News, analysis and comment - publishing & writing |
What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a very small child I wanted to be an archaeologist like Indiana Jones.
What did you become?
A freelance writer/ author/ publisher/mother
What's your official title?
Writer and Publisher of Miscellaneous Press.
What's your background - how did you end up here?
I did a Cultural Studies and Literature double major at university, and then a Masters of Literature. I started writing after this, in between spells of doing other occupation(s).
How would you describe your work to a complete stranger?
I am a writer who fits in work between my commitments as a mother to two small children.
What's the first thing career related you usually do each day?
Check my emails, blog traffic statistics, RSS Feed Reader and Twitter.
Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
Before the children I sat at my desk and wrote for 9-10 hours a day. Now there is no such thing as an average working day! I would call a “good” working day one which I can fit even the tiniest bit of writing in.
Who or what in the arts world most inspires you?
I admire artists for different reasons: some, purely for their artistic merits/creations and others for their personal journeys – be they sad or inspiring - that occur ‘behind the scenes’ and inform their work.
What's the toughest challenge you've dealt with on the job?
Novel re-writes are hard. I say this because I’m in the middle of these and can’t think of anything more challenging or tough right now!
What's the best piece of advice you were ever given for your career?
Do what you love.
What are the top three skills you need in your particular role?
Passion, commitment, and an instinct to what will and won’t work in a story.
What's the best thing about your job?
The fact I’ve been able to stay home with the kids full-time.
And the worst?
On some days – see above!
And if you had to sum your working life in a word or phrase, what would it be?
‘Trying to get it right.’
Laura James 21 May 2012
ALLEN & UNWIN: Patrick deWitt’s latest novel reclaims the western genre to tell a story of two brothers, both professional killers, bound together by blood, violence, and love.
Bernie Burke 21 May 2012
SYDNEY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki may well be Australia’s most trusted boffin – so why does he claim that his popularity is receding?
John Silberberg 21 May 2012
TEXT: The latest thriller from UK author Elizabeth Haynes explores the collision of past and present, and the tensions between city and country.
Rebecca Howden 18 May 2012
TEXT: Jennifer Miller’s tender and absorbing novel, set at an elite academy in Massachusetts, is part mystery, part coming of age story, and poignantly and viscerally written.
Sarah Braybrooke 15 May 2012
ALLEN & UNWIN: Winner of this year’s The Australian/Vogel Award for an unpublished manuscript, Paul D. Carter’s first novel builds a convincing and sympathetic narrative around a teenager's love of football.
Bianca Rohlje 11 May 2012
MIEGUNYAH PRESS: Lesley Harding and Kendrah Morgan’s new book re-inserts the Heide garden into the literature surrounding this inspiring site, its creators, and the makers of its myths.
Tim Spencer 11 May 2012
TEXT PUBLISHING: The latest collection of essay, memoir and reportage is optimistic for a once lucky, now smart, country.
Bianca Rohlje 7 May 2012
PICADOR: Canadian author Kyo Maclear’s second novel explores a hidden world of betrayal, lost loves, and the search for one’s identity and place in the world.
Sarah Braybrooke 7 May 2012
TEXT: Glen Duncan’s latest novel both mocks and recycles all the usual horror tropes while crafting a compelling female voice through which to explore his thoroughly literary themes.
Ebonie Hyland 4 May 2012
TEXT: The debut novel by Melbourne author Chris Flynn is an engaging story about a Northern Irish hardman hiding from his past in southern Thailand.
Rebecca Howden 5 May 2012
With a blend of politics, economics, literature and culture interspersed with short fiction and poetry, Overland achieves a commendable balance of progressive thought and entertainment.
Roz Bellamy 5 May 2012
WAKEFIELD PRESS: Award-winning author Steven Miller's latest book is a unique history of Australian art seen through the lens of canine representation.
Clea Westenberg 28 Apr 2012
EXPRESS MEDIA: Voiceworks #88 showcases some of the best fiction, non-fiction, poetry, illustrations and graphic art by young Australians.
Oliver Mol 24 Apr 2012
TEXT: The debut novel by Melbourne-based author Romy Ash is about childhood, youth and growing up, but also about mediocrity, unfairness and the unknown.
Jake Davies 21 Apr 2012
WAKEFIELD PRESS: This acutely personal new collection of poems by Cath Kenneally is grounded in the minutiae of the everyday.
Alexis Hunter 21 Apr 2012
TRANSIT LOUNGE: Robert Power’s debut novel provides a poignant view into the mind of his young protagonist as he tries to understand the violent world in which he lives.
Sarah Braybrooke 24 Mar 2012
WAKEFIELD PRESS: Artist and writer Stephanie Radok presents a revelatory picture of interconnectedness, describing art and its influences in a way that is jargon-free and universal.
Oliver Mol 3 Mar 2012
MUP: Seminal 1950s Melbourne filmmaker Tim Burstall’s scathingly honest, self-deprecating and frank diaries have finally been published.
Sarah Braybrooke 4 Feb 2012
EXPRESS MEDIA: Brilliantly showcasing a range of young, emerging writing talent, the current issue of Voiceworks – on the theme of play – is extremely appealing.
Sarah Shaul 21 Jan 2012
TEXT PUBLISHING: A finely written, thought-provoking and satisfying novel about a young ballerina coming to terms with adolescence and her burgeoning sexuality.