THRILL SEEKERS SYDNEY LAUNCH!

Thrill Seekers

Thrill Seekers

Yes, I know I’m being greedy having two launches but I liked the first one so much I thought I’d do it again, this time in Sydney.

So, if you’re down south, put Tuesday the 3rd July in your diary. I’d love to see you.  The wonderful people at  Better Read than Dead in Newtown are hosting the event. I really appreciate their support. Independent booksellers are some of the best people in the world.

I am really excited that the fabulous Julianne Schultz, editor of Griffith REVIEW, one of Australia’s most respected literary journals, will be doing the official launching this time.

In 2008 I won the Griffith REVIEW award for most promising new writer which was a much-needed boost to my fragile writerly esteem and kept me going.  They’ve published a few of my pieces, most of which were culled from earlier versions of Thrill Seekers. “The Raft”, a chapter from Thrill Seekers, “State of Emergency”, “The Heaviness of Keys” and “Busted” (0ne of my favourites!).

In my early twenties I lived in Sydney. First in Kings Cross in my wildest days, and then later in Surry Hills while I was teaching at Minda Juvenile Justice Centre where I heard some of the stories that have fed into Thrill Seekers. I’m excited about sharing this launch with my old friends who still live there and those who are coming from further afield to reconnect and celebrate.

It should be lots of fun! See you there!

COMPETITIONS

The results are in for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and it looks like my dreams of standing with the hummingbirds in Seattle will have to wait a while. Three men have taken out the honours with interesting looking titles. The winner is decided by readers, so read their excerpts and cast your vote. I’m thrilled to have made it to the semifinals and on the strength of the feedback I received, will be fishing for a North American agent and a publisher there, as well as in Australia too of course.

In other news, the QWC/ Hachette Programme is once again open for submissions. I won a spot in their 2008 Bribie Island manuscript development retreat and had a wonderful time, and learnt a lot. It’s really worth a go. Favel Parrett, Past the Shallows, Phillipa Fioretti Book of Love and Fragments of Dreams, and Chris Currie, The Ottoman Motel, were all in my group and have gone on to publishing successes. Who knows? The next one could be you! The rest of us are still out there trying, and we’re getting closer all the time.