s source of escape, comfort,
insight and courage. <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Gervay tackles themes from feminism in Shadows of Olive
Trees, harmony and inclusion in Elephants Have Wings, extremism and the war in Heroes
of the Secret Underground, and consent and control in her new Young Adult novel
out November 1, The Edge of Limits. What she writes matters to her deeply and
is grounded in personal experience.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Gervay has been awarded the Lifetime Social Justice
Literature Award by the International Literacy Association, Order of Australia,
nominee for Australia for Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, amongst others. Her
acclaimed stories are published in prestigious literary journals and
anthologies including the Indian-Australian anthologies alongside the works of
Sir Salman Rushdie and Thomas Keneally. She represented Australian in “Peace
Story” an IBBY, UNICEF anthology with 22 authors and 22 illustrators from 22 countries.
She continues to write for pathways to peace. <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Her books are endorsed by The Cancer Council, Room to Read,
Books in Homes reaching Indigenous and disadvantaged children, Life Education, as
well as many anti-bullying and literacy organisations. Susanne heads the
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (ANZ), is patron of Monkey
Baa Theatre, ambassador for Room to Read, Reading and literacy Ambassador for
many campaigns and is an acclaimed national and international speaker. <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>You can find more information at <a href="about:blank">www.sgervay.com</a>
or contact <a href="about:blank">anna@allaboutpr.com.au</a>.</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-27058328244367075332021-11-04T22:09:00.004+11:002021-11-04T22:19:18.380+11:00Review: The Rabbits by Sophie Overett<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1CxripS8nyY/YYNk_TFJEGI/AAAAAAAAE1k/A0RZLTngbm8HOe9FUO6DzitM9zBo3Mh4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1205/the%2Brabbits%2Bcover1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="782" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1CxripS8nyY/YYNk_TFJEGI/AAAAAAAAE1k/A0RZLTngbm8HOe9FUO6DzitM9zBo3Mh4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/the%2Brabbits%2Bcover1.JPG" width="208" /></a></div>The Rabbits by Sophie Overett</span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">2 July 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Penguin Australia</span><br />
<div>
Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Australian Contemporary/Magical Realism</span></div>
<div>
Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Purchased</span></div>
<div>
Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">336</span></div><div><span>Rating: </span><span style="color: #01bbbb;">4 of 5 stars</span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-rabbits-sophie-overett/book/9781761040931.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/the-rabbits/sophie-overett/9781761040931/">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57476781-the-rabbits?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=YBrfbxE7vY&rank=2">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;"><p>From the winner of the Penguin Literary Prize and the Kathleen Mitchell Award.
A multigenerational family story with a dose of magical realism. It is about family secrets, art, very mild superpowers, loneliness and the strange connections we make in the places we least expect.</p>
<p>How do you make sense of the loss of those you love most?
Delia Rabbit has asked herself this question over and over again since the disappearance of her older sister, Bo. Crippled by grief, Delia and her mother became dysfunctional, parting ways not long after Delia turned eighteen.
Now an art teacher at a Queensland college, Delia has managed to build a new life for herself and to create a family of her own. Only more and more that life is slipping: her partner, Ed, has gone, her daughter, Olive, is distancing herself, and, all of a sudden, in the middle of a blinding heatwave, her sixteen-year-old son, Charlie, disappears too.
Suddenly what was buried feels close to the surface, and the Rabbits are faced not only with each other, but also with themselves.
The Rabbits is a multigenerational family story with a dose of magical realism. It is about family secrets, art, very mild superpowers, loneliness and the strange connections we make in the places we least expect.</p></div><div style="text-align: left;">There is magic to be found in a story that is written with such a pointed and achingly real depiction of what it means to be part of a family, to experience a loss, and to know how to rediscover an identity you thought was long gone. <i>The Rabbits </i>encapsulates so much in its blisteringly honest characters. Each member of the family has their own insecurities, a need to be connected to something and mend relationships that have been broken either by losing a person's physical presence, or simply the absence of any true substance even when someone is standing right next to you. Set against the sweltering heat of a Queensland summer and with an original, well-executed twist of magical realism, Overett draws you in from the very first scene and from there it's very hard to let go as the pages fly by. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>You're no good at this, a voice tells her, and no, Delia thinks, she's not. She wants to tell him she's done this before. That she's been Benjamin and she's been Olive. That she's desperately searched, and been bitterly angry, but none of it brings back someone who won't be found, and sometimes the not knowing is better than the truth, because at least it means there's a chance. Her chest tightens, constricts to such a degree that she feels light-headed, and she leans back, putting her hand on the kitchen island to steady herself. </blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While the string of missing people in the Rabbits' family life is a central aspect of the novel, what makes this book such a success is the way every character is invested in equally. From Delia's voice as a mother, reflecting on the disappearance of her sister Bo all those years ago, to her mother now slipping away with dementia and old age, Olive rebelling in the early phases of adulthood, and Ben navigating all the drama as a ten year old, every character's voice is portrayed in so much detail. It's rare to find a book that has this combination of both adult and child shifts in perspective which is achieved so seamlessly. You feel as though you've stepped right into the lives of the Rabbits where each secret is ripped open with tender prose that is a pleasure to read. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There is something to be said also about the creativity of including even the slightest hint of something supernatural in the story. While some works may try too hard or stray beyond into fantasy where it doesn't quite hit the mark, Overett here uses these twists of magical realism to add even more interest and make it just to the threshold of being conceivable. I won't put any spoilers here, but just know that it's clever and done well!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div><b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b><br /><br /><i>The Rabbits </i>is as creative as it is addictive to read. Fiction by Australian authors has always been promising for me, and I'm so glad that I picked this one up. <i>The Rabbits</i> is full of mystery, insights on troubled family ties and with a satisfying end, making Sophie Overett one to watch!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div></div></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">About the author</h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CHsunyKWjQ/YYPAvrk7nQI/AAAAAAAAE1s/BSdiEPfRkRk_N71w6lESmKm_s00bP6R1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1soph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CHsunyKWjQ/YYPAvrk7nQI/AAAAAAAAE1s/BSdiEPfRkRk_N71w6lESmKm_s00bP6R1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/1soph.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Sophie Overett is an award-winning writer, editor, podcaster
and cultural producer. Her stories have been published in Griffith Review,Going
Down Swinging,Overland,The Sleepers Almanac,and elsewhere. She won the 2018
AAWP Short Story Prize, and her work has been shortlisted for multiple awards,
including the Text Prize and the Richell Prize. She’s passionate about
storytelling in all of its forms, but particularly stories for the page and the
screen. She writes across genres and formats, with a focus on magical realism,
literary fiction and horror. The Rabbits, her debut novel, is the
winner of the 2020 Penguin Literary Prize, and her first screenplay, All
the Little Fishes,has been optioned by Cathartic Pictures. For more
information, visit sophieoverett.com.</i></p></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-46589156057472560732021-10-22T15:35:00.003+11:002021-10-22T16:12:14.894+11:00Review: The Golden Book by Kate Ryan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwQywX94EWM/YW-Q2UGxdII/AAAAAAAAE1A/OAuQq2XI77kVC37SvhI0qTvf1Wi_J_Q5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1245/1golden.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwQywX94EWM/YW-Q2UGxdII/AAAAAAAAE1A/OAuQq2XI77kVC37SvhI0qTvf1Wi_J_Q5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1golden.jpg" width="206" /></a></div></div>The Golden Book by Kate Ryan</span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">3 August 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Scribe Publications</span><br />
<div>
Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Australian Contemporary</span></div>
<div>
Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Purchased</span></div>
<div>
Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">244</span></div><div><span>Rating: </span><span style="color: #01bbbb;">3 of 5 stars</span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-golden-book-kate-ryan/book/9781922310088.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/the-golden-book-kate-ryan/p/9781922310088">Angus & Robertson</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57662147-the-golden-book">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;"><i>Jessie had said they should go at midnight. 'It’s the gods’ time,' she said, narrowing her eyes dramatically. 'Anything could happen.’
</i>
It’s the 1980s, and in their small coastal town, Ali and her best friend, Jessie, are on the cusp. With ‘The Golden Book’, a journal of incantation and risk taking as their record, they begin to chafe at the restrictions put on them by teachers, parents, each other. Then Jessie suffers a devastating accident, and both their lives are forever changed.
When Ali is an adult, with a young daughter herself, the news of Jessie’s death brings back the intensity of that summer, forcing her to reckon with her own role in what happened to Jessie so many years ago.
As this stunning debut moves back and forth in time, and Ali’s secrets are forced into the light, Kate Ryan asks profound questions about responsibility and blame, and, ultimately, about love.</div><div style="text-align: left;">The complexities of friendships while on the cusp of coming-of-age are brought into stark focus in Kate Ryan's dreamlike novel <i>The Golden Book. </i>Capturing the haze of nostalgia as the main character Ali reflects on the reckless stages of growing up with bohemian and risk-taking best friend Jessie, this is a story which explores the adventurous spirit of adolescence, blurred lines between responsibility and blame and what it means to move past events with shocking consequences. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>How could she say any of it? If only she hadn't suggested it in the first place. If only she had been clearer, stronger, braver, less envious of Jessie. If only Jessie had learnt to read. She was tortured by the idea of the Golden Book, that Jessie's family would read her looping writing, her meanness, her fury, her way with words. Her mind would circle over and over these things, and it seemed that even in sleep she was trying to work out what to do. How had it happened?</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While the shifting timeframes between Ali's present state as a mother and writer and her past escapades with Jessie were sometimes jolting in the plot, there is something to be said about Ryan's mesmerising turns of phrase. The golden haze of the 1980s in all its carefree modes of upbringing, kids riding bikes in the street and reckless energy, are so effortlessly depicted. Each line feels deliberate and ebbs slowly towards the bigger revelations of just what happened to Jessie in the time before her death. Ali's memories and the attention given to the pair's competitive yet magnetic friendship, tainted with the knowledge that a power imbalance would always exist, are deftly examined. It's an interesting element to see Ali herself reflecting in her writing class about what she and Jessie would get up to, the wild adventures and dares, alongside the darker undercurrent that slowly began to permeate their bond. At times the pace of the novel may have lagged, but you can't help but be immersed once more by the desire to know what led to Jessie's fate and discover how not only Ali, but also Jessie's family, had reacted.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>Maybe she could fix it all, get the real Jessie back from wherever she had gone. She thought of stealing the book, and planning this allowed her to sleep. Sometimes the repetitive thoughts were like voices, coming from a place that was part of her and Jessie too. She had began to wonder whether she had done it on purpose, after all, had really wanted to hurt her. And in the morning, drugged with pure exhaustion, she knew nothing could be done. </blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another interesting element of <i>The Golden Book</i> is the thread that ties past experiences of childhood into how we then choose to raise our own children. Ali's rawness in reflecting on her friendship with Jessie that influences her behaviours now as a woman in a new relationship, with her school-aged daughter Tam, adds another layer of depth to the story. There are some thoughtful points raised about how past trauma and guilt can still linger years after an event, the realisation that one day every child will stretch further from the ties of their parents, and that time while a great healer, can often shift back into memories which one would rather leave behind.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b><br /><br />Imbued with nostalgia and exploring some deep themes on what happens when childhood friendships shift into reckless territory, <i>The Golden Book i</i>s definitely worth a read. Though at times it may feel as though the shifting in time between the past and the present becomes blurred, Kate Ryan is one to watch for her mesmerising writing style and sharp eye for examining the relationships that shape us.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-62958771243798215042021-09-18T15:12:00.001+10:002021-09-18T15:13:08.579+10:00Author Interview with singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts: Brainwaves<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cESFQ4WvZMQ/YUR88kHyk3I/AAAAAAAAEz0/n5n3tIAHHl0DfVIRKbpNfy1g-KmFPadvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s979/1brainwaves.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="677" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cESFQ4WvZMQ/YUR88kHyk3I/AAAAAAAAEz0/n5n3tIAHHl0DfVIRKbpNfy1g-KmFPadvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1brainwaves.JPG" width="221" /></a></div>Brainwaves by Ziggy Alberts</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">3 February 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Commonfolk Publishing</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Poetry</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">88</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/brainwaves-ziggy-alberts/book/9780648705710.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/brainwaves-ziggy-alberts/p/9780648705710">Angus&Robertson</a> | <a href="https://ziggyalberts.com/">Ziggy Alberts Website</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">A debut collection of poetry from platinum ARIA accredited artist Ziggy Alberts, 'brainwaves', explores life's experiences and emotions, inwards and out. Deeply personal, frank, insightful yet relatable, Alberts uncovers his introspective thoughts and lessons learned in conscious and intentional living. Differentiating from his lyrical work, readers can discover some of Alberts' most personal realisations from life at home and on the road.
Divided into 4 chapters, each poem entices the next train of thought. Alberts masterfully draws observations of the natural environment to paint his experience of introspective moments. He contemplates modern-day dilemmas, timeless topics of purpose, trust, stillness, and love.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've long been a fan of Ziggy Alberts' music, with the lyrics that sing homage to nature, love and appreciating small moments of stillness bringing so much joy to listen to - especially on the open road driving down the coast! In <i>Brainwaves</i>, there's a thought-provoking exploration of these same themes, with even deeper insights through poems that demonstrate the talent of one of Australia's best independent artists.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview Ziggy Alberts</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<b>What were some of the best and most challenging moments during your time bringing <i>Brainwaves </i>together?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The best time was holding the first copy I had printed and collated myself while I was on tour - that was beautiful. The most challenging part was rising above the burnout I had a couple of years ago that inspired the beginning of this project.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div><div><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Did your writing process for <i>Brainwaves </i>coordinate in any way with writing for your Searching for Freedom album? How does the creative process differ between lyrics for a song and a stand-alone poem?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">There are some small crossovers you will find in the book - I hope you like them :) Largely they are stand-alone projects, with very few lyrics found in the poetry book. Poetry wells up largely from mindfulness, whereas lyrics are written with a message in mind! That is the best way I can describe the difference in the creative process. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div>
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<b>What I've noticed in a lot of your songs and this poetry collection is the recurring theme of the healing and peace afforded through a connection to the ocean. Was there a specific moment in your life that helped you reach this realisation?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal">There have already been many important moments in my life where nature has provided me with much-needed peace - it's an ongoing realisation for me. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
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<b>The phrase "The things I am most gravely frightened of is not experiencing life as beautifully as I can express it in words" is a powerful statement in the book. In <i>Brainwaves </i>you seem to reflect on some deeply personal experiences, heartbreak and finding beauty in the quiet moments in life. What inspired you to share these in the open with your readers?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Through sharing my songs, my life has been a wonderful adventure. With that in mind, I wondered if sharing my poetry could do the same, and perhaps even more!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p></div>
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<b><i>Searching for Freedom, Bright Lights, Simple Things</i> and the reminder that it's simply being 'guided by the warmth against your skin' from <i>Brainwaves </i>(p. 86) celebrate embracing the release of time pressures, societal expectation and being guided by more than just the usual 'formula' of life. What advice would you give to people aiming to live simply?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I don't know if I can give advice on that topic; I'm still learning (haha) - but I would like to encourage people to value themselves enough to be fulfilled in their work. If you can find something that does that, it will be amazing for yourself and many others.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What is your favourite aspect of performing on stage? I'm pretty sure there are many fans looking forward to attending readings of <i>Brainwaves </i>too when we can! Could you give us a sneak peek at what you might be working on next?</b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My favourite part is the connection with the crowd and musician, writer and reader. Doing these poetry nights has been unreal so far - I look forward to doing more. I can't give a sneak peek, but we continue to have exciting releases in the following months so keep your eyes and ears peeled! :) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEZbZA4JdMw/YUVm9bvKBpI/AAAAAAAAEz8/Zp4wfLD30cw2f4dGAZhv89Z4OFQVBAEGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s402/1ziggy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEZbZA4JdMw/YUVm9bvKBpI/AAAAAAAAEz8/Zp4wfLD30cw2f4dGAZhv89Z4OFQVBAEGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1ziggy.JPG" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i>Ziggy Alberts is an Australian singer-songwriter and author, whose genuine grassroots story and captivating live performances have built his career as one of Australia’s leading independent artists.
When it came to making his musical vision a reality, Ziggy Alberts was always intent on establishing himself as an independent artist. In 2015 Ziggy’s older sister Anneka began managing him. In 2018, Ziggy alongside his sister and father, co-founded Commonfolk Records and soon after in 2020, his independent publishing house, Commonfolk Publishing.
