Ever been asked to work for free?
[Un]reasonably Outraged by Working for Free | Touring around NE Vic in Autumn | A love letter to libraries | Baby Reindeer and other eye-openers
Um it’s May. MAY! What even the heck?
I’m writing to you from northeast Victoria where I’m on a mini tour around this glorious region. How lucky to be invited here to meet readers especially at this time of year when the spectacular autumn colours are on display.
Photo from Bright Autumn Festival
I’m on the last leg of events for The Eleventh Floor. A few more spotted throughout the coming months but mostly winding things up after a fabulous and pretty intensive time. My voice will appreciate the rest! (And I won’t miss people taking photos of me when I pull a stupid face—my own fault, I know!)
What next?
My third book (working title:You Can Run) is calling me back, begging for edits so I can finalise the story. It’s about coercive control. Not an easy topic to discuss, but then again I’m not an author who shies away from the hard stuff. With the issues around our safety (and violence against women) so prominent in the media, I feel it is vital to keep the conversations going. More to come …
INSIDER NEWS
What do I love about libraries?
I mean where do I start? So many of my author events have been hosted by libraries and it has made me reflect on how important they are in our communities, and not just for books.
[UN]REASONABLY OUTRAGED
Each month I’ll bring you what upset me, infuriated me, or just put me in a bad mood.
Creatives working for free
Writers (and creatives in general) get asked to do a lot of things for free.
“Can you just write me a quick blurb for XYZ?”
“Could you read my opening pages and tell me what you think?”
“Could you come and chat to our staff/students about your writing path?”
RANDOM RECOMMENDATIONS
In my eyeballs
Gus and the Missing Boy by Troy Hunter is a Young Adult book for ages 15+ with a fabulous premise. Gus sees a digitally-updated image of a boy who had gone missing when he was a young child and the recent photo looks exactly like him. So he and his friends become undercover detectives. It hits all the teenage angst markers and the struggles we face with identity and belonging throughout those pivotal years. A book for adults as well as teenagers!
Because of Her by Devon May is not my normal go-to genre although the way Devon’s husband describes her books made me laugh: “soppy but filthy romance books”. A steamy romance about friendship, love and accepting the unexpected. I am reading this one next!
Baby Reindeer is the much talked about, hard-to-watch new series on Netflix that is based on a true story. Funny and frightening, devastating and harrowing at times. An article here explains how the writer (and lead actor) came to put his experiences of stalking and abuse into a show.
In my ears
The Imperfects: Hosts Hugh, Ryan and Josh have an imperfect conversation about men’s violence against women. Such a great listen from the perspective of men who have been honest about their own lack of action in this arena and how more men need to start having conversations about this.
The Accident by Fiona Lowe: I put it on in the car and didn’t want to get out when I’d arrived at my destination! It tells the story of a car accident that shatters the worlds of two friends Hannah and Freya. As disturbing details surrounding the accident emerge and questions pile up, ugly secrets rise to the surface.
What have you watched, listened to or read that you’d recommend?
Did you know? I’m available for:
Author Talks and Presentations
Q&A
In-conversation
Panels
Workshops
Kylie was hilarious and I loved seeing how she could put so much depth and darkness on the page, seeing how light and joyful she was in person. Sage, Farrells Bookshop.
Over and out. KOx
Good idea. Hopefully the real estate is still cheap.
Wow, that was one impressive grid! Yes, creatives get taken advantage of, no wonder we are starving artists. It’s definitely time to start paying creatives for their work, otherwise, we could die out, literally. Thank you for another wonderful newsletter.