Dawn Barker's Blog, page 9

Last weekend, I went to see Bell Shakespeare’s fantastic production of Henry 4. I – like most of us – studied Shakespeare at school, and then later through Open University. I have always really admired his plays, though find them difficult to decipher – the language, while beautiful, is dense and I’ve always felt that they were something to be studied rather than enjoyed.

But seeing his work in the form that Shakespeare always intended – as a play – is a completely different experience. The visual props of the sets and the actors’ body language convey the context of the  script even if I didn’t catch every word, and those words that I did catch were amazing.

I’ve never read Henry 4 before – I always feared it’d be too heavy, too political, and that I wouldn’t understand the story. But, of course, this play is not about the actual details of Henry 4′s reign: it’s about the relationship between a powerful father and a rebellious son who refuses to live up to his father’s expectations; it’s about another father-figure (Falstaff) whose physical attributes – gross in weight, addicted to alcohol, financially spent – mirror his personality; and it’s about corruption and the struggle for power.

Shakespeare’s use of language is extraordinary – yes, you can study the text and find immense depth and wit in the metaphors – but the rhythm of  it is poetic. The soliloquies – equivalent to the internal monologues in fiction – are beautiful, and the rhyming couplets at the end of scenes not only let us know that the scene is over, but they add a punch, they give us something to remember and a way to wrap up the themes. It made me think about the way I end chapters, and while I don’t think I’ll be adding in rhymes(!) I do want to make sure that those sentences shine through and sound great when spoken out loud.

This play made me think about my own writing – which is very much contemporary fiction. It made me think about the issues that my characters face and how ultimately I want to write about their internal struggles as much as the situations they are in. I’m interested in how circumstances around us bring out the best and worst parts of our personalities, how they force us to change a part of our inner psyche, and address our past to overcome obstacles to take us into the future. Of course, my characters’ struggles are not of Shakespearean size – they’re not epic battles to save a kingdom or win a war – but they’re still about the things that are important to them – relationships, family, self.

Ah yes, there’s a reason why they teach Shakespeare in schools!

Last night in Sydney, the programme for the Sydney Writers Festival was officially launched and I’m so excited that I’ve been invited to take part. I lived and worked in Sydney for many years and loved it; part of me wishes I was still there, so this festival means a lot to me. I’ve attended the festival in the past and I’m excited to talk about my book, and to meet some amazing authors.

I’m taking part in four events. You’ll see by the events below that I’m a little star struck, and just a teeny bit intimidated…

 

Wednesday 22nd May
Blacktown City Max Webber library, 7-8pm

 

“Dawn Barker: Fractured”

Child psychiatrist Dawn Barker has written a raw, compelling and fascinating novel, Fractured, about the aftermath of a tragedy within a family that is truly inexplicable. It is six weeks after the birth of Anna and Tony’s child, Jack. Tony is worried. His wife, Anna, isn’t coping. One moment she’s crying, the next she seems almost too positive. Then, Anna and Jack go missing . . . Dawn talks about writing this heartbreaking and realistic novel.

Presented with Blacktown City Library and supported by the University of Western Sydney

Free, but bookings essential on 02 98396620

 

Thursday 23rd May
Sydney Dance 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, 4-5pm

 

“Writing Painful Experiences”

How do you write about painful experiences, whether in fiction or non-fiction? Anne Deveson’s bestselling memoir, Tell Me I’m Here, is a groundbreaking account of the widespread effects of mental illness. Helen Sage grapples with grief and tragedy in A Flower Between the Cracks, her extraordinary account of caring for her daughter after a near-fatal car accident. And Dawn Barker’s novel, Fractured, examines the psychology of a mother driven to desperation. They speak to Caroline Overington and offer their perspectives on writing through difficult subjects.

Free, no bookings required

 

Friday 24th May
Sydney Dance 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, 1-2pm

 

“What Should We Tell Our Children?”