Alongside the release of brainwaves, Ziggy’s new album searching for freedom celebrates the next chapter in the evolution of Ziggy Alberts. The 12-track record promises to be an exploration into some of humanity’s most heartfelt and complex emotions, translated into beautiful simplicity by Ziggy’s capable hands. In his own words, the album is “an expression of an adventure that I’ve realised will last a lifetime”
</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/ziggyjanalberts">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tuPdaFPIytg3l2f51L7Hw">Spotify </a>| <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ziggyalberts/?hl=en">Instagram</a></p></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-81641696734379706032021-09-08T17:00:00.022+10:002021-09-08T18:05:12.874+10:00Author Interview with Sophie Cunningham: Wonder - 175 Years of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yImEN7V0cSk/YTGrXZKT2iI/AAAAAAAAEzM/x2fAplnbumY6-4PVUjpW9rkCoLofnbqzACLcBGAsYHQ/s562/1wonder.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="471" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yImEN7V0cSk/YTGrXZKT2iI/AAAAAAAAEzM/x2fAplnbumY6-4PVUjpW9rkCoLofnbqzACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1wonder.JPG" width="268" /></a></div>Wonder: 175 Years of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria by Sophie Cunningham and Peter Wilmoth</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">29 September 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Hardie Grant Books</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Non-fiction, Gardening</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">264</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/wonder-sophie-cunningham/book/9781743798058.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/wonder/peter-wilmoth-sophie-cunningham/9781743798058/">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/">Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">They sit in the physical and emotional heart of our city, and have done so for 175 years. Most of us have spent time there, and they mean different things to each of us. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne have been a place of calm, a site for reflection, creative inspiration, discovery, romance and even refuge. Anyone who has visited has a story. Now a range of these stories from Victorians from many fields is gathered in the lavish publication Wonder: 175 Years of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
<p>Told through conversations with writers Sophie Cunningham and Peter Wilmoth, there are stories of Nick Cave conceiving the first lines of a novel there, of actor and writer Michael Veitch being taught the classics on its lawns, of a marriage that took place just days before COVID-19 began its grim sweep across the world, closing sites such as the Gardens for the first time in history. Boonwurrung Elder Aunty Carolyn Briggs tells stories of Country that reach back through millennia, while Landscape Architect Andrew Laidlaw shares the inspiration for some of the Gardens’ more recent landscapes. Horticulturalist Gemma Cotterell tells us about her work on the Australian Forest Walk; architect Kerstin Thompson reminds us of the secrets the Gardens hold and the way those secrets transform landscape into dreamscape; and botanist Neville Walsh shares his excitement on the discovery of a new species of wattle.</p>
<p>The important matters of plant extinction and climate change (including water usage) are also addressed, reminding the reader of the critical role played by our public gardens in securing the future of the planet through its science, irreplaceable collections and conservation action.</p>
<p>With superb photography by Leigh Henningham, the book is about the people’s gardens, and these stories will resonate with readers who cherish their own experiences there.</p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some 'coffee-table' books will sit on the mantelpiece or be discarded among the ornaments, scented candles and long-lost scented candles. Others, like <i>Wonder </i>draw you into their pages with personal stories that celebrate the beauty of nature and importance of green spaces in our everyday lives. This is a collection which specifically focuses on the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, but also reaches further in exploring what it means to look up at the trees, breathe in the fresh air and get lost among the paths of shrubs and flowerbeds to find your own hidden oasis. Read on below for my interview with one of the authors, Sophie Cunningham!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview Sophie Cunningham</u></span></div>
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<b>One of the really interesting elements of this book is told as exploring "secrets the Gardens hold and the way those secrets transform landscape into dreamscape". What does this mean to you?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I love the way that public spaces can have private and personal meanings. As a child I always loved playing in gardens that I imagined to be jungles, and places of adventure. One of my favourite books was 'The Secret Garden'. But the point is, I suppose, that most people feel like that. It was lovely to be able to talk to people about their emotional responses to the RBGV.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div><div><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What are some of your own favourite memories and experiences in the gardens?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I really love walking around the bottom of the gardens, where you can find traces of the Yarra's original path, and walk around the lakes that were once part of the wetlands in the area. There are some very special river red gum down there as well. The lion head tree is probably my favourite in the gardens. I also love the Oaks that have been planted throughout Melbourne's Botanic Gardens. Sitting under them is good for the soul.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div>
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<b>How did the writing process for this book differ from some of your other works?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal">The book was interview led - it gives voice to other people's voices and experiences. I did write a book about Cyclone Tracy which also took this approach. I enjoy working this way. Other people's stories always strike me as more interesting than my own.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
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<b>In collating these stories, was there one in particular which especially resonated with you?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">To be honest I have trouble picking a favourite. I loved hearing from Senior Conservation Botanist Neville Walsh - I’m particularly interested in the research and conservation work that the RBGV does. Horticulturalist Gemma Cotterell is doing great things with the Australian Forest Walk. I had a very nice time hanging out with the Manager of Arboriculture, Charlie Carroll, and talking about trees. My interview with Dean Stewart, about the pre-white settlement life of the RBGV landscape, and setting up the Aboriginal Heritage Walks in 1998 were fascinating. Stewart is a great story teller and historian.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p></div>
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<b>How do you feel that being immersed in nature through both the wilderness and in structured landscapes such as botanic gardens can improve and add value to our everyday lives?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I think that having access to natural spaces - designed or not - is as essential to us as breathing. (Indeed, if you want to draw a long bow - trees <i>help us</i> breathe). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>After bringing this book together, what would be your top recommendations of sites to see for people visiting for the first time?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I’m not sure I can or should make recommendations - everyone will be looking for a different private moment, to get back to your first question. As Den Fisher said when I interviewed Dennis Fisher, who has led Aboriginal heritage walks for more than ten years, picking a favourite section of the gardens would be like picking a favourite niece or nephew. Impossible!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What would be the top three things you've opened your eyes to after penning these experiences and stories of the Gardens?</b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">1. The extraordinary leadership work of the RGBV particularly with the development of its Landscape Succession Plan, and founding of the Climate Change Alliance</p><p class="MsoNormal">2. The work of the Victorian Conservation Seedbank</p><p class="MsoNormal">3. Being allowed to see some of the early collections that are held by the RGBV, which includes a banksia collected by Joseph Banks</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3-04SoUGtHc/YTGw7eQuisI/AAAAAAAAEzU/2dlwIRwwhSw9HEVXO8GJMmGGeCTpwiDdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1606/1sophie.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1606" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3-04SoUGtHc/YTGw7eQuisI/AAAAAAAAEzU/2dlwIRwwhSw9HEVXO8GJMmGGeCTpwiDdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1sophie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i>Sophie Cunningham AM is the author of six books, including City of Trees – Essays on life, death and the need for a forest; Warning – The story of Cyclone Tracy; Melbourne; Bird; and Geography. She is also editor of the collection Fire, Flood, Plague: Australian writers respond to 2020. Sophie’s former roles include as a book publisher and editor, chair of the Literature Board of the Australia Council, editor of the literary journal Meanjin, and co-founder of The Stella Prize celebrating women’s writing. She is now an adjunct professor at RMIT University’s non/fiction Lab. In 2019, Sophie was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her contributions to literature.</i></span></p></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-21672400443214276832021-09-02T16:26:00.003+10:002021-09-02T16:40:30.868+10:00Review: Thursdays at Orange Blossom House by Sophie Green - A vibrant celebration of friendship and belonging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oeSsKZx3XkU/YS7x37FYzdI/AAAAAAAAEyk/P-iW25Lbe9QjRweYNHpMWWKbeqMdfID9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/1orange.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oeSsKZx3XkU/YS7x37FYzdI/AAAAAAAAEyk/P-iW25Lbe9QjRweYNHpMWWKbeqMdfID9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1orange.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Thursdays at Orange Blossom House by Sophie Green</span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">28 July 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Hachette Australia</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Australian Contemporary</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">410</span></div><div><span>Rating: </span><span style="color: #01bbbb;">4 of 5 stars</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/thursdays-at-orange-blossom-house/sophie-green/9780733646126/">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/thursdays-at-orange-blossom-house-sophie-green/book/9780733646126.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57123140-thursdays-at-orange-blossom-house">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">From the author of beloved Top Ten bestsellers The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club and The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle comes a delightful new novel about friendship, love and finding yourself.
<p>Far North Queensland, 1993: At 74, former cane farmer Grace Maud is feeling her age, and her isolation, and thinks the best of life may be behind her. Elsewhere in town, high school teacher Patricia has given up on her dreams of travel and adventure and has moved back home to look after her ageing parents, while cafe owner Dorothy is struggling to accept that she may never have the baby she and her husband so desperately want. Each woman has an unspoken need: reconnection. And that's how they find themselves at Orange Blossom House, surrounded by perfumed rainforest, being cajoled and encouraged by their yoga teacher, the lively Sandrine. Together, they will find courage and strength - and discover that life has much more to offer than they ever expected.</p>
<p>Set amid the lush beauty of tropical Queensland, Thursdays at Orange Blossom House is a heartwarming story of friendship and family, of chances missed and taken, and the eternal power of love.</p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Thank you to Hachette Australia for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">A layered and smoothly woven story of the bonds between three women who are brought together in unlikely circumstances, <i>Thursdays at Orange Blossom House</i> sings to the tune of an afternoon breeze and time to ponder what our expectations of our identities in life are and the people we want to become. Sophie Green has already showcased her ability to write well in the genre with <i>The Inaugural Meeting of the </i>F<i>airvale Ladies Book Club</i> and <i>The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle</i>. In this book she brings to life the cane fields in Cairns in the 1990's and sense of place as forming a home, the longing for motherhood, quest for self-discovery as an adult and how old age doesn't preclude the making of new friends. </div><br /><blockquote>What might happen if women really succumb to their pain? To the anguish of not getting what they really want, either because they've been told they can't have it, or because nature is conspiring against them? Or sometimes because life just seems so hard that what they see is an unscalable peak, always in sight yet beyond their reach.</blockquote><div><br /><div>At the beginning of the story we're introduced to Grace Maud, whose life has been one on the fields but her son is beginning to have his own new ideas on how the farm should run. Toughened by her experiences, it takes more than a little persuading to get her to Sandrine's yoga class at Orange Blossom House which is the central point for all three characters meeting. Patricia's plight caring for her ailing parents, unmarried and teaching but given up most of her dreams is next, followed by Dorothy; cafe-owner with her husband and has been trying for years to have a child but with no success. These descriptions don't do the depth of these three women justice - Green's ability to add so much detail to their lives, ideas, thoughts and fears feel so realistic and are issues that many readers could relate to. The real spark comes through when little by little the barriers begin to break down and conversations are had, where each of the trio start to open up to each other and from there solutions can be found to the problems they are facing. This idea of women leaning on each other and being able to bring down the facade of being so capable, strong and perpetually self-sacrificing, is brought to the fore with nuance and heart. A healthy dose of good humour and some laughs throughout add to the light and shade within the plot, making for a read which is just as comforting as a cup of tea on a breezy spring day.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b><br /><br />In lockdown I find myself drifting towards the kind of reads that are thoughtful but end on a high note, with a view to capturing not only our sense of place in this beautiful country but also how we find homes in the connections built among the kindness of strangers we meet in life. <i>Thursdays at Orange Blossom House</i> is one example of this, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Sophie Green next!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div><div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P4Q003DkECk/YS7z8onIBBI/AAAAAAAAEys/G_apXWcuu4I2BVK3wG-FuQFS2J6t4UMCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1234/1soph.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1234" height="229" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P4Q003DkECk/YS7z8onIBBI/AAAAAAAAEys/G_apXWcuu4I2BVK3wG-FuQFS2J6t4UMCACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h229/1soph.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Sophie Green is an author and publisher who lives in Sydney.
She has written several fiction and non-fiction books, some under other names.
In her spare time she writes about country music on her blog, Sunburnt Country
Music. She has been practising yoga since 1993 and teaching since 2002.
Sophie's debut novel, THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE FAIRVALE LADIES BOOK CLUB, a
Top Ten bestseller, was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards for
General Fiction Book of the Year 2018, and longlisted for both the Matt Richell
Award for New Writer of the Year 2018 and the Indie Book Award for Debut
Fiction 2018. THE SHELLY BAY LADIES SWIMMING CIRCLE was also a Top Ten
bestseller.<o:p></o:p></i></p><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-42224796587633518272021-07-18T16:25:00.000+10:002021-07-18T16:25:19.973+10:00Author Interview: Catch Us the Foxes by Nicola West <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OnE_cyn79sk/YPO_X_BrZAI/AAAAAAAAEug/fPpjObjVYggx_ejrDXokSWJDqFaHYWg3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/1catchfoxesbookcover.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="713" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OnE_cyn79sk/YPO_X_BrZAI/AAAAAAAAEug/fPpjObjVYggx_ejrDXokSWJDqFaHYWg3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1catchfoxesbookcover.JPG" /></a></div></div></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Catch Us the Foxes by Nicola West</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">7 July 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Simon and Schuster Australia</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Crime thriller</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">384</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/catch-us-the-foxes-nicola-west/book/9781760857479.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/catch-us-the-foxes/nicola-west/9781760857479/">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56652699-catch-us-the-foxes">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">The hotly contested novel about a small town's killer cult secret by a debut author destined to become Australia's next thriller-writing superstar. Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. Seven strange symbols have been carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.
When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.
What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Aussie-small-town-thriller with grit and shocking twists, Nicola West has made her debut with an electrifying plot. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Nicola West</u></span></div>
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<b>Firstly, congratulations on publishing your first book! What were the best and most challenging aspects of writing <i>Catch Us The Foxes</i>?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Thank you! The most challenging part for me
was actually the six months <i>prior </i>to starting <i>Catch Us the Foxes</i> when I was
struggling to write a memoir about my experience of having to fight for my
right to receive a medically necessary hysterectomy as a teenager.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The second I allowed myself to work on what
I was <i>actually </i>passionate about (a twisty psychological thriller set in my
hometown), the writing process completely transformed and went from something
akin to pulling teeth to something that felt effortless. Every single sentence
of <i>Catch Us the Foxes</i> was an absolute joy to write.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div><div><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Was there a particular 'this is what I'm going to write about moment!' that came to you before penning your debut?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Stuck back in the tiny coastal town I grew
up in after my Sydney apartment flooded, one of my only forms of escape was the
phenomenal third season of my favourite TV show – <i>Twin Peaks</i>. Revisiting both
the fictional town and my own former hometown made me realise what a perfect
setting the latter would make for a crime novel. I immediately began Twin Peaks-ifying
Kiama and went searching for my own Laura Palmer. As an Australian, she
couldn’t be a prom queen, but she could definitely be a showgirl. That single
character (and her death) became the catalyst for the entire book.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div>
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<b>The 'small town' setting definitely makes this book all the more suspenseful as secrets become uncovered, what were some of your influences in making the action take place this way?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i>Twin Peaks</i> was definitely the biggest
influence on the setting (along with my own small-town upbringing). However, I also
wanted to incorporate a cult element into the book as they are something I’ve
always been fascinated with (ever since my mum told me I would join one as a
child). The original <i>Wicker Man</i> undeniably does ‘small-town cult’ best, but I
also really loved the way the first season of <i>True Detective</i> created such
strong iconography for its own cult. Combining the two left me with mysterious
symbols carved in flesh, people in animal masks, flower crowns, and ritual
sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular moment in the story or character that was especially meaningful to you as you wrote this book?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Exploring Marlowe’s detachment
(particularly when it comes to relationships) was something that was
significant to me as it not only reflected my own experiences growing up but is
also something that is seldom portrayed in fiction. It was interesting to be
able to capture Marlowe from the perspective of the male gaze while simultaneously
granting her the agency to be open about her feelings (or lack thereof). To
this day, reading the scenes with Owen makes my skin crawl.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p></div>
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<b>If there's one piece of advice you'd give to other aspiring authors out there, what would it be?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It sounds incredibly cheesy, but you really
have to find what makes your heart sing. I took a non-fiction writing course
when I was writing my memoir and a guest author said that the writing process
had to feel like a compulsion – like something you couldn’t live without. I
remember being frustrated by that comment because it was so contrary to my own
experience. But when I finally ditched the memoir and switched to the novel, I
suddenly understood what she meant. Don’t be afraid to change things up and
experiment with genres/styles until you find the one that resonates with you
most.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>After an impressive first novel, could you give us a hint at what you may want to work on next?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I’m severely immunocompromised and have
only left my apartment complex twice in the past sixteen months (to get both
vaccine shots). So, until Australia gets its act together and a larger
proportion of the country is fully vaccinated, I foresee a lot more time spent
in these same four walls. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Thankfully, I was able to take advantage of
my newfound free time and completed two new novels during the pandemic – the
sequel to <i>Catch Us the Foxes</i> and a new standalone thriller. I’m also looking
forward to a bevy of Zoom events over the coming months. So please come and say
‘hi’ – I really need the human interaction!<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_W2YfO-t3yo/YPPG38m93qI/AAAAAAAAEuo/zeWqrhAnkFUM1vUxwsWZHGYSyZxAnV9tACLcBGAsYHQ/s613/1nicolawest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="528" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_W2YfO-t3yo/YPPG38m93qI/AAAAAAAAEuo/zeWqrhAnkFUM1vUxwsWZHGYSyZxAnV9tACLcBGAsYHQ/w173-h200/1nicolawest.JPG" width="173" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i>Nicola West is the daughter of a
third-generation police officer and grew up in a bucolic coastal town in New
South Wales. After moving to Sydney to pursue a career in journalism, she vowed
to be as far removed from both her hometown and her father’s profession as
possible—that is until she found herself writing a novel about both topics. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i>Nicola was initially writing a memoir about
her decades-long medical journey that saw her undergo 40 surgeries, 71 lumbar
punctures and experimental neurosurgery. But, inspired by her love of all things
crime, cult, and the local urban legends of her hometown, she pivoted to
thriller writing and found it far more therapeutic. Catch Us the Foxes is her
first novel.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/nicolawestbooks?lang=en">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.nicolawestbooks.com/">Author website</a></i></p><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-10786895192749090692021-07-09T08:00:00.011+10:002021-07-09T08:00:00.243+10:00Author Interview: The Unflinching Ash by Angela Armstrong <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0LtfG403qw/YOadCj05okI/AAAAAAAAEt0/RAukSRcIaUUSZq5yaQWVgdDyJn5PP7UuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BUnflinching%2BAsh%2BCover%2Bv1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0LtfG403qw/YOadCj05okI/AAAAAAAAEt0/RAukSRcIaUUSZq5yaQWVgdDyJn5PP7UuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BUnflinching%2BAsh%2BCover%2Bv1.JPG" /></a></div></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Unflinching Ash by Angela Armstrong</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">12 July 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Norsou Books</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">YA Fantasy</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">353</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unflinching-Ash-Angela-Armstrong-ebook/dp/B096ZFYDD4">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.angelaarmstrongbooks.com/p/welcome_16.html">Author Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58257677-the-unflinching-ash">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">In a world like ours, Mystics once ruled the night. Well, so long as they were men. On Ash’s day of naming, she chose the Mystic path nonetheless. The same illusions that garner gasps of awe from the lamp-lit crowds earn her scorn from the basilica. There is only one way forward: a perilous quest – earn the Queen’s Seal, a badge of honour, and immunity. She’ll simply have to avoid being hanged, burned or drowned first. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When one of my favourite authors of all time, <a href="https://twitter.com/rachaelcraw?lang=en">Rachael Craw</a>, put this book on my radar I knew it must be something special! It's clear that Angela Armstrong knows how to pull together a YA-crossover-fantastical story with a strong female lead, healthy dose of humour and key message echoed below that "there isn't one right way to forge a brave path". Read on for more!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Angela Armstrong</u></span></div>
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<b>Firstly, a big congratulations on publishing The Unflinching Ash! How did the experience of writing this book compare with the novelettes you have released in the past?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">The writing experiences for the Gen2K novel
and novelettes and The Unflinching Ash had a surprising amount in common. Both
were written in answer to disappointment, and then asking, “What if..?”. The Gen2K
stories were born of my own infertility crisis, and the discovery of
little-known consequences for undertaking IVF treatment. I then asked, “What if after millions
undertook this treatment, the worst happened?” For The Unflinching Ash, I left
an international magic show with my three daughters, frustrated by their
uncertainty about whether they could aspire to be a magician or only a
magician’s assistant. I then asked, “What if there were more renowned female
Illusionists?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">While the impetus for writing in both
worlds was similar, my approach for each was very different. The Unflinching
Ash was written for a long time with an excellent editor from one of the big
houses giving me feedback – it was always intended as my chief commercial debut.
The Gen2K pieces were what I wrote while I waited. As most people know, busy editors
don’t always reply right away. So I could giddily send 15K words of new Ash materia
and watch my Inbox, but it would be some time before the editor would come back
with notes on what had become a new version of a 100K manuscript. So I filled
my back catalogue, did next to nothing to promote it, and waited for the next
set of directives for Ash. This allowed me to always be writing, and hopefully
offers any keen readers who devour Ash the pleasant surprise of finding more by
this author, if they go looking.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div><div><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What drove you to write in the genre of YA fantasy and what's it like as an author coming up with worldbuilding elements as well as portraying characters which readers can relate to?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div>A double-barrel! Like a fair share of other
writers, I was once a High School English teacher. I also reviewed screeds of YA ARCs and
interviewed YA authors for publishers such as Walker and Hachette for a decade.
So I know a little about this age group, the YA market, and the coming-of-age
characters populating it. I love YA. While it’s never too late to discover the
magic of reading, so many life-long readers’ devotion is earned during those
crucial years, and that’s something I want to be a part of. There is a lot of
discussion right now about YA no longer being for YA. I lament if this is true!
