Theresa Smith's Blog, page 117
December 12, 2018
New Release Book Review: Time is the Longest Distance by Janet Clare
About the Book:
Set in the harsh desert of the Australian outback, Time Is the Longest Distance is a moral story of immorality in a place where “night comes on like a door slamming shut.”
Lilly, a 45-year-old New Yorker, is persuaded by her newly-found father, Cameron, to take on the Canning Stock Route, the most difficult outback track in the country. Crossing the dead heart of the Great Sandy and Gibson deserts, she is joined by her half-brother, Grant, and his twenty-something daughter, Jen.
Like a moon walker far from her life, Lilly becomes entangled in an unlikely love affair and a witness to an unsavoury death. The hard days and long nights provide time and space for Lilly to recall the years with her ex-husband, Stephen, artist and all-around drunk—the greatest love and disappointment in her life—forcing her to examine her own imperfections as she learns, first-hand, about the power and destruction of secrets, sexual taboos, and the thrill of transgression.
My Thoughts:
It is with mixed feelings that I write up this review of Time is the Longest Distance. I was immediately drawn into this novel, at ease with the main character, Lilly, and full of empathy for her predicament. To be told at the age of forty five that you aren’t who you always thought you were would tip even the most hardy of us off balance. Lilly already seemed a little lost within her own life, somewhat ill at ease within her relationship, as well as within her own family. That she decided to trek to Australia to meet her birth father seemed a logical step for her to take at such a fraught time.
‘The isolation here is staggering, like the magnificent desolation of distant planets.’
Now, this is where the story seemed to veer off course for me. Lilly’s father was an extremely unlikable man, yet Lilly agreed to a trip across the desert with him. I might have been more convinced of the wisdom of this journey if there had been some promising beginning to their relationship, but there really wasn’t much beyond recrimination hanging in the air between them. Accompanying them was Grant and Jen, Lilly’s newfound half-brother and his daughter. Things get very ‘Flowers in the Attic’ from here on in, and quite frankly, it was weird and the less said about this, the better. Nothing improves between Lilly and her father, at all, and the culmination of this trajectory had a shock value that didn’t sit at ease within the story. It sort of just made the entire preceding journey through the outback, and even the initial trip to Australia, particularly pointless. Another aspect of this Australian part of the story that didn’t sit well with me was the depiction of indigenous Australians. It was flawed and slanted towards misrepresentation and I don’t feel it added any authenticity to the story.
So here you have my ‘two minds’. The Australian part of the story repelled me entirely, but the bookends to this appealed greatly. I don’t think a novel has split my thinking quite so much as what this one has. There is no denying the eloquent hand that Janet Clare applies to her writing. I particularly enjoyed Lilly’s reflections on her marriage and the introspective examination on the loss of Stephen’s presence within her life. I had expected this to play a greater part in the novel but with the shift in focus it ended up on the backburner for a good while before popping up again at the end in a rather character defining moment for Lilly. My liking for this novel ebbed and flowed, but I kept on reading, driven by my initial impressions. I’m giving a split rating to this one.
‘I looked over the sea of suits and thought of all the years I’d attached my success to the man I loved. History was littered with women who had given up their desires for the so-called greater good, the better artist. Sometimes though, you lost it all. Your own dreams and those you shared.’
December 11, 2018
Behind the Pen with Isobel Blackthorn
[image error]
Welcome back to Behind the Pen. Today I am joined by fellow reviewer and esteemed author, Isobel Blackthorn, here to talk about her novel, A Perfect Square.
When did you start writing and what was the catalyst?
I started writing creatively in 2010. The catalyst was actually two years earlier when I worked as a PA to a literary agent. A whole world opened up to me in that job. While most on our list were non-fiction authors, something sparked in me and I started to take my long-buried desire to write fiction seriously. I was fortunate to receive a lot of encouragement and guidance, not least from my employer. Then, my whole life changed and I suddenly found I also had the time to really apply myself. So I did.
How many novels have you written and published?
I have written nine novels and I’m at work on my tenth. Six have been published. Another is due out in 2019, and I have my fingers crossed for the others.
How long on average does it take you to write a novel?
This very much depends on the project. One I completed in nine months from start to finish. Most take a lot longer. The incubation phase alone can take years. Every novel has had a different genesis, from the initial spark to the final draft. On average, I would say two years.
Do you have any particular qualifications that relate to the subject matter covered in this novel?
I hold a PhD in the field of Western Esotericism and in my research, I explored two distinct ways of understanding esoteric (or occult) knowledge and putting it into practice. There are those who adhere to strict rules and laws, and those who are more fluid and flexible and who think in metaphors rather than concrete truths. Much the same can be said of religion. I took this idea and explored it through two of my characters, a mother and her daughter who collaborate on producing an exhibition of music and paintings. The result is really very funny. The reader will view things from the mother’s point of view and then the daughter’s. The situation pivots on Harriet having synaesthesia, or seeing music in colours, as her beloved artist, Kandinsky did.
How would you best describe this novel to a new reader?