Stephanie Alexander, Chris Sarra, Richard Gill and Maxine McKew discuss the stories and ideas we pass on to our children to prepare them for the way ahead. Stephanie, one of Australia’s leading cooks, is passionate about bringing healthy food into schools through her Kitchen Garden Program. Chris is one of the most recognised Indigenous educators in the country. Richard, one of Australia’s most respected conductors, promotes the importance of music in nurturing children’s creativity. Former journalist and politician Maxine, is now Chair of Playgroup Australia. Chaired by Dawn Barker, child psychiatrist.

Free, no bookings required

 

Sydney Dance 2, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, 4-5pm

 

“Fiction on the edge of reality” 

Andrew Croome (Midnight Empire), John M. Green (The Trusted) and Dawn Barker (Fractured) speak with Tom Wright about drawing from their experiences to write novels that are compelling and unnervingly real. Traversing espionage, banking, psychosis and poker they consider how reality feeds into fiction.

Free, no bookings required

 

 

I’m really excited that I’ll be part of the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival this year, from 17-19 May 2013. Living in Perth, I know the area well and often go ‘down south’ with family and friends. The south-west of Western Australia is stunningly beautiful, with gorgeous beaches and bush surrounding vineyards and restaurants.

I’ll be taking part in two sessions on Saturday 18 May:

1.15pm – “Fact and Fiction” – this session will be chaired by Terri-ann White, publishing director of UWA publishing (who I recently spoke with for an event here in Perth at Beaufort St Books). It’s a discussion of fact, fiction and research with Stephen Daisley (author of Traitor, a brilliant book that I read a couple of years ago) and Lynne Leonhardt (author of Finding Jasper – this is on my bedside table!).

4.15pm – “Third Saturday Bookclub” – this is a discussion with authors Peter Docker, Nicole Sinclair and Gus Henderson (chaired by Margot Edwards) about a classic book that we all have to read before the panel, and one of our favourite reads. This sounds fun – I ‘ve always wished I was on the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club and the format sounds similar!

You can read the full programme here.

 

It’s now been just over two weeks since Fractured was published in Australia. Is that all?? It’s been a strange couple of weeks. I was full of anxiety and anticipation about the release, and had a hectic few days at the Perth Writers Festival and my launch party. For the first few days I lurked around bookshops, checking Fractured was on the shelves and asking the poor booksellers how many they’d sold. Only two?? Friends sent me pictures of the book being sold all over Australia: Brisbane airport, Sydney airport, Byron Bay. I’ve been busy doing some publicity, and reviews are starting to trickle in. So far so good…

I feel more relaxed about it all now. My book has been published, it seems to have been received well, it’s everywhere I’d dreamed it would be, and I’m now able to let it go. Apart from publicity, festivals etc, there’s not much else I can do. It’s now up to booksellers and readers to decide on the future of Fractured. I feel satisfied.

While I was waiting for editorial feedback on the original manuscript, I wrote the first draft of a second book. I was pregnant with my 3rd child at the time and knew life would be even busier once I had three little ones at home. As I wrote it, I loved it. But when I re-read it recently, I began to have doubts. I still loved bits of it, but it didn’t feel right. It was a bit wishy-washy, a bit bland. I knew that the concept was good and of course, it was only a first draft, but something was wrong. I made myself send off the synopsis – as it stood – and the first couple of chapters to my publisher. She loved the idea and the writing, but not the plot. We had a chat – not a long one – during which she made some suggestions to really bring the story out. Over the past few days I’ve started to research the subject again, and today I felt that flutter as I knew what I had to write. I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I know I can elevate the story from the version it is now to a far more complex and (hopefully) interesting book.

And so, I have to leave Fractured behind and start the process again: the problem solving, the frustration, the all-consuming ideas that pester me all day and night until I find the satisfaction and exhilaration when the creative process just works.

I have thrown out my notebooks from Fractured and am armed with a new blank notebook, highlighter pens and half-written manuscript. Wish me luck!

Today, it’s a pleasure to interview author Jenn J McLeod, whose novel House for all Seasons (Simon&Schuuster Australia) has just been published. Jenn’s book was released at almost exactly the same time as my own, and so we’ve been sharing our experiences along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me a little bit about your new novel, House for all Seasons?

House for all Seasons is a story about coming home and of country roots that run deep.