I hope that instead of striving to push
any adults who are reading YA out, we do our best to reclaim any young adults no
longer in. For me, one of the most beautiful things about strong YA, is that
those stories appeal beyond the young adult years. How incredible if a book
keeps being good, as you grow older? Thus, I hope bookstores will file The
Unflinching Ash as Cross-over Fiction – great for ages 15+, or confident
younger readers. I’m hoping adults will read Ash alongside the young people in
their lives. </div><div><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">You also might find it in the Alternative
History, Historical Fiction or YA sections.
Ash is often dubbed as Fantasy, but strictly speaking, I’m not sure it’s
fantastical. This is a story about the magic and mystique drawn from within,
rather than the magic a mage might conjure with a wand. It’s about illusions,
mentalism and showmanship rather than spells.
I hope in it you’ll find a world like ours, but different, with a sassy
heroine worth rooting for. I thrilled in
re-imagining our dark ages a little brighter for having Ash in it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div>
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<b>What are some of your favourite and also most challenging aspects of writing that people may not always recognise or talk about?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">One of my favourite things about writing is
re-reading my own stuff after I’ve set it aside for a while to work on
something else. It’s a treat to return to something with fresh eyes and have
you sneak up on you. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have always backed myself – I know I can
write. But self-promotion is hard. I
want readers to know I can write, but I’m no peacock. Finding a way to say, “Do
you see my feathers?” without fanning them out is proving difficult. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular quote or moment in the book which is particularly meaningful to you?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">This quote comes from when we meet Ash’s
sister, Grete:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"></span></p><blockquote><span lang="EN-NZ">Grete wore caution like a crown. Although Ash and Grete were both born from
the same Mapa and Papal, the sisters were antipodean enchantresses. To Ash the Mysteries had dealt passion, grit
and tireless intent, which she carried like a loaded quiver on her strong,
lithe frame. Grete’s appeal was no less,
but instead came by way of caution, calm and censure – an attractive safe
harbour expressed in her soft edges and soft speech. Both young women had thick dark hair and the
blessing of symmetry on their side. Both
could sneak.</span></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">This quote is particularly meaningful to me
because it introduces an essential paradigm for the story – these two are both
strong, impressive women, but they have responded to trauma and plotted their
course in very different ways, and that’s okay – there isn’t one right way to
forge a brave path.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></p></div>
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<b>If there were three key messages you'd hope readers would be able to take away from The Unflinching Ash and bring into our world, what would they be?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">1) There isn’t one right way to forge a
brave path. Find yours and take it, allows others to choose their own. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">2) Don’t let the haters get you down.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">3) Confidence does not make a woman a
b*tch. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">Can I say that?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>After this impressive release, could you give us a hint at what you're working on next?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">Kind. I'm already elbows deep in a contemporary middle grade magical realism novel set in New Zealand.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41cbUX9X_-4/YOafRK8uDuI/AAAAAAAAEt8/IZeb81_7BBYgZn8s-HxAfyc-qRKuJ86swCLcBGAsYHQ/s586/1authorpic.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41cbUX9X_-4/YOafRK8uDuI/AAAAAAAAEt8/IZeb81_7BBYgZn8s-HxAfyc-qRKuJ86swCLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h320/1authorpic.JPG" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Before writing books, Angela studied English and Film at the
University of Otago, taught full-time in schools, owned an art gallery, and
reviewed books for trade publishers. She lives with her husband Haki in
Northland, New Zealand, where she devotes her non-writing hours to
home-schooling three chatty daughters who have inherited a fierce love of words
from their mother.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/ange_armstrong">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.nz/angelaarmstrongauthor/">Pinterest</a></i></p><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-39546199124877511492021-03-16T22:20:00.000+11:002021-03-16T22:20:09.734+11:00Review & Author Interview: Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pCotOagems/YFBgTjXM3aI/AAAAAAAAEp0/HXpVwD3UWHgWTo7ByNMZP2_UWfG_mTm8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/1wakingromeo%2Bcover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1359" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pCotOagems/YFBgTjXM3aI/AAAAAAAAEp0/HXpVwD3UWHgWTo7ByNMZP2_UWfG_mTm8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1wakingromeo%2Bcover.jpg" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">1 March 2021</span></div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Allen and Unwin</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">YA Science Fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">396</span></div><div><span>Rating: </span><span style="color: #01bbbb;">5 of 5 stars</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/waking-romeo/kathryn-barker/9781760297152/">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/waking-romeo-kathryn-barker/book/9781760297152.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrsGCBhD1ARIsALILBYofufepb4mMKujiHSd6sYqchCQaRUP5dg17K87ru3xNLvpxA8zja6EaAj6GEALw_wcB">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35166377-waking-romeo">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">What if Juliet Capulet met someone who made her doubt true love? What if Wuthering Heights was a message to a time traveller? A cosmic reimagining of Romeo and Juliet and homage to two literary classics in a compelling novel about fate, love and time travel from an award-winning author.
YEAR: 2083. LOCATION: LONDON. MISSION: WAKE ROMEO.
It's the end of the world. Literally. Time travel is possible, but only forwards. And only a handful of families choose to remain in the 'now', living off the scraps that were left behind. Among these are eighteen-year-old Juliet and the love of her life, Romeo. But things are far from rosy for Jules. Romeo is in a coma and she's estranged from her friends and family, dealing with the very real fallout of their wild romance. Then a handsome time traveller, Ellis, arrives with an important mission that makes Jules question everything she knows about life and love. Can Jules wake Romeo and rewrite her future?
A highly original mashup that delights as it disorients ... and asks what would have happened if two great literary love stories were somehow intertwined. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Six years ago I read an amazing book by a debut Aussie Author - <i><a href="http://genie-inabook.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-in-skin-of-monster-by-kathryn.html">In the Skin of a Monster</a></i>. This year Kathryn Barker is back with another equally captivating read, and wow did it deliver. I'm calling it - <i>Waking Romeo</i> is the most unique book I'm going to read this year! Full of mind-bending twists, super clever links to classic literature and a message on love and life that is both delicately and fiercely told, all I can say is...read it. You won't be disappointed.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Kathryn Barker</u></span></div>
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<b>Firstly, congratulations on another stunning release. <i>In the Skin of a Monster </i>has still stuck with me 6 years after reading it and <i>Waking Romeo </i>is just as captivating! How did the idea for this new book come about and what were your biggest motivators to release a second book?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks so much for your kind words - I’m trilled that <i>In
the Skin of a Monster</i> and Wa<i>king Romeo</i> resonated with you!
As for where the idea for Waking Romeo came from… I suppose it was
from contemplating love stories and the romantic ideal. I read both Romeo
& Juliet and Wuthering Heights when I was in high school,
and (as a hopeless romantic) I was captivated by the love stories. But when I
got older, I realised that the examples they set weren’t exactly healthy -
especially when it came to the women. I wanted to deconstruct those two
classics and imagine a story where the girl had more agency. </div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">As for my biggest motivators to release a second book… the
simple truth is, I love writing. I also find that it helps me understand my
truths, the world and my own experiences. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div><div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Was there a particular person or influence in your life at the time of writing <i>Waking Romeo</i> which made a special contribution to your writing process for the book in any way?</b></div>
<div><br /></div>Waking Romeo was written at a time when I was reconfiguring what love meant to me, and who I was as my own person. That experience clearly reflected in the book...so perhaps the 'significant influence' was my own personal growth and revolution.</div><div><br /></div>
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<b>As a time travel novel, there are so many different plot points and significant moments which you've woven so cleverly together - what was it like writing a book with such an interconnected storyline that makes use of bending timelines?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal">It was a challenge! Getting the plot right was enormously
tricky, especially since I didn’t want it to detract from the characterisation.
Having said that the Universe is full of beautiful coincidences, and so often
connections would just land in my lap. When that happened, it reinforced the
feeling that I was on the right track, which was wonderful.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
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<b>The characters in this book were so vividly portrayed, and I especially enjoyed how the classic literary references had influence in a way I've never seen before. What were some of the most challenging/enjoyable aspects of mixing genres in this way?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">Thank you so much! I suppose the biggest challenge was
finding the right balance between respecting the source text/ characterisation,
while giving myself permission to explore something new without feeling
constrained. The most enjoyable aspect was definitely getting to dip into
Shakespeare and Bronte! Getting to incorporate some of their incredible words/
worlds/ characters into my story was such a gift. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular quote or moment from the book which means a lot to you personally?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The final page of the book is my favourite, because it encapsulates both Jules' truth and my own.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>For young and older readers alike picking up <i>Waking Romeo, </i>is there a particular message to think about you hope they can gain from it? For me, it was definitely the focus on living each moment fully and appreciating the present, while also gaining insights on how to build on a better future.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal">Yes - investing in the ’now’ (rather than focusing on the
past or on the future) is a big one for me too, as is caring for our
environment. However, I think one of the core themes that underpins Waking
Romeo is the idea of challenging romantic ideals and our concept of what
love is. I hope to give readers the space to consider the ‘epic romances’ in
stories like Romeo & Juliet and Wuthering Heights and
think about how that stacks up against more modern ideals. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Is there anything you can share with us on what you're currently working on/doing outside of writing?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal">With Waking Romeo, I really enjoyed delving into
classic works of literature and then finding an angle for a modern retelling.
I’m working on a new story which explores that territory again… but the
threads haven’t woven themselves together enough yet for me to explain it
coherently! </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As for what I’m doing outside of writing… I’m planning a
camping trip, because I want to sleep under the stars!<o:p></o:p></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hsobqn5UWQg/YFCEJ5pXpMI/AAAAAAAAEp4/zr7d350ACUM9JQ9kK5kiX_Th_kQLWA0IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1146/kathrynbarker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1126" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hsobqn5UWQg/YFCEJ5pXpMI/AAAAAAAAEp4/zr7d350ACUM9JQ9kK5kiX_Th_kQLWA0IgCLcBGAsYHQ/w196-h200/kathrynbarker.JPG" width="196" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Kathryn Barker was born in Canberra, started primary school
in Tokyo and finished high school in the woods outside Olympia, Washington
State. In the years that followed she went to university, became a lawyer,
completed her masters in film production and worked in television. She
currently lives in Sydney with her family. Kathryn's first novel, In the
Skin of a Monster, was published to high acclaim and won the Aurealis Award for
Best Young Adult Novel, was short-listed for two Davitt Awards and was a CBCA
Notable Book. Waking Romeo is her second novel.<o:p></o:p></i></p><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-40832106409613700432020-10-27T15:39:00.002+11:002020-10-27T16:02:41.155+11:00Author Interview: Talking Sense Audiobook - Living with sensory changes and dementia by Agnes Houston and Julie Christie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rP6xnvGLzME/X5d1GCco5xI/AAAAAAAAEkQ/rTfxBkBAZg8uB2kVIu1hmvRFRloxZTroQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Talking%2BSense-1500-hir-res.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1347" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rP6xnvGLzME/X5d1GCco5xI/AAAAAAAAEkQ/rTfxBkBAZg8uB2kVIu1hmvRFRloxZTroQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Talking%2BSense-1500-hir-res.jpg" /></a></div>Talking Sense: Living With Sensory Changes and Dementia by Agnes Houston with Julie Christie</div></div></span></div>
Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">19th September 2020</span><br />
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Dementia Centre</span><div><b><u>**Download a free copy of the book <a href="https://www.dementiacentre.com/resources/resource-category-2?filter%5Btag%5D%5B0%5D=dementia-and-aged-care&filter%5Bsearch%5D=&filter%5Bcategory%5D%5B0%5D=2">here</a>!**</u></b><br /><div>
<a href="https://www.dementiacentre.com/resources/resource-category-2?filter%5Btag%5D%5B0%5D=dementia-and-aged-care&filter%5Bsearch%5D=&filter%5Bcategory%5D%5B0%5D=2">Dementia Centre</a> | <a href="https://www.hammond.com.au/shop/search-result?keyword=talking%20sense">Hard copy book</a> | <a href="https://dementia.com.au/resources/video/my-life-living-with-dementia.html">More on Agnes Houston</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;"><i>Talking Sense: Living with sensory changes and dementia</i>, written by Agnes Houston MBE with Dr Julie Christie, is a popular print and online resource and now for the first time will be available as an audio book. This is one of the first audio books in the world to use dementia-friendly audio to ensure it is readily accessible for people living with dementia, along with carers and supporters.
“We’ve created this new audiobook version of <i>Talking Sense</i> to support people who are more comfortable with auditory learning – particularly people with dementia who may find it difficult to read or focus on words on a page.” A/Prof Cunningham said.
The audio book provides an opportunity for people with dementia to engage with helpful information and practical advice in a format which is especially tailored for their needs. <i>Talking Sense</i> is the culmination of more than a decade of research by Agnes Houston after she was diagnosed with younger onset dementia in 2006. She found that not only was there little support for continued independence, but what support there was had virtually no awareness of the common experience of sensory change.
“It was as if I had been given a diagnosis, was assessed cognitively, medication monitored and left to my own devices,” Ms Houston said. “Instead, I chose to go on a quest for knowledge to understand what was happening to me. Surely, I was not the only one having these sensory changes?”
Ms Houston is known internationally as an advocate for people living with dementia and in 2016, she completed a Churchill Fellowship to continue her learning about the often-overlooked issue of sensory challenges.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last month I had the opportunity to attend HammondCare's international dementia conference, showcasing a range of speakers and events surrounding topics on residential care design, different approaches to caring for people living with dementia and emerging research/educational resources being published in the area. With a rise in Australia's ageing population and the need for increased services and resources specifically directed at understanding dementia and how it affects people's lives, I believe that books like <i>Talking Sense</i> are more important than ever to raise awareness on this important issue. More information can be found on the Dementia Centre's Knowledge Hub <a href="https://www.dementiacentre.com/resources">here</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview</u></span></div>
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<b>How did the idea for writing <i>Talking Sense</i> first come about? Were there specific gaps in current literature and resources for carers and people living with dementia which acted as a key influence?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Agnes: </b>I was diagnosed with younger onset dementia of the
Alzheimer’s type in 2006. My care
afterwards was in the hands of the old age psychiatry service. It consisted of a dementia ‘early onset’
nurse to monitor my medication and my cognitive function. I found it to be a
negative experience, which was all about loss.
There was no attention paid to my sensory challenges, no rehabilitation
programme and no counselling. I felt as
if my care was out of my hands. I consulted my optician who knew little about
dementia. My GP team knew little about
the sensory challenges associated with dementia. My psychiatrist made time to talk and
listened to my experiences but I felt that little practical help was given to
me. Something was missing. It was as if
I had been given a diagnosis, was assessed cognitively, medication monitored
and left to my own devices. Instead, I
chose to go on a quest for knowledge to understand what was happening to
me. Surely, I was not the only one
having these sensory changes. This
prompted me to ask other people living with dementia about their experiences.
As a result, I produced in 2015 a booklet ‘Dementia and Sensory Challenges’
(funded by the Life Changes Trust in Scotland.
In 2016, I obtained a Churchill Fellowship to travel to other countries
to learn more. My findings confirmed the
need for this handbook, which we hope will be a starting place for others to
discover information on sensory challenges. Among other things, it shows who to go to for help, where support
organisations can be located and how to access services and support.</div><div><br /></div><div>
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<b>What was the process for coming up with the idea of creating the work as an audiobook?</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><b>Julie: </b>It was always our intention to have an audiobook.
<i>Talking Sense </i>at its heart is about accessible information. Many of the people
interested in this area are living with visual changes and so an audiobook is
essential.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Agnes:</b> As I previously was an army nurse, I was assessed for
support by Scottish War Blind, who have been fantastic.Through their support I have learnt many
skills for coping with sight challenges and have discovered how important audio
versions are to ensure this information can be accessed by as many people as
possible – friends supported by Scottish War Blind said is was “Always a hassle
having to ask people to read it out to me”.</div></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
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<b>Through your research for the book in relation to dementia symptoms, what were some of the most surprising findings that general readers may not have expected?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Agnes:</b> I was so surprised to discover that there isn’t a
specialism and that people are expected to live with often severe changes
without the support they might otherwise get with another health problem. You
can get a test for hyperacusis, but it wasn’t being routinely offered. You need to ask for it – “the uncomfortable
loudness test”. I was also surprised at the numbers of people having sensory
challenges, which was higher than I ever anticipated and that these sensory
challenges were causing them the most effect of their lives, rather than the
memory problems.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Julie: </b>From my perspective, as a nurse and a social worker,
it was looking at the experience of sensory changes from the perspective of day
to day impact. The ways in which sensory changes make you feel, for example, as
a result of losing confidence in going out, the things you miss out on through
this, the conversations you can’t take part in. Helping people to regain
confidence or find new ways to self manage problems has been very rewarding.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>How did you discover that sensory changes were a significant impairment associated with dementia?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Agnes: </b>Many people who receive a diagnosis of dementia are
aware that they may experience memory problems. But they are often surprised
when they begin to encounter ‘unexplained’ sensory changes. I began having
problems seeing things and went to my optician.
My optician said that my eyesight was perfect, but my brain was having
problems processing what my eyes were seeing – something known as ‘brain
blindness’.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>In your opinion, what are some improvements that can be made in relation to community awareness about dementia, and particularly surrounding young onset dementia?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Agnes: </b>Design, in my opinion. What is missing when people
talk about improvements is the design – thinking about sensory changes. You must speak to people with dementia.