A Perfect Square is in essence a story of two mothers and their daughters linked by a dark mystery. While Harriet and Ginny are busy struggling to produce works for their upcoming exhibition in the Dandenongs in Melbourne’s east, Ginny is probing Harriet as to the whereabouts of her father. Meanwhile, on Devon’s moors, artist and recluse Judith is struggling to accommodate the return of her wayward daughter, Madeleine, who has left her boyfriend and dropped out of uni. The novel is strong on setting and female leads. Themes explore the mysterious power of art and the creative process, and also touches on the occult. One reviewer described it as an “artistic Gone Girl”.
How would you describe this novel if you could only use 5 words?
A slow-burning dark mystery
How much research do you do? How do you balance the demands of getting the facts right and telling a good story?
I do lots of research. Lots and lots. I research every single detail of everything in the story. I use Google maps a lot for setting if I can’t get to a place. I research buildings, local history. I talk to people. I buy obscure books to find out bits and pieces. I want to know everything there is to know that I can contain in my head, and then let it all seep into me. I am forever fact checking. That said, I am mindful of not burdening the reader with all my titbits. For example, the astute reader will notice that the chapter titles in A Perfect Square are based on Kandinsky’s essay ‘On Spirituality’. But nowhere do I tell the reader this.
How much planning do you do? Do you plan/plot the entire story from beginning to end, or let it evolve naturally as the writing progresses? In terms of characters, are they already a firm picture in your mind before you start writing or do they develop a personality of their own as the story progresses?
I do as little planning as possible. I like things to emerge. My characters are felt or sensed, rather than fully formed and I love watching them evolve as the story progresses. If I am writing in the crime/mystery/thriller genre, then I tend to have the bones of the plot worked out and an ending in mind. Often, I start writing the first few chapters and see what happens, and after that I find myself plotting. The further into the story, the more narrative control is needed.
Where do you normally write? Is it in the same place every day or are you an all over the place writer?
I have a large study which is really rather luxurious with a high ceiling and diamond pane windows, but I have chosen to tuck my corner desk in behind a door. Answering this question has me thinking I might rearrange the room. I am either here, at my desk, or in an armchair in the other room, which is where I do a lot of composing as I do like to be comfortable and very, very quiet.
You can wear one pair of shoes for the rest of your life. What type are they and what colour?
Ugg boots, and probably just plain brown. Mind you, sunshine yellow would be nice, but they would get awfully dirty over time!
Connect with Isobel:
[image error]
Website and blog: http://isobelblackthorn.com
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter: @IBlackthorn
December 10, 2018
New Release Book Review: The Au Pair by Emma Rous
About the Book:
A tautly plotted mystery of dark family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Morton.
Seraphine Mayes and her brother Danny are known as the summer-born Summerbournes: the first set of summer twins to be born at Summerbourne House. But on the day they were born their mother threw herself to her death, their au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark-cloaked figures and a stolen baby.
Now twenty-five, and mourning the recent death of her father, Seraphine uncovers a family photograph taken on the day the twins were born featuring both parents posing with just one baby. Seraphine soon becomes fixated with the notion that she and Danny might not be twins after all, that she wasn’t the baby born that day and that there was more to her mother’s death than she has ever been told…
Why did their beloved au pair flee that day?
Where is she now?
Does she hold the key to what really happened?
My Thoughts:
‘Danny and I were always told this was the first picture taken of us after all those months lost to grief when we were born. It’s a bright winter scene, the ground blanketed in snow, and five-year-old Edwin wears a navy blue duffel coat and bright blue mittens and no hat. The bare branches of the Summerbourne orchard are visible behind him, and he holds a carrot and stands next to a noseless snowman. Instead of looking at the camera, his eyes are fixed on two babies propped up in an old-fashioned pram. I have a sudden memory of Dad telling me this was the brief stage when Danny and I were the same size; when he’d just caught up with me, before he surged ahead and left me forever the smaller one. We wear read bobble hats, almost certainly knitted by Vera, and we’re zipped into quilted snowsuits, wedged in next to each other, and we stare out at the world – at the snow, the sky, our big brother – with matching startled expressions.’
The Au Pair is a novel that more than lives up to the anticipation surrounding its release. It’s deeply atmospheric with a tangled web of mystery anchoring the two timelines it shifts between. I’ve always loved a story that revolves around an old house, but in this novel, I was treated to not one, but two atmospheric family homes and I absolutely loved the way the author connected these. Summerbourne is the family’s country home, the scene of the mystery and most of the action, but Winterbourne, the family’s city home, plays its part as well, particularly towards the end. All throughout the novel, the author is weaving this imagery of Summerbourne as a living entity. It’s a real treat and taps into why so many of us enjoy stories revolving around old houses.
‘I stare at him. Is it true? How could I have hurt him and not known about it? The hairs on my arms rise, and the air around me seems to shift and relayer itself, as if Summerbourne itself is sifting through its memories.’