In order to claim an unexpected inheritance – the century-old Dandelion House on the outskirts of Calingarry Crossing – four estranged school friends return to their hometown after twenty years and stay a season each to fulfil the wishes of their benefactor, Gypsy.

Poppy, a tough, ambitions journo still craving her father’s approval;
Sara, a breast cancer survivor afraid to fall in love;
Amber, a spoilt socialite addicted to painkillers and cosmetic procedures;
Caitlin, a third generation doctor frustrated by a controlling family and her flat-lining life.

House for all Seasons is a story of unravelling friendships and of ties that will forever bind four women to each other and to the century-old Dandelion house.

 

Having a book published is not easy! Can you tell me how you moved from writing a manuscript to securing a publisher?

Lucky for me my publisher did not let my poor grammer, grammor, grammar & typos get in the way of a good story! Seriously, I believe getting in front of a publisher is a matter of ‘right place, right time, right product’ and while luck also plays a hand, I believe ‘luck’ is the results of preparedness + opportunity. I believe a writer can control both these to some degree and I agree with J K Rowling who says [about getting published], “It’s hard work and luck, and that the first often leads to the second.”

 Apart from ‘luck’, I set a deadline—my 50th. I established my brand and I threw myself into the social media scene to build my brand but mostly I watched, read, learned. I dumped the two manuscripts I’d submitted dozens of times and started a new book. I stopped listening to people who insisted I follow certain genres ‘rules’. Instead I wrote the story I wanted to tell, and I wrote it my way. (Yes, that meant taking risks.) I worked hard to learn the craft and the publishing business, and yes, I got ‘lucky’. I secured an agent (the best in the business, if you were to ask me) and no one was more shocked than me when ‘the call’ actually came through.  In fact, after picking myself up from the floor I asked… “Why my books?” (I sold two) The answer from my publisher was… “Authenticity.”

 

What is your writing process, and how do you balance writing with ‘real life’?

Writing is my life. I’m never not writing, even if it’s only in my head as I mop floors and change beds in the little B&B I now operate on my property in country NSW (north). I used to do the Sydney city commute before my tree-change many years ago. I knew publication was a long shot, but I also knew that if I was to make a go of it I had to treat writing like a real job. I am extremely fortunate to have a very supportive partner who allows me to focus on the many aspects of the writing business (which, now I am published, means lots more Facebook and Twitter and blogging!!)

 

What have you enjoyed most about the publication process? 

I’m not sure ‘enjoyed’ is the word I’d use for this rollercoaster experience (up one minute, the next plummeting back to earth under the weight of overwhelming self-doubt).

What I ‘embraced’ was the editing process. I loved how it pushed me to expand and grow the story and characters well beyond what I ever thought I could. I even surprised myself when it came to dealing with structural changes and editorial suggestions; I wasn’t at all precious. I think because my aim was to provide readers with the very best experience, so anything that would contribute to that was fine by me.

 

And what’s been the most difficult part?

As a self-confessed control freak I have a problem letting go. I am also impatient (not a good match for a business filled with long waits and scary silences—especially the agent submission phase). Waiting drives me nuts, so it seems only fair I drive my publisher nuts—right? Poor woman! I’m convinced publishers are the busiest people on the planet and I’m so lucky that mine is always available, understanding and right! (She also designs an amazing book cover, don’t you think?)

 

Who are some of your favourite authors?

These days I’m drawn to authors for their specific styles: Lisa Heidke’s witty dialogue; Posie Graeme-Evans’ stunning scene setting, Sara Foster’s wicked weaving of plots and characters; Monica McInerney’s eclectic cast and clever characterisation; the mischievous Marian Keyes for the giggle factor, and Jodi Picoult’s tackling of real-life issues.

Authors who influence my writing are generally the ones whose books sustain my interest to the end – but mostly the ones whose books don’t (because they are the books that will often teach me more!)

Right now I’m reading The Fine Colour of Rust, by P.A. O’Reilly and laughing out loud at her unique and delightful storytelling. I would love to meet her one day.

 

What does the future hold for you as a writer?