Signage – too much, the wrong information, too many words.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Julie:</b> My own research is focused on the resilience of
people living with dementia. Helping people to stay connected, have more
control over their circumstances and have the opportunity to make sense of
their lives all help to promote resilience and a sense of
well-being. Whether this is something practical, such as, better design
and way finding support, or making time to talk to people about their lives and
what they want. There is a lot we can do.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>What are some of your top pieces of advice for aged care workers to better care for residents who are living with dementia? Are there differing challenges to watch out for compared to at-home carers?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Agnes: </b>Think problem, think sensory, think solution. Read
the book! It’s all in there. Just ask the person living with dementia. Be a
detective.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Julie:</b> Caring is a skilled job no matter the setting. Good
care is built on relationships. This involves taking the time to get to know
the person and working at their pace. Realising the importance of
individuality, of everyday personal moments and routines. It is often the small
things we do that are the most important. Ensuring we take the senses into
account is an essential part of this.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;"><b>Could you provide us with a glimpse of any other current research projects you're working on in this space?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Agnes:</b> I am currently looking at research ethics regarding
people with dementia. I am part of a panel, Dementia Enquirers, which has set
Gold Standards to help people living with dementia to choose which research
projects to be involved with. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Julie:</b> I’m continuing to work in the resilience space focusing
on how care staff can use resilience in their day to day work with people
living with dementia. Agnes and I are both advocates of learning about life
through our shared experiences and resilience is often a subject we
discuss. I admire her greatly for bringing this work to life for so many
people.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
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About the authors</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAUhFS9oCOs/X5egRXrEq3I/AAAAAAAAEkc/4lWNqgjS2J8u6_kFqtMRYV3RI9_YEF5DQCLcBGAsYHQ/s479/1agnes.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="476" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAUhFS9oCOs/X5egRXrEq3I/AAAAAAAAEkc/4lWNqgjS2J8u6_kFqtMRYV3RI9_YEF5DQCLcBGAsYHQ/w199-h200/1agnes.JPG" width="199" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Agnes Houston MBE is a dementia activist who has always put
others first. She was diagnosed with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2006
at the age of 57. She has campaigned for best practice and improving the lives
of people with dementia (especially those experiencing sensory issues) in
Scotland and received a lifetime achievement award from Alzheimer Scotland in
2013. Agnes is former Chair of the Scottish Dementia Working Group and
currently Vice Chair of the European Dementia Working Group and a board member
of Dementia Alliance International. In 2015 Agnes was awarded an MBE and in
2016 was awarded a Churchill Fellow.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ay9sGXqAtcI/X5egrys1zxI/AAAAAAAAEkk/ZQa9pgTvCxk1aKLRI4bJEa9RpD-crPhCACLcBGAsYHQ/s485/1julie.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="477" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ay9sGXqAtcI/X5egrys1zxI/AAAAAAAAEkk/ZQa9pgTvCxk1aKLRI4bJEa9RpD-crPhCACLcBGAsYHQ/w197-h200/1julie.JPG" width="197" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dr Julie Christie is Service Manager - International at
the Dementia Centre, HammondCare, based in the UK. Dr. Christie is a
visiting Research Fellow with the University of Edinburgh and
an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New South Wales with a focus
on resilience, citizenship, and co-production. She is a reviewer for
the Journal of Research in Nursing, Ageing and Society and Dementia: The
International Journal of Research and Practice. Dr Christie is currently the
lead for the Dementia Dog Programme evaluation and the Life
Changes Trust funded Dementia Friendly Communities Programme, both in Scotland.
She oversees the work of Dementia Support UK: Connect, Consult HammondCare’s
UK consultancy service for care homes. </i></p></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-47105791234884450832020-10-20T18:33:00.001+11:002020-10-20T22:02:44.971+11:00Author Interview: Before the Beginning by Anna Morgan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01bbbb; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQ7DUXWOcuU/X45pJcuKCoI/AAAAAAAAEjo/YwbRS5MDA9w5tq6fCyInH4YvO4VsCjQvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s786/1beforebegin.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQ7DUXWOcuU/X45pJcuKCoI/AAAAAAAAEjo/YwbRS5MDA9w5tq6fCyInH4YvO4VsCjQvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1beforebegin.JPG" /></a></div>Before the Beginning by Anna Morgan</span></div>
Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">29th September 2020</span><br />
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Hachette</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">YA Contemporary</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">235</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.annalauramorgan.com/">Author website</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/before-the-beginning-anna-morgan/book/9780734419651.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53418636-before-the-beginning">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">
The story of four friends, a mysterious stranger, and the week when everything changed. For fans of We Were Liars.
Schoolies week: that strange in-between time when teenagers move from school into the adult world. It's a week when anything is possible, and everything can change.
Grace is questioning everything she thought about herself, and has opted not to join her clique of judgemental friends for schoolies, instead tagging along with her brother Casper and his friends. Casper, an artist, is trying to create the perfect artwork for his uni application folio. Overachieving, anxiety-ridden Noah is reeling from a catastrophe that might have ruined his ATAR result. And Elsie is just trying to figure out how to hold their friendship group together.
On the first night of the trip, they meet Sierra, a mysterious girl with silver-grey hair and a magnetic personality. All of them are drawn to her for different reasons, and she persuades them to abandon the cliched schoolies experience in favour of camping with her on a remote, uninhabited island. On that island, each of them will find answers to their questions. But what does Sierra want from them?
An empathetic and suspenseful coming-of-age story from the author of All That Impossible Space.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Equal parts suspense and coming-of-age novel, <i>Before the Beginning </i>is a unique offering in the YA contemporary space exploring the time between school ends and the future beyond. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Anna Morgan</u></span></div>
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<b>How did the writing process for Before the Beginning differ from the experience coming up with the plot for your first novel <i>All That Impossible Space</i>?</b></div><div><br /></div>It was very different! I wrote <i>All That Impossible Space </i>over about four years of writing and redrafting (much longer if you count all the years the story was growing in the back of my mind). I wrote the first draft of Before the Beginning in about six months, so it was much faster. With my second book I knew from the start the specific characters and themes I wanted to explore, and I knew I wanted to set it over one week from different perspectives: having that structure in place helped focus the writing process. Since I was working with my publisher from the beginning, I had editors involved from much earlier in the drafting process. That was a little scary at first for me, but it made the book SO much better and I feel very grateful to have shaped the story with their guidance from those early stages. Oh, and I had more confidence in myself as a writer the second time around, since I knew I'd done it once and could do it again.<div><br />
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<b>What drew you to exploring the coming of age period of time just after high school in this book?</b></div>
<div><br /></div>One of my favourite aspects of YA novels is that in-between feeling of transformation and change, that is such a classic teenage experience. Schoolies week - that week just after school finishes - is an especially intense time for this feeling. It's after exams, but before your results, after school, but before many teens know what they are going to do next. It can bring up a lot of anxieties for people too since it's such a pressure-cooker setting - lots of emotional issues can bubble up to the surface, but there's also such a sense of energy and possibility over the week.
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<b>Was there a favourite character out of the group which you found was easier to make come to life on the page?</b></div>
<div><br /></div>It's impossible to choose a favourite! I love all my characters and am frustrated by them in equal parts - even though all four are very different, they are all based on aspects of myself and they experience versions of what I went through in my teens and early twenties. I've had unreasonably high expectations of myself like Noah, or had a worldview that didn't fit with my experiences any more like Grace, I've struggled with creative blocks like Casper, and I've underestimated myself like Elsie. I did find that Noah's section flowed particularly well as I was writing - and every time I re-read it I just want to give him a big hug! - so I do have a soft spot for him.<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
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<b>What are some of the main messages you hope teens in the same position as some of the characters in this book will be able to reflect on?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The end of school was such an anxious and all-or-nothing time for me, and it is for some of my characters - the main message I want to pass on is that it is okay to change, it's okay to be unsure, and you will figure it out. It's much more important to figure out who you are and what you want from your future than it is to chase a perfect score or to get into the best course. I know this year's school leavers in particular have shown incredible resilience as they deal with the upheaval of 2020, and I hope they can take some comfort from the upheaval my characters go through - even if nothing goes to plan, you will get through to the other side.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
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<b>Could you give us a sneak peek into what you may be working on next?</b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I really loved all the research I was able to do around
setting for this book - I set the novel on a fictional version of an island I
love off the South coast of NSW and I learned so much about all the wildlife
and plants that live there. It was also a place under threat by the fires this
January, which emphasised to me even more how important it is to celebrate this
land in literature and how much we need to protect it. So that might be working
its way into my next book - possibly looking at climate action and young people
growing up in regional Australia. But don't hold me to that because it could
completely change!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sDoW8bxBWTY/X46QPuZEseI/AAAAAAAAEj4/bySZJhfpdW4qWlHHMmM6dTNPXw5Mu43rgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1184/1anna.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1184" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sDoW8bxBWTY/X46QPuZEseI/AAAAAAAAEj4/bySZJhfpdW4qWlHHMmM6dTNPXw5Mu43rgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1anna.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Anna was born in Sydney, but spent most of her childhood
surrounded by mountains in Nepal and Tibet while her parents were part of an
international community of health professionals. Navigating this cross-cultural
life made her a curious observer of people, although most of her time was spent
reading Enid Blyton and dreaming of going to boarding school. This did not
cushion the shock of shifting from home-school in Tibet to an all-girls high
school in Melbourne when her family returned to Australia. ALL THAT IMPOSSIBLE
SPACE explores some of the intense and convoluted friendships that thrive in
this setting. Anna completed a MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University
in 2015, and now lives in Melbourne with her husband. She works as a
bookseller.<o:p></o:p></i></p><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-86939481994298911642020-09-09T17:46:00.001+10:002020-09-09T19:13:37.919+10:00Author Interview: A Taste of Life and Love in Australia by Margaret Lynette Sharp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--pr6fducm6w/X1iE0OluOlI/AAAAAAAAEiE/_ho6rQLd2IYifOmTBsn50gQH2hD1FE2XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/11531279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--pr6fducm6w/X1iE0OluOlI/AAAAAAAAEiE/_ho6rQLd2IYifOmTBsn50gQH2hD1FE2XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/11531279.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><br />A Taste of Life and Love in Australia by Margaret Lynette Sharp</span></div>
Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">10th May 2011</span><br />
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Self-published</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Short Stories, Australian</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Library</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">368</span></div>
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<a href="https://margaretlynettesharp.wordpress.com/">Author website</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Lynette-Sharp/e/B00834SYCQ%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11531279-a-taste-of-life-and-love-in-australia">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">
This is a highly readable volume of Short Stories, set in modern Australia. Most tales are romantic.
The book kicks off with 'The Girl Next Door', an engaging tale of a young man's affection for his neighbour, which sadly goes amiss just as he summons the courage to ask her out.<br />
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Other favourites include 'A Song for Ellie': a young man's struggle to be noticed by a singer; and 'The Blossoming': a young woman emerging into life and love.
Like all Margaret Lynette Sharp's books, this is edited by her husband Ronald Sharp B.E.M., the creator of the Grand Organ in the Sydney Opera House concert hall.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's been so refreshing to visit the library again and stumble across some unexpected finds - I came across 'Tales of Life and Love in Australia' while on the lookout for some local authors. The short stories within it are wonderfully told and perfect for small snippets into the character's lives. I soon discovered that Margaret has written quite a few collections so will be checking them out soon!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Margaret Lynette Sharp</u></span></div>
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<b>What have been the best/most challenging aspects of writing both short stories and longer fiction? How does your writing process for each style of book differ?</b></div>
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Part of the emotional reward I derive from writing fiction
is the validation of garnering positive reviews from independent sources –
which makes me feel as though I've brought a bit of pleasure to an audience –
but probably the more important element is my own personal pleasure in reading
the stories sometime later.<br />
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The most challenging aspect? There are several. Simply
getting the first sentence on paper can be quite daunting. Waiting to see what
others make of each book can also be stressful – especially when critics make
unkind, and at times untruthful, observations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My writing style is determined by the type of writing I’m
attempting. My Australian romances are written in a fairly informal style,
quite unlike my Jane Austen Fan Fiction tales, which are written to replicate
Jane Austen’s voice as a revered Regency writer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>I really enjoyed your book <i>A Taste of Life and Love in Australia</i>! Back when you were focusing on Australian fiction, what drew you to the genre and where did your inspiration come from?</b></div>
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I’ve always liked writing short stories – especially
romantic ones – and so it was an easy decision. In common with the other titles
in this series, “A Taste of Life and Love in Australia” is written in the style
of narrative (and thought) that comes most naturally to me. My own
"stylistic register," I suppose you'd call it. A few of the
stories are loosely based on actual events in my own life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Outside of writing, what are some other hobbies which bring you joy?</b></div>
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I’m a keen swimmer, especially in salt water in the
summertime. My other favourite pursuit is playing the piano, to which I
recently returned after a decade’s absence. Other matters had occupied my
attention (and our Steinway had been in storage), but I've so enjoyed my return
to the keyboard, that I now wish I’d never stopped playing… Several of my
books – and the "Elizabeth Simmons" series, in particular – have
featured young female protagonists who were avid pianists and piano teachers
(alter egos, I suppose, though much more proficient than I).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What are the three of the biggest life lessons you've learned through your journey as an author?</b></div>
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First, cultivate patience. It’s the lucky few who are
overnight successes after a mere ten years…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Second, develop a thick skin. Remember, reviewers review
themselves, and as they say (if they happen to be ancient Romans), "de
gustibus non disputandum."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Third, never write purely in the pursuit of money. How can
you be true to yourself when you’re simply striving to attract and secure a
paying audience? And if you really want to generate income, there are certainly
more reliable ways of doing it.</div>
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<b>What types of books do you like to read?</b></div>
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I’ve always enjoyed the classics, and as a teenager and
young woman, I devoured them in rapid succession. I also like stories such as
those written by James Herriot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Could you give us an insight into your latest release, and a sneak peek into what you're writing next?</b></div>
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My latest release is a Jane Austen Fan Fiction vignette, “A
Ball at Longbourn,” which sheds light on the character of the Bennet girls, and
especially Lydia. Further vignettes in this series are in the pipeline.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular moment/favourite line in one of your works that stands out to you as being something that you think is quite moving to readers?</b></div>
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I think the conclusion of “Of Love and Secrets,” a short
novel that also forms part of the compilation entitled “Love, Now and Then,” is
rather moving. The heroine finds happiness after enduring a long train of
adversities. This story was highly praised by a Readers Favorite reviewer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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About the author</h2>
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<i>My early life was spent living near the city of Sydney. I
was glad when my family moved us all to an old house in the Georges River
district. Here, I found peace, and discovered the beautiful, nurturing
environment of Oatley Park. As I grew older, I cared for my ailing mother –
meanwhile, studying the art of writing. Six months after she passed away, I met
and later married the creator of the Grand Organ in the Sydney Opera House,
Ronald William Sharp. We still live in my family home, along with our Maltese,
Chicki, and a blue budgerigar named Albert.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-67955387147185078242020-08-13T20:00:00.000+10:002020-08-13T20:22:39.215+10:00Review: Reasonable Doubt by Dr Xanthé Mallett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V1yzpjfHQbY/XzTM1Li3U7I/AAAAAAAAEgk/p1PEYe-nRYAIQzkYm722gGyCJe4l75pRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1reasdoubt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V1yzpjfHQbY/XzTM1Li3U7I/AAAAAAAAEgk/p1PEYe-nRYAIQzkYm722gGyCJe4l75pRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1reasdoubt.JPG" width="207" /></a><b style="color: #01bbbb;">Reasonable Doubt </b>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Dr Xanthe Mallett</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">28th September 2020</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Pan Macmillan</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Non-fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">272</span></div>
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My Rating: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">4 of 5 stars</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53332356-reasonable-doubt" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/reasonable-doubt-xanth-mallett/book/9781760784843.html" target="_blank">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760784843/" target="_blank">Publisher </a></div>
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We all put our faith in the criminal justice system. We trust the professionals: the police, the lawyers, the judges, the expert witnesses. But what happens when the process lets us down and the wrong person ends up in jail?<br />
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Henry Keogh spent almost twenty years locked away for a murder that never even happened. Khalid Baker was imprisoned for the death of a man his best friend has openly admitted to causing. And the exposure of 'Lawyer X' Nicola Gobbo's double-dealing could lead to some of Australia's most notorious convictions being overturned.
Forensic scientist Xanthé Mallett is used to dealing with the darker side of humanity.<br />
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Now she's turning her skills and insight to miscarriages of justice and cases of Australians who have been wrongfully convicted.
Exposing false confessions, polices biases, misplaced evidence and dodgy science, Reasonable Doubt is an expert's account of the murky underbelly of our justice system - and the way it affects us all.</div>
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<i>Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</i></div>
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Perfect for true crime fans, <i>Reasonable Doubt </i>offers a harrowing and well-researched glimpse into the criminal justice process and what can happen when the wrong person pays the price. Detailing six cases of wrongful convictions, Mallett's accounts offer deep yet objective insight into how failings in how evidence is inspected and even investigators' own biases can play out with consequences that reach far beyond the crime itself. What makes this book so readable is that Mallett sets out her perspective in a way that is measured and critiques the outcomes in each of the cases with reference to the view that prosecutors should 'fight hard, but fight fair'. The additional information on forensic techniques and methods of analysis used in the cases was particularly eye-opening for those interested in the science and psychology behind the investigation process.<br />
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It also accounts for the vast majority of cases which go to trial and are run successfully - this balanced perspective adds to the credibility of the work as a whole and though clearly not a 'joyful' read, it is a thought-provoking one. Probing techniques such as guilt-testing and even failings to consider all possible routes of evidence and scenarios which could have set the innocent free, it's interesting, and somewhat disconcerting, to think that the scales of justice can be impacted on even the smallest change in how a crime and its suspects are presented.<br />
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<b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b></div>
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If you're like me and enjoyed books such as <i>The Secret Barrister,</i> <i>In Your Defence</i>, <u>or </u>are already an established true-crime fan not one to shy away from a hard look at some of Australia's harrowing criminal cases, <i>Reasonable Doubt</i> is for you. This book offers what is a unique and fascinating perspective on perhaps the most fundamental tenet of our justice system which deserves greater scrutiny, that Mallett has done well in adding to with her educated prose. </div>
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-43782799807706131622020-07-25T19:18:00.000+10:002020-07-26T12:32:08.153+10:00Author Interview: The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XlugME9mEY0/Xxv4mzGWTEI/AAAAAAAAEfw/jso4hd5gU9kCnDoLGZnI_ZFgxsFOXJHMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1reviewinterview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XlugME9mEY0/Xxv4mzGWTEI/AAAAAAAAEfw/jso4hd5gU9kCnDoLGZnI_ZFgxsFOXJHMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1reviewinterview.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #01bbbb;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shpkkidIrLM/Xxv3y_tTuhI/AAAAAAAAEfk/5tSirY0ss4Qvi7w2VhRBaL7GNj-ycB00gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1birdway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="728" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shpkkidIrLM/Xxv3y_tTuhI/AAAAAAAAEfk/5tSirY0ss4Qvi7w2VhRBaL7GNj-ycB00gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1birdway.JPG" width="209" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>The Bird Way </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Jennifer Ackerman</b></span></span></div>
Released: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">2nd July 2020</span><br />
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Scribe Publications</span><br />
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Non-Fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">368</span></div>
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<a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-bird-way" target="_blank">Scribe</a> | <a href="http://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/contact-1">Author website</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-bird-way-jennifer-ackerman/book/9781925713763.html">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/the-bird-way/jennifer-ackerman/9781925713763/">QBD</a></div>
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, here is a radical examination of the bird way of being and of recent scientific research that is dramatically shifting our understanding of birds — how they live and how they think.
