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For the Kimberley

Geiki Gorge landscape, in the Kimberley

It’s not about rights
(though it seems some rights mean more than others?)

It’s not about need
(who can say about greed)

It’s not about whales
(or this rare, safe place they calve)

It’s not about flora, fauna, or natural heritage
(or dinosaur footprints left 130 million years ago)

It’s not about a wilderness few will visit
(out of sight, out of mind)

It’s not even about pollution
(the inestimable clog of it)

No, it’s not about any of this
(It’s all of this)

 It is that all this damage is irreversible
(i.r.r.e.v.e.r.s.i.b.l.e.).

Land and sea are irreplaceable
And afterwards
They are all we’ll have left.

S.A.V.E. T.H.E. K.I.M.B.E.R.L.E.Y.
(and all places like it)col-md-2

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Only 90,000 words to go…

Signatures have been exchanged, and the deal is done. Most significantly for me at this stage, the deadline has been set. In January 2012, all being well, I will hand over my third novel. I began work in earnest this week, and welcomed back a familiar feeling of giddiness and discomfort – the usual combination of excitement and fear that is present when I’m writing.

I have given myself a huge challenge. All I’ll say about the story at present is that it takes place along the beautiful coastline of WA, and there’s a messy, complicated family (of course!), who are already hijacking my thoughts regularly. I have the feeling that however determined I am to take the reins of their story, there will be parts of the process where all I can do is hang on and try to enjoy the ride.

One of the best parts of this job is that readers I have never met are prepared to give my ideas and imaginings some of their precious time. My desire to write a fantastic story that will capture your heart and mind is as strong as your desire to read one, so wish me luck, and let the fun and hard work begin!col-md-2

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About

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME

Born and raised in the UK, I worked for a time in the HarperCollins fiction department in London, before freelancing as an editor. During my editing career I built up relationships with publishers in the UK and Australia, working with bestselling authors, celebrities and emerging novelists, across a broad range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction.

In 2007, I took time out from editing to finish my first book, Come Back to Me. It was published in Australia in 2010 and made the Sydney Morning Herald top ten Australian bestseller list. In 2011, Beneath the Shadows reached No. 4 on the Australian Sunday Telegraph bestsellers list, and rights were sold in the USA and Germany.  Shallow Breath was a ‘Book of the Week’ pick for the Sydney Morning Herald, while All That is Lost Between Us was described by Hannah Richell in the Australian Women’s Weekly as ‘classic suspense, but with a wonderful modern edge’. The Hidden Hours was shortlisted for a Davitt Award in 2018 and has been optioned by TV production company CJZ, while You Don’t Know Me has been adapted into a chart-topping six-part podcast drama series by Listnr in Australia, and was shortlisted for Podcast of the Year in the 2023 Commercial Radio Awards (Australia) and in the Drama Podcast category of the 2024 New York Festivals Radio Awards. The Hidden Hours, You Don’t Know Me and The Hush were all voted into Better Reading’s Top 100 books of the year by Australian readers.

My latest books are published by HarperCollins in Australia and Blackstone in the US. All my novels are available as ebooks and in audiobook format.

I live with my husband Matt, my two daughters and an assortment of animals in Perth, Western Australia. I completed my PhD at Curtin University in 2023, receiving a Chancellor’s Commendation for my research on the representation of mother figures in fiction with young adult heroines. The Hush forms part of my doctoral thesis.

I  write two substacks, taking readers behind the scenes at Story Matters, and supporting writers at The Resilient Author, exploring themes around storytelling, publishing, culture and creativity. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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