I’m hoping there are a few more books to come. Book two (The Simmering Season – March 2014) is the second Calingarry Crossing novel. I’ve planned four small town stories for my Seasons Collection and if … I mean when I’ve sold the next two books I will launch part two of ‘the dream’, which is selling up to write in a Winnebago while travelling to small towns for inspiration, producing a book a year, with a few e-book novellas thrown into the mix.

My immediate future is all about House for all Seasons, so I hope people buy it, read it, enjoy it, review it, and recommend it.

 

Thank you for having me here, Dawn, and congratulations on Fractured. It’s next on my reading list.

 

Connect with Jenn:

Come home to the country: www.jennjmcleod.com

Facebook Author page: /JennJMcLeod.Books

Twitter: @jennjmcleod

You can buy a copy of House for all Seasons at your local bookshop  or here!

 

As you know, my first novel, Fractured, is officially on the shelves of bookshops today. It was also available over the weekend at Perth Writers Festival, and it was there that I witnessed what very few authors must see: the very first sale of my book!

The first copies of Fractured on sale at Perth Writers Festival.

My husband and I had just attended the opening address and were heading to the after-party in the grounds of the University of Western Australia when we realised that the festival bookshop was open. As I peered in, I noticed that there were a few posters of me, with my book, hanging in the shop. I squealed! The shop was almost empty, so my husband and I went in so we could take some sneaky photos of me standing next to the picture of myself.

As I grinned for the camera, a man approached me and asked if I was an author. My face flushed, “Yes, I am.” It’s the first time I haven’t felt like a fraud for saying that – now that my book is actually published, I no longer feel silly saying it! He appeared to be very excited – almost as excited as I was – and immediately picked up the book, hurried to pay for it, then ran back to me and asked me to sign it. His partner was taking photos, my husband was taking photos, and everyone was thrilled. He asked me to make sure I wrote in the book that it was the first copy ever sold, and the first book I had signed as a published author – which, of course, I did. I noticed that he had an artist’s pass around his neck and I asked if he was a writer. He shook his head. “No, I was just invited.” We said our goodbyes and I floated off (almost literally) to the champagne reception.

The next day in the green room, I saw the same man. He ran over to me, said he’d stayed up until 5am reading Fractured and thought it was brilliant. He gave me his card and asked for my email and said he had a friend organising a literary festival in Indonesia. I asked him again: “Are you a writer?” Again, he denied it, then went on his way.

I saw him again later, and he was clearly preparing for a panel discussion. I looked at his card, and checked the programme. His name is Andrea Hiraka, and he is indeed a writer. He wrote a book called ‘The Rainbow Troops’ which has been the biggest selling book in Indonesia ever. It has sold over 5 million copies (some say over 20million!), is now published all over the world and has been made into a film. And he told me he wasn’t a writer.

Best-selling author Andrea Hirata buying the very first copy of Fractured.

I went to the bookshop and bought a copy of ‘The Rainbow Troops’, but never saw Andrea at the festival again to have it signed. I sent him an email yesterday to thank him for his kindness and tick him off for playing a trick on me and he sent me a wonderful response:

 

 

 

 

“Dear Dawn

Sorry but yes i did a little trick haha, but I am so happy to see my fellow writer look very proud of her work. And I want to support in any way possible. Again, you write a very good novel and you are very very talented. 
I am so proud to have the 1st signed book  of your 1st edition. It will be a valuable collection for my museum (see www.museumkataandreahirata.blogspot.com  Andrea Hirata Words Museum) I have a museum back in my home village, the first literary museum in Indonesia. I hope one day you and your husband can come and visit my museum:)”



I had a tear in my eye when I saw his response. He was such a kind and humble man, a great and highly successful writer, who went out of his way to make sure that a new author had a memorable moment on the very first hour of publication.


Thank you so much, Andrea, and it would be an honour to visit your museum one day.


You can find out more about Andrea on his website, and The Rainbow Troops is widely available.

 

The first copies of Fractured for sale at the Perth Writers Festival!

I am completely exhausted, yet thrilled, after spending the last few days at the Perth Writers Festival. This was the first time I have been as an author; it’s the first time I’ve been able to call myself an author!