‘There is the mammal way and there is the bird way.’ This is one scientist’s pithy distinction between mammal brains and bird brains: two ways to make a highly intelligent mind. But the bird way is much more than a unique pattern of brain wiring, and, lately, scientists have taken a new look at bird behaviours.<br />
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What they are finding is upending the traditional view of how birds conduct their lives, how they communicate, forage, court, breed, and survive. They’re also revealing not only the remarkable intelligence underlying these activities, and disturbing abilities we once considered uniquely our own — deception, manipulation, cheating, kidnapping, and infanticide — but also ingenious communication between species, cooperation, collaboration, altruism, culture, and play.<br />
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Drawing on personal observations, the latest science, and her bird-related travel around the world, from the tropical rainforests of eastern Australia and the remote woodlands of northern Japan, to the rolling hills of lower Austria and the islands of Alaska’s Kachemak Bay, Ackerman shows there is clearly no single bird way of being. In every respect — in plumage, form, song, flight, lifestyle, niche, and behaviour — birds vary. It’s what we love about them.<br />
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As E.O. Wilson once said, when you have seen one bird, you have not seen them all.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jennifer Ackerman's passion for her subject shines through in this absolute delight of a book. Insightful and a joy to read, <i>The Bird Way</i> provides inspiration to look up and around at these creatures which we have so much to learn from!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Jennifer Ackerman</u></span></div>
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<b>Congratulations on publishing The Bird Way! How did the writing experience for this book compare to your others such as Chance in the House of Fate, The Genius of Birds and Birds by the Shore?</b></div>
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Thank you! Working on The Bird Way was pure joy. For all three of my bird-related books, I spent a great deal of time in the field with ornithologists and other bird researchers, which is what I really love to do. Some of my books, such as Chance in the House of Fate and Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream (SSEDD), involved a lot of deep and difficult research on molecular biology and human biology, reading papers and talking with scientists about the genetic and cellular mechanisms we share with other organisms or the way the body works. Then my task was to try to translate the hard science into a lively and accessible narrative about the natural history of inheritance (Chance) or what’s going on in the body over the course of a 24-hour day (SSEDD). For The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way, too, I read numerous papers, but I also traveled around the world to explore bird intelligence and behavior with experts at their field study sites and to meet their birds. I loved every minute of these experiences, especially in Australia.<br />
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<b>What are three things you wish people knew more about bird watching?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN">The birds in your backyard or local park are
worth watching, especially for their behavior. There’s no such thing as a
boring bird! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">It’s worth putting in the time to learn
birding by ear. I’ve never been very
good at identifying birds by their calls, but it’s an invaluable skill and
enriches birdwatching enormously. I love
to go out in the field with people who are really good at this.</span></div>
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Once you start, you’ll never want to
stop. Birdwatching reminds you that
you’re part of a world that’s big and beautiful and wildly diverse. </div>
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<b>Is there a particular moment in your expeditions so far which defined what you love about it?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN">Stumbling on a male Superb Lyrebird performing
on his mound in the Toolangi rainforest. I was with my friend Andrew Skeoch, a
superb wildlife sound recording artist, looking for the lyrebirds. We had slogged up a very wet trail and seen
signs of the birds everywhere, scratchings in the soil, and we could hear them
from a great distance. But they seemed to be always just out of sight. Finally,
late in the day, on the way back down through the forest, we heard one burst
into glorious song just up the bank from the trail. It was a magnificent,
resonant, booming voice, and Andrew stood next to me whispering the names of all
the birds of the forest that the lyrebird was imitating. (Later, I’d learn how
the lyrebird actually uses its mimicry to lie to other birds!) The lyrebird
flashed its spectacular lyre-shaped tail feathers, and then it was gone. Utterly
magical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a favourite region or particular species that fascinated you the most while writing <i>The Bird Way</i>?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN">It’s really hard to pick just one. Meeting the Kea Parrots of New Zealand was a delight. I first met them in an aviary in Austria, the
world’s biggest lab for studying Kea. I was warned to take off all of my
jewelry, my watch, my barrettes, etc. before I went into their aviary because
the birds are so inquisitive, they’ll explore everything they can get their
beaks on. I fell in love with them
almost immediately. They are incredibly bold, curious, smart, and just
downright adorable. In their native New
Zealand, they’re called “Clowns of the Mountains” because they’re so cheeky,
funny, and playful. And it’s their use of
play that I found particularly intriguing. But I won’t give that away here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>How do you think learning more about bird behaviours can help us become better people?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN">In so many ways. For one thing, focusing on a
form of life other than our own helps us understand that we’re not unique in
the ways we once thought we were. We share intelligence, behaviours, emotions,
and consciousness with birds and other animals. Also, birds model fascinating
behaviors. Species of all kinds cooperate and collaborate in everything from
hunting, courting, and migrating, to raising and defending their young,
sometimes even across species lines. Invariably, it boosts their success. Birds
demonstrate the benefits of living in diverse social groups and working
together to solve problems. They show us how to be flexible and adapt—and even
the great benefits of play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>What has been your career highlight so far?</b></div>
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Researching and writing bird books!</div>
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<b>What do you think still needs to be discovered about the bird world and how to conserve endangered species?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN">We have much to learn. For so many threatened,
rare, or elusive bird species, there’s a scarcity of biological information
about breeding habits, movement, and ecology, information needed to assess the
status of bird populations and to manage their conservation effectively. The Australian researchers I spoke with--to a
person--all lamented the paucity of research, the critical knowledge gaps about
threatened and endangered species that prevent good management. One of the brilliant researchers addressing
this issue is Rob Heinsohn, a conservation biologist at Australian National
Univeristy. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Rob runs a research program
called the Difficult Bird Research Group (DBRG) dedicated to studying
Australia’s most endangered birds and understanding their ecology and
conservation. Rob says that these birds, such as the Orange-billed Parrot,
the Swift Parrot, the Regent Honeyeater, the Superb Parrot, the Forty-spotted Pardalote,
and several others, often fall into the “too hard basket” because they’re difficult
to find, often occurring in remote, wild, and rugged terrain, and highly
mobile, moving around a lot. The DBRG
conducts research aimed at understanding these species and pulling them back
from the ‘brink’ of extinction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Could you give us a sneak peek at what you're working on next?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN">Another bird book, this one focused on a
particular bird family that’s ubiquitous and beloved around the world. That’s all I’ll say for now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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About the author</h2>
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<i>Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about science, nature,
and human biology for almost three decades. Her most recent books include Sex
Sleep Eat Drink Dream: a day in the life of your body; Ah-Choo: the
uncommon life of the common cold; Chance in the House of Fate: a natural
history of heredity; The Genius of Birds; and Birds by the Shore. A
contributor to Scientific American, National Geographic, The New York
Times, and many other publications, Ackerman is the recipient of a
National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Nonfiction, a Bunting
Fellowship, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-73577564385020093762020-06-07T15:00:00.000+10:002020-06-07T15:00:06.537+10:00Author Interview: When The Smoke Clears by Chrissy Guinery - Surviving the Australian bushfires<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<b style="color: #01bbbb;">When The Smoke Clears </b>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Chrissy Guinery </b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">20 May 2020</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Fifty Days Press</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Non-fiction</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">205</span></div>
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<a href="https://fiftydays.com.au/store/When-The-Smoke-Clears-p195895692" target="_blank">Fifty Days Press</a> | <a href="https://www.koorong.com/product/when-the-smoke-clears-surviving-the-australian-bushfires-chrissy_9780648793427?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.koorong.com%2Fsearch%2Fresults%3Fw%3Dwhen%2Bthe%2Bsmoke%2Bclears%2Bchrissy%2Bguinery" target="_blank">Koorong</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/when-the-smoke-clears-chrissy-guinery/book/9780648793427.html" target="_blank">Booktopia</a></div>
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The whole world held its breath as 2020 dawned and Australia was on fire. The final toll was breathtaking: 18 million hectares burned, a billion animals killed, 2,800 homes destroyed.<br />
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Even more tragic-the loss of 33 people in the fires.
In <i>When The Smoke Clears</i>, fire survivor and author Chrissy Guinery presents the human face behind these figures, through first-hand accounts of the day to day struggle to breathe, to believe, to love-under a pall of smoke and in the path of fire.
It's the story of survival that represents the experience of thousands of Australians from the 2019-20 bushfire season, right through to the impact of the coronavirus. And it also begins to answer the question-how do you live, laugh and hope again after your family has been threatened, homes lost, children terrified and the countryside blackened.<br />
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<i>When The Smoke Clears</i> is essential reading for anyone in the world who grieved for Australia as it burned, and for anyone at anytime who is wondering where they will find the strength to go on.</div>
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<i>When The Smoke Clears </i>is an important release which provides an insightful and raw insight into the experiences of people living on the south coast of NSW who experienced the devastating bushfires last year. Click the link below to hear from Chrissy Guinery, Bateman’s bay Rural Fire Service Captain Ian Aitken and Eurobadalla Shire Mayor, Liz Innes for their take on this book:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Chrissy Guinery</u></span><br />
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<b>Firstly, congratulations on publishing this book, it is such an important account of the bushfires which presents what happened in such a deeply personal and moving way. What were some of the biggest challenges you came across in writing it?</b></div>
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Time and Tears.<br />
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<u>TIME:</u><b> </b>There was a sense of urgency to get the book out while the topic was 'hot'. I knew the fire victims needed it as a tool to help heal, and others needed it to discover the impact their assistance is having on us all.<br />
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<u>TEARS:</u> Lots of tears - some sad tears as I revisited painful, scary and uncertain days, and some happy tears as I recalled all the love and care showered upon my daughter and our community after losing 501 homes to the fire.
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<b>Faith is a strong underpinning source of strength that comes through many of the accounts in this book, including your own. How has that shaped the approach you took to both bringing these stories together and having the resilience to keep going even as you saw families around you lose their homes?</b></div>
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Often when you go through trauma, it feels like your world is falling apart so you look for something solid and stable, for me, that's my faith in God.
Prayers play a major role in healing through stress, trauma and facing the unknown day after day.<br />
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Faith helped us remember we were not alone, and we didn't have to get through it all in our own strength. Leaning on God brought us hope as we lived under a sky of thick smoke for more than 2 months. Hope is what we all needed most, as daily we didn't know if we were going to lose more homes and more lives.
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<b>How did the writing process for 'When The Smoke Clears' differ from your other books 'Room to Breathe' and 'Falling Up Stairs'?</b></div>
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I am an eclectic person, so the books I write are all very different.<i> Falling Up Stairs</i> was lots of zany fun, all about living in a van travelling Australia. <i>Room To Breathe</i> was inspired to help people find a reason to shine after hearing about the staggering suicide statistics of our nation. <i>When The Smoke Clears</i> is a healing journey, it was cathartic and I knew it was to become an essential Australian resource written from the harrowing two months inside the 2019/2020 fires.<br />
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Though my books are all different 'flavours', they are all similar in that they are raw and real, and all of them are designed to bring hope and healing.
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<b>Was there a particular moment or quote from this book which hold particular significance for you?</b></div>
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There are a few, but I guess the most impacting was an incident the day after my six-year-old grandson's home had burnt down, leaving the family with nothing. I took him some clothes and a toy from his cousin, a little red motor bike. Still in shock, he sat on my knee and played with the toy motor bike for 20 minutes or more before looking up into my eyes and saying, 'I have one toy now, Granny.'<br />
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That moment will remain with me forever.
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<b>What is the main message you hope readers will be able to take from 'When the Smoke Clears'?</b></div>
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Together we win. That's one of my mantras. It takes community to rise, to heal and be able to move forward. By linking arms with others, reaching out to help and to comfort, we can get through anything. We were never meant to do life alone.</div>
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<b>Do you have any tips on how we can continue to support families and communities that have been devastated by the fires and are still recovering?</b></div>
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Absolutely. Give and Pray.<br />
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<u>GIVE:</u> It's a small word with huge impact. Give your time to listen to their stories; validate them. Give your money - either by visiting the small businesses that have struggled since December last year or by sowing into the families themselves.<br />
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<u>PRAY:</u> Pray for peace, strength, resilience and hope for families, communities & towns left struggling to rebuild from ruins. </div>
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About the author</h2>
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<i>Chrissy Guinery is all about empowering others. As a
successful author and motivational speaker, Chrissy is renowned for her
infectious joy, passionate faith and her desire to see others rise to fulfil
their purpose and potential. To achieve this, she has been sharing her life
secrets for more than 20 years in a down-to-earth relatable style, leaving
people with essential tools for pursuing a more effective and fulfilling life.
She is the author of When The Smoke Clears (2020), Falling Up Stairs (2016) and
Room to Breathe (2018).</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-26933525972612459632020-05-09T17:43:00.000+10:002020-05-09T20:03:21.748+10:00Review & Author Interview: The Long Distance Playlist by Tara Eglington <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cT3UB0oGx0/Xp7f4onkDyI/AAAAAAAAEaQ/S4-YibRw1KogkfrWz8sIE7S5aRAmQDGJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ldp%2Bplaylist%2Bcover%2Btara%2Beglington.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="767" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cT3UB0oGx0/Xp7f4onkDyI/AAAAAAAAEaQ/S4-YibRw1KogkfrWz8sIE7S5aRAmQDGJACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ldp%2Bplaylist%2Bcover%2Btara%2Beglington.JPG" width="206" /></a><b style="color: #01bbbb;">The Long Distance Playlist </b>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Tara Eglington </b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">30th December 2019</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">HarperCollins Publishers Australia</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">YA Contemporary</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">424</span></div>
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My Rating: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">5 of 5 stars</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35533738-the-long-distance-playlist" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/the-long-distance-playlist/tara-eglington/9781460755211/" target="_blank">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-long-distance-playlist-tara-eglington/book/9781460755211.html" target="_blank">Booktopia</a></div>
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Told primarily in instant messenger conversations, Skype, emails and texts, this is Jaclyn Moriarty's Feeling Sorry for Celia for the modern teen.<br />
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Taylor and Isolde used to be best friends - before THAT FIGHT, 18 months ago. It's been radio silence ever since - until Taylor contacts Isolde to sympathise with her breakup: the breakup that she never saw coming; the breakup that destroyed her confidence and ended her dreams of joining the National Ballet School.
Taylor's had his own share of challenges, including a life-altering accident that has brought his hopes of competing at the Winter Olympics to a halt.
Isolde responds to Taylor, to be polite. But what starts out as heartbreak-themed Spotify playlists and shared stories of exes quickly becomes something more.
And as Taylor and Isolde start to lean on each other, the distance between them begins to feel not so distant after all ...
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A boy. A girl. A one-of-a-kind friendship. Cross-country convos and middle-of-the-night playlists. With big dreams come even bigger challenges.</div>
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I've been a fan of Tara Eglington's work since her first book, and it's been such a joy to see her work grow since then. In <i>The Long Distance Playlist</i>, there is the same sense of realism and exploring what it is to be a teenager with hopes and dreams, tempered with a multi-modal narrative style and storyline that is so much fun to read!<br />
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It can be difficult to balance the activities of the main characters within the wider scope of their lives to create a holistic plot, but here it is achieved with ease. There is so much to learn about not only Isolde and Taylor as they navigate recent challenges and rekindling their friendship, but their families moving through different phases as well. Friendship is also a dominant theme here, which brings some hilarious banter into the mix and great examples of support networks that can make all the difference in an adolescent's life.<br />
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The feelings of self-doubt and questioning whether Isolde's dreams of pursuing ballet are worth the effort are definitely ideas teens will relate to. Looking back on all our pasts it's inevitable that we've all gone through these sorts of growth phases which shape us into the people we are today. Taylor's own challenges in his personal life and recovery from injury also highlight the qualities of resilience and courage while still showing that there are times where the 'light at the end of the tunnel' seems far away. It's these balanced and multifaceted characters that are brought to life on the page as their whole selves, which makes this book shine. I also really love the part where Taylor describes some of the golden moments of joy in a family, speaking of seeing his mum where 'the smile goes right up to her eyes'. The message of appreciating the small moments in life that reach right to the heart of our connections with friends and family is something really special in <i>The Long Distance Playlist</i>.<br />
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<b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b><br />
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Tara Eglington's unique narrative style depicting realistic and entertaining dialogue alongside themes which are always relevant to teens, is sure to make this book a hit with all YA audiences. Full of heart, hope and a central theme of appreciating those close to us - this is going to be a favourite on my shelf for years to come!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Tara Eglington</u></span><br />
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<b>Firstly, congratulations on releasing your fourth novel! What were the similarities and differences between writing <i>The Long Distance Playlist </i>and previous works?</b></div>
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Thank you! Of my four books, <i>The Long Distance Playlist</i> is the one that is closest to my heart – probably because I had carried the idea for it around in my mind ever since I was fifteen years old!<o:p></o:p></div>
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In terms of process, and similarities in process when it comes to my books - each one of my novels has been inspired by something personal, but this one – a story about a boy and a girl who are oceans apart, but closer than anything – was especially close to home!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Twenty years ago, there was a boy on the other side of the world, who sent me letters and emails across a four-year period. He was the first boy to call me beautiful, to make me jewellery, to read my short stories and songs, and to MSN Messenger chat (2000 much?) with me for hours about my hopes, dreams and fears. What started out as pen-pals - a boy from a land of frozen lakes and snowy skies, and a girl, from the beaches of Byron Bay – became something much more, as we navigated our way through a myriad of experiences in our late teen years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The years that I spent writing to this boy, became part of my story, and I always knew that one day, I was going to write a book about a boy and a girl, who lived miles apart, but had a very special connection.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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The difference in process between my previous novels and this one, was probably how I approached the form of the novel. I knew I wanted to write a semi-epistolary novel (a novel traditionally composed of letters or documents) but I also wanted the story to feel very modern – so instead of communicating via physical letters, my protagonists Isolde and Taylor use text, email, skype, IM’s, playlists, and Instagram DM’s to connect with each other. This allowed me to explore how these particular ways of bonding with each other online, can feel just as real, meaningful, and poignant as any in-person interaction or catch-up <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>*Note from Eugenia: Tara just posted on her blog about this real-life inspiration <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Note%20from%20Eugenia:%20Tara%20just%20posted%20a%20story%20on">here</a>!</i></div>
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<b>One thing I always find shines through in your books is how realistic the dialogue and narrative voices are for your teen characters. How do you go about developing what your main characters will 'sound' like? Does this come before your idea for how the plot will play out or do they run together from the start?</b></div>
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Thank you so much – that’s the ultimate compliment for a YA
writer! The process of developing a character’s voice is a really interesting
one, and it actually varies for me, with each book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Taylor’s voice was so strong and clear from very early on in
the process. Even before I started to write the novel, I could hear him talking
in my mind – whole pieces of narrative would come to me whilst I was brushing
my teeth or doing the dishes. Taylor has a real intensity about him – which is
probably tied in with being an elite-athlete – but he’s also got this lovely
playfulness, and a terrific sense of humour too. So that dynamic was already there,
even in the initial sample chapters I wrote for my publisher in early 2018. And
as the novel progressed, Taylor became even more real to me. When I was living
in Queenstown, I often felt as if I might just to bump into him down on the
shoreline, or while skiing at Cardrona!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s a funny thing to try and explain – you know, the whole,<i>
characters talk to me</i>! quirk that is part of being a writer. Or even trying to
pinpoint the sense of say - whilst writing a scene, knowing with full certainty
that ‘<i>No, Taylor wouldn’t say that</i>!’ But I guess that’s how characters can
drive plot – at a certain point, they kind of take over and start telling their
story to you, rather than the other way around!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sometimes it takes time to work characters out. Isolde was a
little bit of a mystery to me for a while – and in that scenario, I often find
that the best approach is to work on building up a profile of the character –
their unique interests, their family dynamics, their backstory – and this usually helps me to ‘work out’ who
they are. Then the voice will start to trickle through more and more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In terms of how I plot my novels, my first book – <i>How to
Keep a Boy from Kissing You</i> – was really heavily pre-plotted. When I sat down
at the computer every morning, I had a detailed outline I was working to for
each chapter.</div>
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With my other books, it’s been a bit more of an organic
process. Usually I know the beginnings of a book, and some of the major plot
points I’m writing to, but there’s also a great deal I’m uncovering and
discovering as I go, which is really fun!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The influence of arts and culture are another unique element of your books which I really love! Your first book How to Keep a Boy From Kissing You featured a production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' in the storyline, and here there is Isolde's evolving dream of being accepted into the National Ballet School. What drives you to include these kinds of ideas in your works?</b></div>
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I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy these elements – I love
weaving things like art, theatre, and music into my novels because these forms
of creativity bring me so much joy! I was very lucky to attend a creative arts
high school whilst in my teen years, and I think the way that we learnt, and
the things we learnt, have had a big impact on my writing. Our lessons – even
things like biology, mathematics, and history – were taught in such an engaging
way – for example, say we were learning about medieval history – we would learn
the facts and dates of course, but our teachers would be reading us Arthurian
legends in English class in the middle of the day, and then in the afternoon,
we might be learning metalwork, and making our own copper chalices, or swords.
