Category: Events

Talk Fest!

In the last twelve months I have been talking about my sci-fi novel ‘Grey Nomad’ (Brio Books, 2023) non-stop (or so it seems). During the interviews, panel conversations, and interviews I have also learned all sorts of things about my book that I didn’t predict! For instance,

  • 30-something-year-olds love reading about an intrepid 70 year old
  • Knitters want a copy of the pattern for JT’s scarf (working on it!)
  • Satirical politics wins over non-sci-fi readers (who knew?)
  • Some readers come for the humour and some for the science. Lucky for me, the novel has both!

The world of writing festivals is filled with tireless committee members and wonderful interviewers who selflessly give their time to prepare and present these events. My thanks to everyone I had the good fortune to meet over the last year – it’s been a wonderful experience.

Here are a few more highlights to add to those I’ve talked about in this blog before:

Mudgee Readers’ Festival August 2023

At Mudgee Readers' Festival

This festival invites you to share the friendliness of the Mudgee community with food, entertainment, and of course reading. Sharelle Fellows, a retired history teacher, interviewed me in such an insightful and thorough way I really think she knew more about my book than I did.

The Book Lovers Club, Northern Beaches September 2023

This mega book club plays a large part in the community of the northern beaches of Sydney. My mum joined it back in the early 70s, so I was thrilled to be able to speak about her influence on me as a reader and writer when I talked there. Special thanks to Glenys Murray, librarian and beta-reader extraordinaire, for all her support.

Maitland Indie Festival October 2023

Whether it’s art or literature, if it’s independent and local then it fits the mission of this festival. I joined novelist Amber Jakeman (latest novel ‘Summer Beach’) to discuss the phenomenon of ‘cosy fiction’ with Meg Vertigan, author of ‘The Strong Dress’ (Puncher & Wattman, 2023). Our audience agreed with us that just because the story is ‘cosy’ doesn’t mean it lacks punch.

‘Pirate Purl’ – Katrina Kellett

What a legend! Katrina runs ‘Pirate’ Purl’, an independent hand dyed yarn business which produces a colour range that is both beautiful and environmentally sound. Throughout 2023, Katrina volunteered to host my book about knitting-mad Joyce on her sales tables at the many yarn and fibre festivals throughout NSW and Victoria.  I can’t thank her enough – though perhaps a sequel could include an indie dyer as a character??!! (stay tuned).

Post-Publication Fun

  • Launch at Toronto Library, NSW on 11th February 2023

Launching a novel turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and that was down to the enthusiasm radiating from everyone who came along.  There had been a huge gap between the time I sent the final, final, final version of my novel (Grey Nomad, Brio Books, 2023) and the date set for the official release of the paperback version. I had spent a lot of time telling people that it was on its way, so to finally be able to crack open the champagne was wonderful.

(Lots of chatting going on!)

GenreCon23 in Brisbane, 18-19th February 2023

After all the staring at the blank page, scribbling, and revising, it was a peak experience to have the opportunity to participate in a panel presentation at GenreCon23 in Brisbane on 18 February.

Most writing festivals are designed for readers (and, of course, for publishers to sell their authors’ books).  As such, we eagerly go along to hear directly from the writers of the books we enjoy as well as to be introduced to books we have yet to read.  However, GenreCon23 was a conference that was all about writing. 

GenreCon is run by the Queensland Writers’ Centre and held in Brisbane each year. It focuses on what have become known as ‘genre’ novels, e.g. crime, speculative fiction (including science fiction, fantasy), historical fiction, romance, and the many wonderful books that blend some or all of these.  Like other writing festivals, GenreCon invites selected published authors to present, or to be interviewed ‘in conversation’ with another writer, or to participate as panel members to discuss a topic, or to run workshops. However, for GenreCon, the focus is on the many and varied aspects of the writing process.

GenreCon23 attracted over 200 participants. I had been invited to participate in a panel discussing ‘Putting the Sci back in Sci-Fi’, hosted by another recently published author, Bryn Smith (Magnus Nights: The Helios Incident, Hawkeye Press, 2021).

With renowned authors Garth Nix and Jay Kristoff also on the panel, it wasn’t a surprise to see a large audience in the auditorium.

Garth Nix was the keynote speaker for the event and is a widely known Australian author of many young adult fantasy novels (e.g. the Old Kingdom series which commenced back in 1995 with Sabriel, Harper Collins).

Jay Kristoff is another Australian author with an international following in science fiction and fantasy (e.g. Nevernight series which began in 2016, St Martins Press). 

As daunting as it was to sit alongside these two authors, the upside was that they ably helped new writers like Bryn and me to sound knowledgeable! The audience asked lots of questions and later it was most gratifying to have people randomly tell me how much they enjoyed it.

As a newly published author, I was thrilled to see my novel (Grey Nomad, Brio Books, 2023) sitting on the bookstand for sale, let alone have the fun of people approaching me every so often during the event to ask me to sign their copy. As many of you know, my main character in the novel is 70 year old Joyce, keen knitter and CWA member, so it was fascinating to me that most of those buying the book were the many young twenty-somethings.

(Book sales of novels by authors who were presenting at GenreCon23)

In his keynote address, Garth Nix won many writers’ hearts by talking about preparation aka reading for pleasure and how, if you want to learn to use semi-colons, read Lord of the Rings! He was a constant supportive presence for all the writers, attending as many talks as he could, even when not a presenter.

Many of the sessions were held concurrently, so I couldn’t get to all of them but there was something for everyone, e.g. Nalini Singh (romance, paranormal), Natasha Lester (historical fiction), J.P. Pomare (crime), and R.W.R. McDonald (crime). I extended my boundaries and went along to the panels on fairy tales (which included an amazing retelling of Bluebeard!), and horror (in which writers of horror turned out to be exceptionally funny people).  

By the end of the two day event, I felt rejuvenated and was itching to get back to writing. Next year, GenreCon24 will feature an overseas keynote for the first time: Patrick Ness, an American-British author of Young Adult fiction (e.g. Chaos Walking trilogy, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, A Monster Calls). I can recommend the experience to anyone interested in writing.