It began with the opening address by the author of The Map of Love,  Ahdaf Soueif, who talked about art and politics. She showed amazing images of the art that has sprung up the streets of Egypt after the recent revolution there – a really moving start to the festival. I was surrounded by faces that I’d seen on television, or on the back covers of books. I tried to look relaxed but really was nudging my husband and pointing out all the famous people, while thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’! I was very impressed when Jennifer Byrne and Jason Steger sat down next to us!

After the address, there was a cocktail party where I met some of the Hachette team and authors. I wandered into the bookshop and saw laminated posters of myself on the front door, wall and pillars – eek! I also witnessed the very first sale of my book! I don’t think many authors would be lucky enough to see that! I’m going to write a separate post on that once I get some pictures together. It was a fabulous experience.

The books I brought back from the Perth Writers Festival…

The next three days were filled with my own two panel discussions (with authors Caroline Overington, Jacinta Halloran, Natasha Lester, and chairs Angela Meyer and Tineke van der Eecken), informal chats in the green room with other authors, and watching the formal sessions. My favourite panel discussion was one with Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds, and Major General John Cantwell, author of Exit Wounds: One Australian’s War on Terror. This was a moving and powerful hour where they discussed war and the mental toll on the soldiers who go there. They both wrote their books as a way of putting into words the experiences of soldiers. They talked at length about the emotional effects of war, and they have done an amazing job at finding the vocabulary to help both civilians and military personnel understand, as Kevin put it, that noone will return from war unharmed. If you haven’t read these books, I highly recommend them: Kevin’s for a beautiful, brutal fictional account of the war in Iraq, and John’s for a candid exploration of war. I wrote a post about these authors a few months ago here.

I was lucky enough to have dinner with a great group of Hachette authors: Kevin Powers, Peter Heller, Tom Holland, Shamini Flint, Anne De Courcy. Oh, and Margaret Atwood.

I’ll say that again: Margaret Atwood. What more can I say?

The Perth Writers Festival kicks off tonight with the opening address by Ahdaf Soueif, followed by the opening party. I’m really excited to be there as a writer this year.

I’ll be talking in two sessions: FRACTURED LIVES with Caroline Overington (chaired by Tineke van der Eecken) at 5pm on Friday 22nd February in the Juliet Tent, and DOCTORS AND NURSES with Natasha Lester and Jacinta Halloran (chaired by Angela Meyer) at 3.30pm on Sunday 24th February in the Woolnough Lecture Theatre.

I’ll be spending most of the weekend at the festival hearing lots of my favourite authors talk, so please come and say hello!

I had the amazing experience yesterday of opening the door to a wonderful parcel that contained these:

The finished copies of Fractured! I love how Hachette has designed the cover as two different halves of a face, and it fits the theme of the book perfectly.

It was a very emotional moment. I showed my three year old and tried to tell her that this was the book that mummy had written, but she was more interested in Peppa Pig unfortunately. Ah well. But really, it gave me goosebumps. This is the end product of years of work and in many ways it’s out of my hands now. In less than three weeks, it’s on the shelves.

Thrill Seekers by Edwina Shaw

I’m delighted today to be interviewing author Edwina Shaw about her novel, Thrill Seekers. I first came across Edwina’s writing  when I read a short story of hers in Griffith REVIEW, called The Raft, which appears as one of the chapters in this novel.

I read Thrill Seekers in two sittings, and loved it. It tells the story of a group of adolescents growing up in Brisbane, one of whom, Douggie, develops schizophrenia after using drugs. It’s brilliantly written in quite simple and accessible prose, with a great sense of place and character. It leaves a lot unsaid, and that’s probably one of the reasons why I still think about the characters in this novel even though I’ve closed the book. I shed more than a few tears as I read it. One of the reasons why it resonated with me is that I’ve seen so many young people like Edwina’s characters in my work as a psychiatrist. Edwina has also had some personal experience of schizophrenia as her brother suffered from the illness, and this adds real authenticity and emotion to the novel.

 

First of all, congratulations on writing such a stunning book. Can you tell me a bit about Thrill Seekers?

Set on the banks of Oxley Creek in subtropical Brisbane, Thrill Seekers tells a story of adolescent mayhem, madness and mateship. Through the eyes of Brian, his little brother Douggie, who develops schizophrenia, and Beck, a young woman entangled in their gang of wayward boys, the reader is taken on a wild ride of parties, drug-fuelled despair and ultimately redemption and hope.