It was really immersive way to learn – I remember my sister’s class built an
actual Viking ship! <o:p></o:p></div>
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So during those years, I performed in Shakespeare
productions (which of course, found it’s way into How to Keep a Boy from
Kissing You), learnt about Dante, Renaissance art and mythology (which you’ll
find in My Best Friend is a Goddess) and got to attend the ballet and some opera
performances (which forms part of The Long Distance Playlist)!</div>
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My family – who are all creatives – have also had a big
impact on my books. My father (like Emily’s mum in <i>Goddess</i>) is an artist, and
my sister was the youngest student (at the time) to be accepted into a full-time
dance school. </div>
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<b>Aside from the slowly-blossoming romance, friendships, family structures and the relationships between teens and their parents are other areas explored really well in The Long Distance Playlist. It's great to see that the parents of Isolde and Taylor also have a role in this book. Did you always imagine the story being much more than a series of interactions between the two main characters?</b></div>
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Absolutely! For me, I loved the fact that Isolde and
Taylor’s families have had a long-intertwined history – Isolde’s mum, and
Taylor’s Dad dated once upon a time! The two families have spent a lot of time
together over the years, and Taylor and Issy have been friends since they were
tiny. I’ve always loved YA stories that incorporate family –so it was a delight
to be able to explore this in the latest book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I think sometimes there’s an assumption about parents in YA
– i.e. their presence should be minimised because teens aren’t interested in
anything outside of themselves etc (which is so wrong!). Our families – their
dynamics and unique histories – are a huge part of our identities! When I look
back on my teen years, I remember how much of an impact that family had on my
life, and my friend’s lives – whether that was big stuff – like parents dying, divorcing,
or remarrying – or the more subtle stuff, like the conversations we had with
our Mums or Dads about our dreams, our identities, our futures – as we matured,
and discovered who we were. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And it’s the same for Taylor and Isolde in the novel.
Isolde’s life is hugely impacted by what’s happening to her parents. For
Taylor, I really loved that he knew that he could go to his parents for support
– as he says – <i>The thing I love most about Mum and Dad is that they never make
me feel like what I’m going through is ‘kid stuff’ – you know, less than, or
not as valid as adult stuff. And they don’t jump in with ‘shoulds’ or
‘shouldn’ts.’</i> </div>
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That’s what my Dad was like when I was growing up. I could go to
him with anything and he would listen really intently, and try and help,
without casting judgement. I know there’s a lot of kids who have that same
dynamic with their parents, so I loved having a healthy example of that kind of
teen-parent relationship in the novel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Friendships also play a huge part in the book – and for me,
that’s the heart of <i>The Long Distance Playlist</i>. Whether it’s Taylor and Isolde
confiding in each other about their deepest fears, or most painful memories, or
Finn and Taylor’s easy-going, no-judgement dynamic, or Ana cheering Isolde on
with her dancing - these relationships are the place where the protagonists
find strength, understanding and courage. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The idea of including the email trails, messenger conversations (and of course the music playlists!) made the story even more vibrant. Is it more difficult to write in these different modes than just using prose?</b></div>
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Funnily enough I actually found these sections of the novel
the easiest to write – I think because the forms (emails, texts, messenger
conversations, DM’s, IM’s) are quite conversational in nature, and I’ve always
found dialogue easier to write than prose! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I loved incorporating such modern forms of communication
into the book. I think texts and DM’s and so forth have a real immediacy to
them, and these types of interactions are such a part of our everyday lives –
whether that’s texting a friend, skyping a family member, or DM’ing someone on
Instagram. So for me, it felt like a really natural way to tell a love story
that’s set in 2020.</div>
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I think the main challenge with the email and messenger
conversations, was probably working out how to convey things like the
characters backstories and histories, without falling into ‘telling’ – i.e. if
Taylor and Finn are having a skype conversation about Ellie (the girl that Taylor
had a crush on at the start of the novel) both boys already know who Ellie is, and
are aware of all of the previous interactions Taylor has had with her, etc –
whereas the reader doesn’t know any of this, and has kind of ‘dropped in’
mid-conversation! So you have to be quite clever in how you weave that
essential information through each medium! </div>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular scene or quote from the book which is particularly special to you?</b></div>
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For me, the heart of the story, is in these words, by
Taylor:<o:p></o:p></div>
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All I know is that there are no guarantees. Anything could
change at any moment. The way I want to live is to grab on tight to the people
that I love and things I love doing. I want to squeeze every bit of joy out of
every moment I have with them. What will come will come. It’s how you live in
the meantime that counts.</blockquote>
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<i>*Note from Eugenia: This is my favourite quote too!</i><br />
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<b>What are some of the main messages you hope people will be thinking about after reading <i>The Long Distance Playlist</i>?</b></div>
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<i>The Long Distance Playlist</i> is for me, a celebration of
friendship. Of the people in our lives, that we can call upon, in the middle of
the night, in any time zone - and find understanding, empathy, comfort and
love, waiting for us. Issy and Taylor go
through some tough stuff in this novel – but they are able to lean on each
other for support. It was the same scenario for me in high school – it was my
friends who helped me cope with a wide range of difficult and painful
situations. I hope anyone who’s read the book and may be going through tough
stuff of their own, is left with a feeling that they can reach out to someone
who cares. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The other thing I hope readers might take away from the
novel is a sense of hope – the sense that even though life might throw
incredibly painful and difficult stuff our way - stuff that might turn every
plan we have had for ourselves, upside down – we have the strength inside
ourselves to adapt, and to redefine our lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The setting, particularly the New Zealand sections, are so vividly described. When did you realise that this was a place you wanted the story to feature? (Travel recommendations are also welcome!)</b></div>
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It was such a joy to set the majority of the novel in the
Central Otago region of New Zealand. I was born in NZ (although I’ve spent the
last 30 years in Australia), and I introduced my husband Greg to Queenstown in
2014. We both fell head over heels for the place – it’s the most breathtaking
town that sits on the edge of a vast lake, surrounded by snow-capped mountains
everywhere you turn! Greg and I have visited every single year since to ski,
and even spent 18 months living in QT from 2018-2020.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Each location in the book has a very special meaning to me. The
Queenstown shoreline, where Finn and Taylor hang out at the start of the book,
was where I would take my lunchtime walk. Jacks Point – where the boys played
golf – was actually where my husband and I lived, right at the foothills of the
mighty Remarkable Mountains. Cardrona ski-field, where Taylor, an up and coming
snowboarder, trains daily, is a mountain I’ve spent winter after winter skiing.
So it was such a joy to write about these places, and to bring them to life for
my readers. I’ve had some reviewers say that the setting of The Long Distance
Playlist is almost a character in itself, and I love that! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I also love the idea of my readers visiting Queenstown in
the future! My tip would be to plan your trip for the end of August/beginning
of September - the time of bluebird skies, when the mountains are at their most
beautiful! Make sure you go for a stroll along the Queenstown shoreline, and up
past the botanic gardens. Enjoy a famous fergburger, and then take a gondola
ride up to the top of Bob’s Peak, to take in a sunset view of the entire town.
Visit Arrowtown, an adorable little village with a fascinating gold-rush
history. And a drive out to Glenorchy – just for the views – is something you
shouldn’t miss. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d also suggest you try your hand at skiing or snowboarding
– Cardrona skifield is amazing for beginners and the more advanced.</div>
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And if you can, spend a night or two in the Mt Cook/Aoraki
National Park – it is absolutely breathtaking, especially from the air (try to
do one of the scenic flights, you won’t regret it). </div>
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<b>What are some of your favourite things about writing in the YA genre? Are there any challenges related to writing for this audience?</b></div>
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I love writing YA. I love reading YA. I don’t think that
will ever change, because that period of time – those teenage years - continues
to be a fascination for me. There’s so much there to explore as a writer –
whether that’s the intensity of the emotions, the magnetic force of those real
‘firsts’ – like the first time you fall in love, or have your heart broken, or
lose a friendship, or realise your parents are just people, who sometimes make
mistakes too – or the potent discoveries of that period – working out who you are, and what you want
to do with your life – it’s all amazing material. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe my head and heart are still stuck there, in some way, because
if I close my eyes, I can travel back to that period in a split second – and
what I was feeling, thinking, or dreaming of back then, rises up again.</div>
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The challenges of the YA genre…. hmm. That’s a hard one. The
only thing that comes to mind is that sometimes my characters want to swear,
and that’s usually a no-no in YA! But it forces you to be more creative, which
can only be a good thing! </div>
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<b>Could you give us a sneak peek as to what you might be working on next?</b></div>
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Ooh, I would love to share – right now I’m in the process of
pitching a few different ideas (all YA) to my publisher. I know that’s a little
vague (sorry about that!) but I’m hoping I will have some good news to announce
in the near future (fingers crossed)!</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
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<i>Tara Eglington grew up in Byron Bay, New South Wales, wrote
The Long Distance Playlist by the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, and now
lives in Sydney. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>She is the author of four YA novels: <b>How to
Keep a Boy from Kissing You</b>, <b>How to Convince a Boy to Kiss You (titled Kissing
Games in the USA)</b>, <b>My Best Friend is a Goddess</b> and <b>The Long
Distance Playlist</b>, the third of which was a top-ten bestselling Australian YA
title in 2016 and a notable for the 2017 CBCA Older Readers Book of the
Year. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Tara’s hobbies, when she’s not writing, include watching
endless cat videos on YouTube, planning pretend holidays to the Maldives, and
daydreaming about who would play Hayden Paris in the film-adaption of How
to Keep a Boy from Kissing You.</i></div>
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<i>Tara loves to hear from readers, so please say hello via
contact@taraeglington.com, or @taraeglington on Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter.</i></div>
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</i></div>
Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-58104724821808419092020-04-22T16:33:00.000+10:002020-04-22T16:34:24.468+10:00Cover Reveal & Author Interview: Benevolence by Julie Janson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDYqf8FB8aI/Xp_dcvkM0zI/AAAAAAAAEac/3l3BQP4qpO8OViBiuYAGC14ev6gLlQangCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Benevolence%2Bcover%2B%2528high%2Bres%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1035" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDYqf8FB8aI/Xp_dcvkM0zI/AAAAAAAAEac/3l3BQP4qpO8OViBiuYAGC14ev6gLlQangCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Benevolence%2Bcover%2B%2528high%2Bres%2529.jpg" width="206" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Benevolence </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Julie Janson</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">1st May 2020</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Magabala Books</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Historical fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">345</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46163179-my-father-s-shadow" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/my-fathers-shadow/jannali-jones/9781925936704/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmNzoBRBOEiwAr2V27fyun0ALlOGTHJ6IKHaWsW1T-YEOWcyX5dK5VCyVH19dVAqm_uovShoCNKcQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/my-father-s-shadow-jannali-jones/prod9781925936704.html?source=pla&gclid=CjwKCAjwmNzoBRBOEiwAr2V27Qrwn6LMWuWSGhDKqGRTOlNk_5PW60jJ9w6nfKj_EGhRUQm8I3-dthoCTl8QAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Booktopia</a></div>
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For perhaps the first time in novel form, Benevolence presents an important era in Australia’s history from an Aboriginal perspective.<br />
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Told through the fictional characterisation of Darug woman Muraging (Mary James), Benevolence is a compelling story of first contact. Born around 1813, Muraging is among the earliest Darug generations to experience the impact of British colonisation – a time of cataclysmic change and violence, but also remarkable survival and resistance.
At an early age Muraging is given over to the Parramatta Native School by her Darug father.<br />
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Fleeing the school in pursuit of love, she embarks on a journey of discovery and a search for a safe place to make her home. Spanning the years 1816–35, Benevolence is set around the Hawkesbury River area, the home of the Darug people, in Parramatta and Sydney.
Julie Janson’s intensely visual prose interweaves historical events with detailed characterisation – she shatters stereotypes and gives voice to an Aboriginal experience of early-settlement.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Australian historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, and <i>Benevolence </i>looks set to be a fascinating read that investigates what happened during this time from an Aboriginal perspective.</span><br />
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<b>What sort of research process did you go through looking into your Great-Great Grandmother’s history and what happened at the time the story was set?</b></div>
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The research process for basing 'Benevolence' on my great great
grandmother took many years. Originally, I was just curious to find out about
the hidden history and secrets of my father's family. My father Neville
Janson never talked about the Aboriginal blood in his family, but he said that
he felt out of place in the mostly white suburb of Boronia Park in Sydney. He
was at home in the bush, catching fish or taking us kids to gather mud oysters
along the Lane Cove River. All his mates called him Jedda, because he was
obviously Aboriginal in appearance and behaviour. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was determined to find out the truth, so I started
ordering birth and death certificates. Soon I traced his family to Freemans
Reach near Wilberforce in Western Sydney. One side of his mother Ruby's family
were descended from convicts of the third fleet and were early settlers along
the Hawkesbury River. However, Neville's grandmother had a lost story. She was
born in Windsor and her mother was Mary Thomas born at Freeman's Reach Blacks
camp. There were missing birth certificates and names missing from
certificates. The story had to be pieced together from interviews with elders
in western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. I was lucky to have a job as a
researcher on <a href="about:blank">www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au</a>. I
found out many stories and some fitted our family and others didn't.</div>
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My creative imagination filled in the gaps. I decided to
change the family names so I had more freedom to imagine the details of my
protagonist's life.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular moment or quote in Benevolence which holds a special significance for you?</b></div>
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The more significant scenes for me are when I am able to use
my playwrights voice and bring the characters to life as though they are on
stage. The jealousy scenes when Mary is confronted by her Reverend lover's wife
are some of my favourites. The chapter is called 1830 The New Bride. Anyone who
has experienced sexual jealousy and feelings of betrayal will identify with
these few scenes! And such fun to write! On a more serious note, I feel
connected and confronted by the scenes where Mary is forced to take soldiers up
a mountain where a battle takes place and many Aboriginal men are murdered. The
terrible truth of this country's history is difficult to read, but essential for
reconciliation and facing how the country was stolen. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<b>Where would you recommend readers go for more information about the Darug nation and history of colonial era Sydney to gain a better understanding from an Aboriginal perspective?</b></div>
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I would recommend the best place for readers to learn about
Sydney region's Aboriginal history is the University of Western Sydney
website <a href="about:blank">www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Also <a href="about:blank">www.sydneyBarani.com.au</a> and
books like "The Parramatta Native Institution and the Black Town" by
J Brook and JL Kohen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another good one is "Koori Will to Win" by James
Miller. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Are there any other writers or people in your family which inspired you to pen this story?</b></div>
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My mother Jovanna wrote a novel when I was a child. She put
it in the bin when it was rejected. She also wrote articles for the Fire
Brigade newsletter as Dad was a fireman. Mum is also still a fabulous costume
designer and maker and porcelain artist. My artistic talent comes from her
English theatre family side, but the story telling is from my dad Neville who
was a brilliant storyteller.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>How did the experience of writing <i>Benevolence </i>differ from your previous works T<i>he Crocodile Hotel</i> and <i>The Light Horse Ghost</i>?</b></div>
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Writing Benevolence was a long tortuous process. I was
trying to weave actual history into a creative story and keep faith to my
Aboriginal roots.</div>
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I could feel the critics saying, “She got the dates wrong!”
Writing 'The Crocodile Hotel' was easier because like many a novelist, that
first novel was largely autobiographical. But as my dear mother said: "That
novel is true except for the sex. She was a respectable married women at the
time. Ha!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The novel 'The Light Horse Ghost' was written very quickly,
in six months after a journey to trace my husband's Irish/ English family in
Kalgoorlie WA. I loved writing it because I was able to draw on my experience
of growing up in a house with my Dad as a returned WW2 soldier. But this novel is
set in 1920. Writing fast can make you manic, don't do it. I went a bit mad for
a while.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>After reading Benevolence, what are some of the main messages you hope readers will be thinking about after turning the last page?</b></div>
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I hope readers realise that Aboriginal people in the Sydney
region are often fair skinned but we still carry the blood of our Darug
ancestors. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I want readers to see Aboriginal people as courageous
survivors and that people such as my three times great grandmother had to
experience the total destruction of her world and the utter dispossession of
her rightful country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div style="background-color: #ffd9f4; border: 0px rgb(255, 217, 244); padding: 10px;">
<b>Can you give us a sneak peek at what you’re working on next?</b></div>
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I am working on a new novel 'Wilga' about the death of the
Darling river, climate change, Aboriginal spirit and death in custody. It is
based on my award-winning play 'Gunjies'. I travelled to the Barka river on the
Yaama Ngunna Barka corroboree project with Bruce Shillingsworth and was further
inspired to write a contemporary novel about North Western NSW.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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Photo collection</h2>
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We were told that we were Hawkesbury River people. This is why I wrote Benevolence. I wanted to recreate that family story.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uikctTcQWlI/Xp_iycn49gI/AAAAAAAAEa0/l-ZZ-VhHZQwVtLguuKbl4xKPkQuWWpS9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1juliephotos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uikctTcQWlI/Xp_iycn49gI/AAAAAAAAEa0/l-ZZ-VhHZQwVtLguuKbl4xKPkQuWWpS9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1juliephotos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="711" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uikctTcQWlI/Xp_iycn49gI/AAAAAAAAEa0/l-ZZ-VhHZQwVtLguuKbl4xKPkQuWWpS9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1juliephotos.JPG" width="351" /></a></div>
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Julie also kindly shared these photos which are relevant to key aspects of the book:</div>
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a. Drawing of the Native Feast with Gov Lachlan Macquarie in Parramatta depicted in Benevolence</div>
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b. Gundungurra mob in Liverpool when Mary is thrown out of Rev Smythe's house</div>
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c. Julie at age 12, with her father Neville in the Hawkesbury region</div>
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d. Parramatta Native school</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAg1dUeDX5w/XPJOpVBW2sI/AAAAAAAAEMA/0suwxzIKqnc-iIhrb8nU9lK0NBmopCHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zPxJP5S2wbY/Xp_grO1nXfI/AAAAAAAAEao/E0-Gh6GNFmk-HktnFcDDxCdMkRoS_erJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julie%2BJanson%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="842" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zPxJP5S2wbY/Xp_grO1nXfI/AAAAAAAAEao/E0-Gh6GNFmk-HktnFcDDxCdMkRoS_erJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Julie%2BJanson%2B.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<i></i><br />
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<i><i>Julie Janson's career as a playwright began when she wrote and directed plays in remote Australian Northern Territory Aboriginal communities. She is now a novelist and award-winning poet. Julie is a Burruberongal woman of Darug Aboriginal Nation. She is co-recipient of the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize, 2016 and winner of the Judith Wright Poetry Prize, 2019.</i></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Her novels include, The Crocodile Hotel, Cyclops Press 2015 and The Light Horse Ghost, Nibago 2018. Julie has written and produced plays, including two at Belvoir St Theatre – Black Mary and Gunjies and Two Plays, published by Aboriginal Studies Press 1996.</i></div>
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</i></div>
Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-26508845343502046502020-02-01T16:00:00.000+11:002020-02-02T22:04:37.085+11:00{Author Guest Post} Bonnie Wynne on lawyer skills and creative writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYF_zOZo6ec/XjUIya5sh2I/AAAAAAAAEYg/NvEGk46YZ7wewn9zzcbyvbBm3DxPpxbsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1bonnieguest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYF_zOZo6ec/XjUIya5sh2I/AAAAAAAAEYg/NvEGk46YZ7wewn9zzcbyvbBm3DxPpxbsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1bonnieguest.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>High-flying lawyer turns courtroom drama into blockbuster
novel success. </i>Sadly, I’m talking about John Grisham, not myself. As far as
lawyer-novelists go, he takes the crown for most famous. But even Charles
Dickens dabbled as a law clerk, and Harper Lee dropped out of an Alabama law
school at age 23. So what turns so many respectable legal minds into starving,
bohemian artists?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe the real question is what turns creative writers into
lawyers. A home truth: law school is where you go when you love writing but
also love money. So off I went to learn the law, bright-eyed and eager, with a
briefcase full of dreams and unfinished manuscripts about dragons. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Venn diagram between lawyer skills and writer skills is
basically just a circle, and the most obvious shared skill is ‘sitting down’.
We do a lot of that. But the second most obvious is language. Lawyers spend all
day wrestling with the written word. Every sentence must pull its weight. These
days, I can draft cleanly and hack through superfluous adverbs like a machete
through the underbrush. A writer must kill their darlings, and I have no qualms
about executing mine on sight. And I like to think it works both ways; that my
creative side gives my law writing a little extra pizzazz. My boss may disagree
(as he strikes out the word ‘pizzazz’ from my draft). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Law school also teaches you to see an argument from both
sides. That’s not so different from the job of a writer: to put yourself in the
shoes of somebody else. Imagining the point of view of an orc is a little
different from imagining the view of opposing counsel (or is it?), but the principle
is the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="about:blank">The Ninth Sorceress</a> </i>tells the
story of Gwyn, who was raised in a travelling wagon by a stern and emotionally
distant father figure. My own childhood was crushingly normal, so I had to
imagine the world from her perspective. Who would you become if you were
forbidden from having friends? How would you react to the abrupt and
cataclysmic upheaval of your life? Those were the questions that intrigued me
as I was developing Gwyn’s character. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lawyers are detail-oriented by nature, and that’s a great
skill to develop if you want to write well. My favourite podcaster Tim Clare
always talks about crunchy specificity, which basically means steering away
from the broad and obvious word choices and picking something with texture,
something that suggests a world or a time period or a cultural milieu. It’s
putting your protagonist in a clumsily hand-stitched sarafan instead of a shirt
and trousers. I often fantasise about tattooing crunchy specificity onto my
forehead. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Law school teaches you to be specific, with statutes and
precedents and case law. Sure, you can show up in court and ramble about how
‘it’s the Constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s the vibe’. (But please don’t). And
sure, you can write about how your wizard’s library smells of dust. But that’s
an obvious choice, and it’s not going to wake up the dozing peanut-crunchers in
the back row. What else? Floor wax? Woodworm? Buckram? Specific, specific,
specific. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That brings me to the next great lawyer skill: research. At
work, my browser history would put you to sleep. But at home it would put me in
jail. Torture with hot irons. How to dispose of a body. How to make gunpowder. In
law and in fiction, it pays to know what you’re talking about. Or if you don’t
know, at least you can sound like you do. Research: the backbone of any
convincing lie. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing every writer needs is discipline. Writing is work,
even when you’re enjoying it. It’s tempting to go play video games or watch
another episode or pair your entire sock collection. Those things are easier
and more fun (well, maybe not the socks). And it’s no surprise that discipline is
a mandatory skill in law school. If you’re a natural procrastinator (hello), the
terrifying onslaught of essay deadlines and take-home exams will beat it out of
you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You can’t force inspiration – sometimes you turn the creative
tap and only a trickle comes out. But you can force your butt into the seat. I
wrote The Ninth Sorceress piecemeal over the course of a decade. But I wrote
the first draft of Book 2 in just a few months, my fingers clacking at the keys
so fast they started getting friction burns. Luckily, the warring wizards of The
Ninth Sorceress are a lot more fun to write about than tortious misfeasance.</div>
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If my writing career takes off, it would be nice to
eventually leave the law books behind. But in the meantime, I owe a lot to my
legal training. And if I ever get sick of gods and alchemists, maybe I can try
one of those twisty courtroom thrillers. John Grisham, I’m coming for your
crown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="about:blank">THE NINTH SORCERESS</a>,<i> Bonnie
Wynne's debut fantasy novel, is slated for release February 13.</i></b></h3>
</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ceDFcgO5RQ/XW-XYYPD4AI/AAAAAAAAEUM/dmoTOw1x1V82e4k97Wjem0stEtgg8RfDACLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ceDFcgO5RQ/XW-XYYPD4AI/AAAAAAAAEUM/dmoTOw1x1V82e4k97Wjem0stEtgg8RfDACLcBGAs/s1600/divider.png" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the book</h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21Ndc-isN_E/XjUJqrSxHsI/AAAAAAAAEYo/3INAUo-RWusJOXOTo3bKcx0W6EYht-cAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1ninthsorc.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="659" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21Ndc-isN_E/XjUJqrSxHsI/AAAAAAAAEYo/3INAUo-RWusJOXOTo3bKcx0W6EYht-cAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1ninthsorc.PNG" width="206" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>The Ninth Sorceress (The Price of Magic #1) </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Bonnie Wynne</b></span><br />
<div>
Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">13th February 2020</span></div>
<div>
Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Talem Press</span></div>
<div>
Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">YA Fantasy</span></div>
<div>
Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">360</span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48481720-the-ninth-sorceress" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://talempress.com/">Talem Press</a> | <a href="http://geni.us/tns-bl">Amazon</a></div>
<div style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border: 3px dashed rgb(255, 229, 66); margin: 40px; padding: 10px;">
In the blackest dungeon of the Clockwork City,
a prisoner lies bound in silver shackles. Who
is she? And why are the wizards so afraid of
her?<br />
<br />
Seventeen-year-old Gwyn has no family and
no past. Apprenticed to a half-mad herbalist,
she travels the snow-blasted High Country,
hawking potions in a peddler’s wagon. Her
guardian hides her from the world like a dark
secret, and she knows better than to push for
answers.
But when she discovers she is hunted by the
goddess Beheret, Gwyn is drawn into a deep
and ancient tale: of chained gods and lost
magic, of truths long buried and the rising of
a war she never could have imagined.
Wizards and their magic-sniffing hounds
pursue her – as does a stranger in a smiling
mask, who calls her by an unfamiliar name...<br />
<br />
But what really terrify her are the dangerous
gifts she’s spent her life suppressing. Now,
Gwyn must step out of the shadows and take
charge of her destiny – even if the price is her
own soul.
The Ninth Sorceress is the breathtaking first
instalment of The Price of Magic, a sweeping
fantasy saga full of rich storytelling and
tangible magic.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
About the author</h2>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-mKQLn717E/XjUKcAuGWxI/AAAAAAAAEY0/SlvZ9rufiyQwIfyJEMeny7IIrwOYV9s2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1bonn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="683" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-mKQLn717E/XjUKcAuGWxI/AAAAAAAAEY0/SlvZ9rufiyQwIfyJEMeny7IIrwOYV9s2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/1bonn.PNG" width="171" /></a></div>
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<i>Bonnie Wynne studied Writing and Cultural Studies at UTS,
and completed her law degree at the University of Sydney. After a brief stint
in legal publishing, she now works for the Australian government, deciphering
ancient law tomes.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>She lives in Sydney with her cocker spaniel, Percival
Hector (Canine Inspector). When she's not reading or writing, she can be found
playing video games, booking her next holiday, or elbow-deep in flour.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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THE NINTH SORCERESS<i> is her debut novel and the first book
in her series, </i>THE PRICE OF MAGIC<i>.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="http://bonniewynne.com/">Website </a><i>| </i><a href="https://instagram.com/itsbonniewynne">Instagram </a><i>| </i><a href="https://twitter.com/itsbonniewynne">Twitter</a></div>
Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-26195106945482466432020-01-20T20:39:00.002+11:002020-01-20T20:43:56.121+11:00Author Interview: Seven Sides of Self by Nancy Joie Wilkie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Seven Sides of Self </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Nancy Joie Wilkie</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">5th November 2019</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">She Writes Press</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Short stories</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">152</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Sides-Self-Nancy-Wilkie/dp/1631526340" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.mindsights.net/">Author website</a></div>
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<i>Seven Sides of Self</i> explores seven aspects of an individual — the storyteller, the skeptic, the survivor, the saint (or the sinner), the scholar, the seeker, and the savior.
Through the lives of the central characters, Nancy examines themes of battling strong emotions, the lengths we might go to for self-preservation and self-sacrifice, the inability to accept things as different, and taking responsibility for what we create.<br />
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Each story seeks to contribute something to our ability to better understand ourselves, the world around us, and the conflicts we all face. Original and thought-provoking, these stories will delight any fan of science-fiction and fantasy.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Nancy Joie Wilkie</u></span></div>
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<b>How did you first come up with the concept for Seven Sides of Self?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The answer to your question starts with the
Preface in the book:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">The title and the concept of grouping
together these seven stories came to me in a flash. I had just spent
the morning exploring my favorite art museum. My mind was full of ideas
for new art pieces and projects. I then made the short drive to the
nearby artisan village. After visiting several shops I found myself
hungry and walked over to a little sundry shop — “simplyummy.”
I placed my order and prepared myself for a wait of a dozen minutes.</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">By the time my sandwich and salad arrived,
I had sketched out the general structure for the book on a paper
napkin. As I stepped back out into the hot Southern afternoon after
finishing lunch, I carried with me the seeds for ‘Seven Sides of Self’
firmly registered in my mind. Oh, yes — and I had a beaming smile on my
face! The Muses had chosen to bless me once again with their spark and
inspiration. God bless them!</span></i></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN-US">As for what the title signifies for
me—there are little pieces of me in each of those seven stories — hence the
title of the collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Were there any particular moments during the writing process for this book that helped you learn more about yourself?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The answer to this question is pretty much
summed up in the first story of the book (”There Once Was A Man …”). If
one reads that first full sentence of the story, it goes like this: “There once
was a man who wanted to write.” The story is somewhat autobiographical and
relays the trials and tribulations that one must go through when one first
feels the urge to write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>What made you decide to set most of the stories with a sci-fi twist, as opposed to the present day?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Actually, this was not a conscious decision
because most of the stories were written before I ever had the inspiration to
group these seven stories together as a collection. So three of the
stories (“There Once Was A Man …,” “Microwave Man,” and “Old Mims”) are set
more or less in the present day — definitely not on some distant planet or in
the far future. Three of the stories (“The Ledge,” “An Intricate Balance,”
and “Of The Green And Of The Gold”) are most definitely set in a “sci-fi”
realm. The one remaining story (“Journey To Pradix”) is not really set in
either the present day or in the far future but rather has more of an epic
fantasy feel to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And hence — all of this only serves to convey
one of the criticisms of the collection — that being that it is very difficult
to categorize the book as either pure science-fiction or strictly short story
fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>What is the main message you hope readers will be able to take from Seven Sides of Self?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ah, yes, good question! In general,
I offer these stories as a means for readers to explore different ways to
deal with dreams, fear, curiosity, sacrifice, desire, faith, love. But
each story has its own message:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We all struggle to be creative, to be
unique.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We all face life-defining decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We are all curious about what’s “out
there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We all struggle to balance
self-preservation with self-sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We all want justice for all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We all strive for certainty that there is
something beyond this life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We all have a need to protect our children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">To sum things up: We all must deal with our
emotions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Without giving too much away, is there a particular quote or story in the collection that holds a particularly special meaning for you?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><u>From “The Ledge”</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Why prolong thought for the sake of being
able to think for a few more minutes?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This line of thinking speaks to me every
time I contemplate prolonging the life of someone who is suffering from a
terminal illness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><u>From “Of The Green And Of The Gold”</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“By Earth standards, the Color of one’s
clothes is trivial; meaningless for all practical purposes. And yet, in
the absence of any other difference, this relatively inconsequential factor has
become something monstrous on Aurillia—something that can, if disturbed, invoke
nausea, arouse suspicion, and lead to death. The logical summation of
this set of circumstances is that the more identical those within a society
are, the less tolerant the society is of differences. So intolerant of this
difference are the Aurillians, that it is the only reason one is put to death
on this otherwise crime-free and war-free planet.” </span>This story is really about how we deal with
homophobia and transphobia.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><u>From “Old Mims”</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“You still can’t convince me your bleeding
all over typing paper is good for the soul. What I can’t figure out is
from where do these wretched individuals that you dream up come? Is there
some repository of dark characters in the back of your mind you tap into every
time you write one of your stories? Have you ever thought maybe someone
‘upstairs’ is dropping these folks into your pitiful little brain because He
can’t bear the thought of giving them life any other way? What if a power greater than you or me is
pulling all of the strings in this grand ol’ universe and there really isn’t
any such thing as individual creativity?”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And this bit of pondering comes from my own
thoughts about the Muses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Could you give us a hint at what you might be working on next?</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Sure!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">First, there is my music! My fourth
collection of original tunes titled “Aurillian Tales” is scheduled for release
in early 2020. Several of the compositions are meant to bring a musical element
to the stories that mention Planet Aurillia. The opening track titled
“Aurillian Sea” mimics the painting described on Page 44 of Microwave Man.” The
closing track titled “Aurillian Dream (Casla’s Lament)” attempts to convey the
rather harsh punishment that Aurillia gave to Casla (one of the characters in
“Of The Green And Of The Gold”). And I think that the overall “feel” of
the CD is meant to mirror some of the same feelings that a reader might
experience while reading the stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I also have a collection of short
stories — actually fables — each ending with a moral containing a pair of
anagrams. The idea is that the fable will highlight either the humor or the
irony of the anagrammic pair (think “present” and “serpent,” or “ocean” and
“canoe,” or “listen” and “silent”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I have started working on a follow-up
short story collection tentatively titled “Faraway and Forever.” There are
four short stories (“The Natural Order of Things,” “The Wishbringer,” “Half The
Sky,” and “The Last Sunday of Summer”) all a bit longer than the stories in
“Seven Sides of Self,” and all are in the sci-fi/fantasy realm. I want
to explore more fully the Three Laws of Spiritual Mechanics, Mothersouls, and a
few other surprises.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And finally, some number of years ago I
started a sci-fi novel titled, “The Oaks of Mamre.” It explores one man’s quest
for immortality and the lengths to which he is willing to go — even at the
expense of other people’s lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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About the author</h2>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>Nancy Joie Wilkie worked for over 30 years
in both the biotechnology industry and as a part of the federal government’s
biodefense effort. She served as a project manager, providing oversight for the
development of many new products. Now retired, she composes original music,
plays a variety of instruments, and records many of her compositions. “Seven
Sides of Self” is her first fiction publication. Nancy resides in Brookeville,
Maryland. More about Nancy and her work can be found at <a href="http://www.mindsights.net/">www.mindsights.net</a>. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-59873545367786915642019-12-09T21:06:00.000+11:002019-12-09T21:11:32.278+11:00Review - Silence: In the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<b style="color: #01bbbb;">Silence: In the Age of Noise </b>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Erling Kagge</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">15th October 2018</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Penguin</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Non-fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Bought</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">160</span></div>
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My Rating: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">5 of 5 stars</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40723761-silence-in-the-age-of-noise" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/silence-in-the-age-of-noise/erling-kagge/9780241309889/" target="_blank">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/silence-erling-kagge/book/9780241309889.html?irclickid=xIJ2bc0gOxyOTOw0GtxSTziGUknykFzPK2Q%3AyQ0&SUBID1=&SUBID2=&irgwc=1&utm_campaign=PRH2018%21&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=Impact" target="_blank">Booktopia</a></div>
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From the Norwegian explorer, a stunning meditation on the power of silence and how to shut out the world.<br />
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Behind a cacophony of traffic noise, iPhone alerts and our ever-spinning thoughts, an elusive notion - silence - lies in wait. But what really is silence? Where can it be found? And why is it more important now than ever?<br />
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Erling Kagge, the Norwegian adventurer and polymath, once spent fifty days walking solo in Antarctica with a broken radio. In this meditative, charming and surprisingly powerful book, he explores the power of silence and the importance of shutting out the world. Whether you're in deep wilderness, taking a shower or on the dance floor, you can experience perfect stillness if you know where to look. And from it grows self-knowledge, gratitude, wonder and much more.<br />
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Take a deep breath, and prepare to submerge yourself in Silence. Your own South Pole is out there, somewhere.</div>
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Silence is about rediscovering, through pausing, the things that bring us joy.</blockquote>
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Reading this book was a breath of fresh air in a world that never stands still. This unassuming title was a serendipitous find in the art gallery shop, and since I can't say I've ever read anything by a Norwegian explorer I thought it would be a good place to start. What I didn't know then was that it would turn into one of my absolute favourite books of the year. What Kagge proves through these mini-essays and insights is that it doesn't always have to take a weighty tome to explore deep reflections on life - just a few fitting references to philosophers, a scattering of personal anecdotes and a warm tone that brings its own sense of calm to the whole piece.<br />
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Is it possible to both be present in the world and not present at the same time? I think it is. To me, those brief moments when I dwell on the horizon and am captivated by my surroundings, or when I do nothing more than study a rock with green moss and find myself unable to pull away, or else when I simply hold a child in my arms, are the greatest. Time suddenly stops and I am simultaneously present and completely distant. All at once, a brief moment can seem like an eternity. </blockquote>
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As Kagge himself remarks at one point, who would have thought there would be so much to say about something as basic as 'silence'? What I got out of the book in its entirety, from reflections on the author's explorations in the stark desolation of the Antarctic, to life around the dinner table with his three daughters, is the importance of appreciating the small things. It sounds easy enough, and maybe even somewhat trite; yet when you think about it, it's the 'timeless' moments which can bring the greatest joy and wonder. Simply put, 'Life is long, if we listen to ourselves often enough, and look up.' It's amazing to reflect on how little time we make to truly block out all the other distractions, notifications and chatter and just sit quietly with our own thoughts - or get outside in nature and appreciate the beauty of it all.<br />
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Allow the world to vanish when you go into it.<br />
To listen is to search for new opportunities, to seek fresh challenges. The most important book you can read is the one about yourself. It is open. I've started to understand why I was so fascinated as a small boy by the snail who carries his house on his back. We can also carry our houses - everything we have - within us. </blockquote>
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I tabbed so many sections of this book as I was reading, but the quote above has to be my favourite..."The most important book you can read is the one about yourself." Being the author of your own life story is a gift we all have, and maybe it takes reading something like this to realise just how significant that is. One thing's for sure, this book is both thought provoking and memorable - perfect for revisiting when you're looking for a slice of solitude amidst an ever-evolving hectic schedule.<br />
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<b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b></div>
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Almost anyone will find something to relate to in <i>Silence</i>. Erling Kagge is definitely onto something with this eloquent work that allows for the reader to experience moments where 'the world is shut out for a moment, and an inner peace and silence takes over.' For me, it's moments like that which make everything worthwhile. </div>
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-14151476422020524442019-11-27T18:47:00.001+11:002019-11-27T18:47:38.570+11:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Long Distance Playlist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.47px;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly prompt hosted by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #e69138; line-height: 18.47px;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com.au/">Breaking the Spine</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.47px;"><span style="color: #e69138;"> </span>where</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.47px;"> the participants tell their readers about an upcoming release they are looking forward to. This week I've picked <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460755211/the-long-distance-playlist/"><i>The Long Distance Playlist</i></a> by Tara Eglington.</span></span><br />
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Told primarily in instant messenger conversations, Skype, emails and texts, this is Jaclyn Moriarty's Feeling Sorry for Celia for the modern teen.<br />
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Taylor and Isolde used to be best friends - before THAT FIGHT, 18 months ago. It's been radio silence ever since - until Taylor contacts Isolde to sympathise with her breakup: the breakup that she never saw coming; the breakup that destroyed her confidence and ended her dreams of joining the National Ballet School.<br />
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Taylor's had his own share of challenges, including a life-altering accident that has brought his hopes of competing at the Winter Olympics to a halt.