What was your path to publication?

I first wrote Thrill Seekers as part of my Masters degree in Creative Writing at the University of Queensland and finished a complete polished draft in 2005. Over the next few years, I submitted it to a few Australian publishers, coming close but never getting it over the line. In 2007 I saw an advertisement from Ransom Publishing UK in the Queensland Writers Centre magazine. They were looking for gritty, hard-hitting books for young adults and Thrill Seekers ticked all the boxes. Except they were looking for 35 000 word YA novellas and I had a 70 000 word collection of linked short stories for an adult audience. I sent off the first three stories, calling them chapters, and when they asked to see the full manuscript had a week of panic and frantic reworking, concentrating several characters into just three, cutting like a madwoman, and shaping Thrill Seekers to the form it has now.

Ransom loved it and I signed a contract with them in early 2008. Then the GFC hit and my small independent publisher struggled to stay afloat, postponing Thrill Seekers release until September 2011 in the UK, and March 2012 in Australia. Boy, did I celebrate when I finally got to launch it!

Thrill Seekers has a very interesting structure, in that many of the chapters can stand alone as short stories, and yet overall they form a novel. Did you always intend for the stories to be part of a longer project, or for them to be works in their own right?

As Thrill Seekers began life as a collection of interwoven short stories, the form it now has occurred organically. At university I started writing separate short pieces based on my adolescent experiences and found they were clustering naturally; characters were recurring and themes returning. Once I had enough of these stories it was only a matter of filling in the gaps to create a cohesive whole. When reshaping it into a novella for Ransom, I made the links more concrete and added bridging passages. As part of my Masters degree I wrote a thesis on this type of book. It’s been called many things, story cycles, linked short stories and, most recently, composite novels. I still think of the chapters in Thrill Seekers as stories. A number of the stories that I cut from the final version have been published in literary journals such as Griffith REVIEW.

In the introduction to Thrill Seekers, you mention that your brother had a serious mental illness, like one of the characters in the book. How did this personal experience influence your ability to write this story?

I wrote Thrill Seekers because they were the stories that had been sitting in my head for over twenty years demanding to be aired. My brother Matthew developed schizophrenia in his mid-teens and killed himself at the age of twenty. His courage in the face of this extremely debilitating illness was inspiring. I wanted to bear witness to his life and the lives of many of his friends who suffered a similar fate. The emotions in Thrill Seekers are real. I followed the old adage – write what you know − for me that’s what you know in your heart. I often tell my creative writing students that as a writer you get to be truly grateful for a difficult past, plenty of material!

What have you most enjoyed most about the publication process? Has anything surprised or challenged you?

I’ve most enjoyed holding a real life book with my name on it. I wrote my first full length work in 2002 so it has been a long ten year apprenticeship. Enduring the wait between signing the contract with Ransom and finally being able to launch it, made the experience deeply rewarding. I love getting feedback from readers who resonate with the story and I really love signing books. That’s when you feel like a real writer. It’s great to have a book out in the world now as validation, proof that I haven’t just been sitting at home watching Oprah for the past ten years.

Most challenging has been dealing with the business side of the publishing business. Ransom have yet to find a distributor in Australia so I have been responsible for distributing it myself, as well as doing all marketing and publicity here as well. A very steep learning curve.

What does the future hold for you as a writer?

Lots more I hope. I have completed a further three full length works since writing Thrill Seekers. One of these, Child of Fortune, based on my time living and working in Cambodia in the mid-nineties, made the finals of the Amazon/Penguin US manuscript competition in 2012, and won an Australian Society of Authors mentorship with esteemed editor Judith Lukin-Amundsen in 2010. It is currently under consideration at a major publishing house. I am looking forward to working with established publishers and intend to keep writing till I drop. I love it.

 

[image error]

Find out more about Edwina on her website.

You can read short stories excerpted from Thrill Seekers and published in Griffith REVIEW here: The Heaviness of Keys and Busted

Read more about Edwina’s path to the publication of Thrill Seekers here.