Isolde responds to Taylor, to be polite. But what starts out as heartbreak-themed Spotify playlists and shared stories of exes quickly becomes something more.
And as Taylor and Isolde start to lean on each other, the distance between them begins to feel not so distant after all ...
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A boy. A girl. A one-of-a-kind friendship. Cross-country convos and middle-of-the-night playlists. With big dreams come even bigger challenges. </div>
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I've been following Tara Eglington's books since she first got published with the fun and witty release of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16036699-how-to-keep-a-boy-from-kissing-you?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=MkdtlIW9I0&rank=1">How to Keep a Boy From Kissing You</a></i> (followed by its fitting sequel <i>How to Convince a Boy to Kiss You</i>). Then came the brilliant exploration of female friendship in <a href="https://genie-inabook.blogspot.com/2016/11/review-my-best-friend-is-goddess-by.html"><i>My Best Friend is a Goddess</i></a>, so I can't wait to see how this latest novel goes. If her track record so far is anything to go by, this is going to be something special - I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!<br />
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<span style="color: #01bbbb; font-size: large;"><b>Releasing 16th December 2019 from HarperCollins Australia</b></span><br />
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Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-51191370478554273192019-11-26T19:18:00.001+11:002019-11-26T21:42:48.936+11:00Review: The Innocent Reader: Reflections on Reading and Writing by Debra Adelaide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9IS84SzOJk/XduLaEpiWFI/AAAAAAAAEWY/5oSYV_cBexY_EE626jpDRoPy_urn2NHigCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/19781760784355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9IS84SzOJk/XduLaEpiWFI/AAAAAAAAEWY/5oSYV_cBexY_EE626jpDRoPy_urn2NHigCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/19781760784355.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>The Innocent Reader </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Debra Adelaide</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">24th September 2019</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Pan Macmillan</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Non Fiction, Memoir</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span><br />
<span style="color: #01bbbb;">Rating: </span><span style="color: #01bbbb;">5 of 5 stars</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">257</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46735000-the-innocent-reader" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/the-innocent-reader/debra-adelaide/9781760784355/" target="_blank">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-innocent-reader-debra-adelaide/book/9781760784355.html" target="_blank">Booktopia</a></div>
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<i>Books are impractical companions and housemates: they are heavy when you are travelling, and in the home take up a lot of space, are hard to keep clean, and harbour insects. It is not a matter of the physical book, it is the deep emotional connection that stretches back to my early years. Living without them is unimaginable. </i><br />
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These collected essays share a joyous and plaintive glimpse into the reading and writing life of novelist, editor and teacher of creative writing Debra Adelaide.<br />
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<i>Every book I have read becomes part of me, and discarding any is like tearing out a page from my own life. </i><br />
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With immediate wit and intimacy, Adelaide explores what shapes us as readers, how books inform, console and broaden our senses of self, and the constant conversation of authors and readers with the rest of their libraries. Drawing from her experiences in the publishing industry, the academic world, her own life and the literary and critical communities, she paints a vibrant portrait of a life lived in and by books, perfect for any student, bibliophile, editor, or simply: reader.
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<i>Thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</i></div>
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There is something comforting about coming back to reading essays from fellow bookworms about just what makes reading such a major part of their lives. A few years ago I had the pleasure of eagerly flipping the pages of <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-simple-act-of-reading-9780857986245">The Simple Act of Reading</a>, edited by Debra Adelaide, which so eloquently described the joy and wonder which these words on a page can inspire. In <i>The Innocent Reader</i> we have a glimpse into Adelaide's own reading and writing habits, alongside how books had shaped her life from her early years, to raising a family and becoming an academic. </div>
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<i>I don't know how you cope. </i>People would say this constantly over the months that followed. <i>What with the other children, your work...</i>There was no mystery. I told people I coped because I had to, as any other parent would do the circumstances. I coped because there was no question of not coping, there was quite simply no alternative...But there was another reason I could cope, which was one I could never articulate, seeing as it sounded so simple-minded at times, even callous. I coped because I read. My diary of that first year or so of the treatment is also a diary of my reading, haphazard and arbitrary, literary and highbrow.</blockquote>
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It may seem easy to dismiss taking the time to pick up a book and escape for a little while into another world as something frivolous when we could always be doing something else - or if you are reading, for it to be at least something 'literary' or 'highbrow'. But what I love about Adelaide's voice which comes through so clearly here is that literary 'snobbery' doesn't need to have a place at the table in our everyday lives. After all, where is there room for that kind of ego when you are facing some of the biggest challenges of your life? The chapters detailing reading both for her son and herself at his bedside at Sydney Children's Hospital after he was diagnosed with cancer made clear just what a difference these simple moments with a book can make.</div>
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Everyone has a story in them. Everyone has a novel in them, or so it is frequently said. And humans tell stories...so it makes sense that people everywhere, from cocktail parties to wedding receptions and the signing queues in bookshops, lean forward confidentially and offer you a story, if only you are prepared to write it. </blockquote>
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While it was so interesting to read about the author's personal life in this book, <i>The Innocent Reader </i>also offers some really useful insights into the writing process and how to go about reviewing too. Now being a 'literary critic' is a whole other world from this land of book blogging, but the process of filtering your thoughts on a written work through both a subjective and objective lens is similar. It's definitely made me reflect on how I look at the books I read, and what that special something is that draws me to a particular author or writing style. With a balanced and measured approach of someone who is well within the literary scene, Adelaide offers her own advice and reflections in a way which all readers should be able to take something away from. </div>
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<b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>As one of my favourite quotes from this book states, "There can never be too many books, or too many writers. Or too many readers, or too much reading." When it comes down to it, I couldn't have said it better myself.Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-44214411219425403912019-10-09T22:00:00.000+11:002019-10-09T22:31:48.858+11:00Review: The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre - a snappy piece of French noir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hNQL1I8ncNk/XWYsM9yMDeI/AAAAAAAAESo/6DxzbPaMLrAp9-nxGr2SlZfT3Tj11eWLACLcBGAs/s1600/1The%2BGodmother%2B%2528online%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hNQL1I8ncNk/XWYsM9yMDeI/AAAAAAAAESo/6DxzbPaMLrAp9-nxGr2SlZfT3Tj11eWLACLcBGAs/s320/1The%2BGodmother%2B%2528online%2529.jpg" width="205" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>The Godmother </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Hannelore Cayre</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">3rd September 2019</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Black Inc Books</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Crime Fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">197</span></div>
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My Rating: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">4 of 5 stars</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/34516651-la-daronne" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/the-godmother-la-daronne/hannelore-cayre/9781760641610/" target="_blank">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-godmother-hannelore-cayre/book/9781760641610.html">Booktopia</a></div>
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<i>The French bestseller La Daronne </i><br />
<i>Now a major film starring Isabelle Huppert </i><br />
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Meet Patience Portefeux, fifty-three, an underpaid French-Arabic translator who specialises in police phone taps. Widowed after the sudden death of her husband, Patience is wedged between the costs of raising her daughters and the nursing home fees for her ageing mother. She’s laboured for twenty-five years to keep everyone’s heads above water.
Happening upon an especially revealing set of wiretaps ahead of all other authorities, Patience makes a life-altering decision that sees her intervening in – and infiltrating – the machinations of a massive drug deal. She thus embarks on an entirely new career path: Patience becomes ‘the Godmother’.<br />
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With a gallery of traffickers, dealers, police officers and politicians more real than life itself, and an unforgettable woman at its centre, Hannelore Cayre’s bestselling novel shines a torchlight on a European criminal underworld that has rarely been seen, casting a piercing and darkly humorous gaze on everyday survival in contemporary France.</div>
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<i>Thank you to Black Inc Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</i></div>
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It's not too often that a crime novel like <i>The Godmother </i>comes along. Coming in at just shy of 200 pages, you may at first think that in such a short span it would be impossible to create a plausible and meaty plot-line with the right balance of action, mystery and character development that this genre demands. But therein lies Cayre's genius - the whip-smart narration from our protagonist Patience Portefeux and her scheming in playing both sides of the law provides just the right atmosphere for a piece of French noir that is entirely compelling.</div>
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Dark humour, as the blurb suggests, is rife here - alongside the corruption within the ranks of the justice system and shady line between who has the upper hand in world of organised crime. Patience, once a straight-laced court translator turned trafficker, provides a sardonic insight into her career and the many faces of the drug trade. The writing style and character development is where <i>The Godmother</i> shines - as while the content itself is serious, dealing with large-scale money laundering, the experiences of immigrants assimilating in Europe and all the while trying to find some moral ground, the narrative voice cuts through all of this with a sharply pragmatic tone. </div>
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...Frankly, you could devise a better system, couldn't you, in terms of incorruptibility. Well, I find it pretty disturbing, And I have been corrupted. At first I thought it was funny, then one day I wasn't laughing any more. </blockquote>
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In one instance it's almost surreal to have a scene depicting an armed robbery with shocking results relayed with a sense of detached calm; the mania of the entire situation construed through a completely unemotional lens. It's this writing style that I'll remember most from <i>The Godmother</i>, and draws the readers focus towards the greater themes at play about how the main character justifies her actions - both within her own mind and in the dialogue she has with the reader themselves throughout. </div>
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<b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>While there is no shortage of crime fiction to choose from, <i>The Godmother </i>comfortably holds its own. The most memorable books are often those with a distinct voice and a main character facing some sort of moral dilemma. This one executes both exceptionally well.<br />
<br />Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530164804090408863.post-63945637448223377792019-09-30T09:00:00.000+10:002019-09-30T16:00:59.914+10:00Author Interview: Under the Stars by Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEKsXp4Utfc/XYgb_L4xxwI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/9e_cY3M65wsXW6Uc6ixQBlQl5aUQssY5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Under%2Bthe%2BStars%2B-%2BBook%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1168" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEKsXp4Utfc/XYgb_L4xxwI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/9e_cY3M65wsXW6Uc6ixQBlQl5aUQssY5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Under%2Bthe%2BStars%2B-%2BBook%2BCover.jpg" width="233" /></a><span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime </b></span>by <span style="color: #01bbbb;"><b>Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith</b></span><br />
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Released:<b> </b><span style="color: #01bbbb;">1st October 2019</span></div>
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Published by: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Melbourne University Press</span></div>
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Genre: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Kids Non-Fiction</span></div>
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Source: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">Publisher</span></div>
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Pages: <span style="color: #01bbbb;">277</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/under-the-stars-lisa-harvey-smith/book/9780522876086.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt5zsBRD8ARIsAJfI4BiOauQ_ASZMKDvngR9gaK88EmiptThTpwr3rbO6-bJxqs3gT5sq-3kaAifvEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.qbd.com.au/under-the-stars-astrophysics-for-bedtime/lisa-harvey-smith-mel-matthews/9780522876086/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwt5zsBRD8ARIsAJfI4BgiT2UtnrIbBT5FRZUcPXE0YlLx2seFeFxoiIQfncz_Nwdids63BE0aApifEALw_wcB" target="_blank">QBD</a> | <a href="https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/under-the-stars-astrophysics-for-bedtime-by-mel-matthews-9780522876086?utm_source=googleps&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt5zsBRD8ARIsAJfI4BhW3gC9zFAs0KaG0L8QB9Cya7mwiNlG-RS9h6iBEmxiv88sA6B7PUYaAk7wEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Dymocks</a></div>
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Under the Stars- Bedtime Astrophysics transports curious kids and inquisitive adults on an incredible journey through the night sky.
Explore our solar system from the comfort of your cosy bedroom.<br />
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Find out why the sky is blue. Fly around a black hole and peer inside! Learn why Jupiter has stripes.<br />
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When astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith isn't looking skyward, she is answering the smart questions of school kids. Her engaging storytelling in this colourfully illustrated book brings the night sky to life, giving amazing new perspectives to young explorers who are always asking, 'Why?'</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Author Interview with Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith</u></span></div>
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<b>What was your motivation for writing <i>Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime</i>?</b></div>
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I have always had a fascination with the night sky, which blossomed
into a wonderful career in astronomy. Aside from my research though, one of the
most energising parts of my job has always been visiting schools and talking to
kids about space. They are always so excited and enthusiastic and the questions
they ask are so creative! I knew that I needed to create a book just for
them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>When you were a kid, what interested you about space?</b></div>
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When I was a child, it was really the beauty of the stars
that first captured my imagination. My Dad and I used to go out somewhere
really dark and just take it all in. After a while though, I had questions
running though my head like, “How many stars are there?”, “How big is the
universe?”, “Is there other life out there?”... and the list goes on. So, I
began reading books about astronomy and I was enthralled by this amazing new
window on our universe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What are five things about space that still make you go 'Wow!'?</b></div>
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*Astronauts age more slowly in space than they do on Earth,
ever so slightly! That's because the Earth's gravity bends our universe and
makes time pass more slowly. It's called 'time dilation'. Weird or what?!<o:p></o:p></div>
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*If you got too close to a black hole, your entire body
would be stretched by the enormous gravitational forces and you'd become 'human
spaghetti'.<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Ever wondered why the sky is blue? It's because the light
from the Sun is made up of all the colours of the rainbow. As the sunlight hits
our atmosphere, it is scattered across the sky by tiny particles of oxygen,
nitrogen and carbon dioxide that make up the air. These particles act as
millions of tiny mirrors. Blue light is scattered from these particles more
easily than red light, so that is why the sky appears blue. <o:p></o:p></div>
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*Shooting stars are not stars at all. They are actually tiny
specks of space dust that crash through our atmosphere as we orbit the Sun. The
bits of space dust rub against the air and heat up, reaching a temperature of
1000 degrees and burn up, creating bright streaks of light in the
sky. </div>
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*Our Sun is a gigantic ball of gas. Tiny particles crash
together in its middle, creating a nuclear furnace that burns at a
temperature of 15 million degrees. Four million tonnes of the Sun's gas is
burned into heat and light EVERY SINGLE SECOND!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What has been your career highlight so far?</b></div>
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I would have to say that seeing the first pictures from the
gigantic telescope I helped to build in remote Western Australia was a real
highlight for me. It's part of a global mega-science project involving more
than 10 countries and I had worked on the project for seven years before we got
any results. After all that time, seeing those first images of distant galaxies
was a real highlight for me. Also, on a personal note, touring Australia
with Buzz Aldrin, the Apollo 11 astronaut who first set foot on the Moon with
Neil Armstrong in 1969 was a real highlight for me. Talking with someone who
has explored another world and sharing their experiences, it's just such an
incredible feeling.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>If you could travel into space, where would you want to go and why?</b></div>
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Since I was about 15, I have dreamed of being the first
Woman to go to the Moon. It won't be me, but I'm very excited that NASA has
pledged to send the first woman to the moon by 2024. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>What do you think still needs to be discovered about space, the galaxies or the night sky?</b></div>
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The great thing about our universe is that there is so much
still to discover! For example, we only understand what 4% of space is made
from. The other 96% is completely out of our grasp. We don't know how the
universe will end, or if it will ever end at all. We are yet to learn how life
began on Earth and whether we are alone in the universe. So many mysteries are
yet to explore. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Please describe a day in the life of an astrophysicist</b></div>
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Astrophysics is a wonderful pursuit. On a typical day I
might work with a team of scientists on a scientific problem or make pictures
of the sky from information I have gathered from telescopes. I'd read the
latest astronomy research and see what other people are discovering, to get new
ideas. I might travel to a conference or a telescope in a far-flung region of
the world or share my results by writing a scientific report or speaking to
fellow scientists about my latest discovery. Then I might work with students
and help the next generation of scientists learn and grow in their
discoveries. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What do you think kids will get most out of reading your new book?</b></div>
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<i>Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime</i> is all about
cultivating a sense of wonder and exploration in young children. The
illustrations are designed so that every child can see a role model who looks
like them. It is so important for girls and boys to engage enthusiastically in
science, technology, engineering and maths subjects so that we can build a
future designed by everyone that serves the needs of society.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Parents get an opportunity to read fascinating stories about
space to their children and help stimulate their curiosity at the same time. As
kids get older, they will get a bit of peace and quiet as children get
engrossed in reading the book themselves! Older primary-aged kids will love
reading the stories again and again, each time learning something new. And
don't tell the kids - but this book is also for the grown-ups too! You can have
a sneaky read once the littlies have gone to sleep. Learning is a life-long joy
after all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Please feel free to share any amazing stories or anecdotes about writing this book if you have any!</b></div>
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Writing <i>Under the Stars </i>was a labour of love. Since I work
full-time, I did my writing at night, dreaming up stories and crafting the
book from my bed. I think that writing at night helped create the dreamy
'astrophysics for bedtime' vibe of the book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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About the author</h2>
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<i>Astronomer and Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador. Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith is an award-winning astrophysicist with a talent for making the secrets of the universe accessible to all. She has spent 15 years conducting astrophysics research at universities and research institutes across the world.</i></div>
Eugeniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05456002470250311235noreply@blogger.com0