We experience this story in the first person in both timelines, from the perspective of Seraphine, the daughter of the family in the present day and Laura, the mysterious au pair from the past. Despite this first person narration, I felt we were given a thorough insight into all of the other characters. I was quite impressed by this actually because while first person narration offers an intimate journey with the main character, it can often leave you disconnected from the other characters, unless its skilfully deployed, which in this case, it certainly was. Seraphine’s actions really drive the narrative in this novel and I was impressed at how well linked the two timelines actually were. This was definitely not a case of two separate but loosely linked stories finding a home within the same book. Far from it. With each chapter that alternated, links were formed and at all times, I keenly felt the momentum of both stories moving towards the same end point. The tension that built as the mystery deepened was taut and well executed, Seraphine’s increasing paranoia mirroring my own urgency to just keep on reading. What begins with Seraphine discovering a previously unseen photo taken on the day of her birth rapidly grows into a time bomb just waiting to detonate, blasting apart this family and their history, along with a few innocent (and not so innocent) bystanders.
‘Photos of seagulls and sunsets follow, and I shuffle through them until I reach the final picture: a domestic scene both recognisable and unfamiliar. The hairs at the base of my skull prickle, and I hold my breath, and the air in the room presses closer, as if it too is straining to absorb the details.’
This story is one of tragedy and obsession, of selfish ambition and selfless sacrifice, and of love, in all its complicated glory. Emma Rous provides some great characterisation within this novel and I was able to empathise with all of the characters, even the ones who acted without honour. There is some gorgeous writing throughout and as I mentioned earlier, the narrative is infused with atmosphere. The Au Pair is a terrific novel, well paced and plotted to perfection. I highly recommend this one.
‘The future hovered like a boat about to raise its sail, waiting for my next words, suspended between elements, tugged by guilt and love and desperation.’
December 9, 2018
Pre-Release Book Review: The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
About the Book:
She was beautiful. She was a genius. Could the world handle both? A powerful, illuminating novel about Hedy Lamarr.
Hedy Kiesler is lucky. Her beauty leads to a starring role in a controversial film and marriage to a powerful Austrian arms dealer, allowing her to evade Nazi persecution despite her Jewish heritage. But Hedy is also intelligent. At lavish Vienna dinner parties, she overhears the Third Reich’s plans. One night in 1937, desperate to escape her controlling husband and the rise of the Nazis, she disguises herself and flees her husband’s castle.
She lands in Hollywood, where she becomes Hedy Lamarr, screen star. But Hedy is keeping a secret even more shocking than her Jewish heritage: she is a scientist. She has an idea that might help the country and that might ease her guilt for escaping alone – if anyone will listen to her. A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose ground-breaking invention revolutionized modern communication, The Only Woman in the Room is a masterpiece.
My Thoughts:
Fictional biographies are fast becoming one of my favourite sub-genres, particularly when they’re about the under-valued achievements of women from history. I’m not sure if more of them are being released all of a sudden or if it’s just that I’m taking more notice of them, but either way, I am enjoying them a lot. Marie Benedict sums up in her author notes why I love these stories so much:
‘Faulty assumptions about women’s capabilities, stemming in part from the conscripted roles into which they’d been slotted, has caused many to think more narrowly about the manner in which the past has been shaped. But unless we begin to view historical women through a broader, more inclusive lens – and rewrite them back into the narrative – we will continue to view the past more restrictively than it likely was, and we risk carrying those perspectives over into the present.’
[image error]
On that note, let’s turn our attention to the woman who is the focus of Marie Benedict’s latest novel, The Only Woman in the Room: Hedy Lamarr. Described by many biographers as the ‘most beautiful woman in the world’ Hedy was far more than a glamourous face. She was resourceful, brave, analytical and intelligent. Her talent for acting proved its worth off the stage on more than one occasion throughout her life, particularly while she was married to her first husband, Austrian arms dealer, Fritz Mandl. Married to Mandl at the age of nineteen, theirs was a relationship built from fear and obsession. Mandl’s powerful connections within Austria were well known and her family felt as though they had no choice but to agree to the marriage, foreseeing the possibility that Mandl may be able to provide protection if Hitler ever expanded his reign into Austria. Mandl appeared to be obsessed with Hedy’s beauty, and as his wife, she became ‘the only woman in the room’ on many occasions of highly secretive war talks. Mandl restrained Hedy, obsessively controlled her as much as possible and was often violent towards her:
‘By imprisoning me, it seemed, he hoped to cage the rampant virus that was Hitler. I became the unspoken emblem of the evil within and without whenever he needed a place to vent his anger.’
He also underestimated her and by allowing her to be ‘the only woman in the room’ he gifted her with extensive knowledge about the Nazis and their plans for Europe’s Jews.
‘The gravity of my crime had become clear. Could I have helped the European Jews if I’d made known that the Nuremberg Laws were not the limit of Hitler’s plans? I bore the blame for keeping this secret. My silence and selfishness had allowed the floodgates to open, but what was I going to do to make amends?’
The knowledge that Hedy came by through her marriage to Fritz became a heavy burden for her. While she was able to escape to Paris, then London, and finally to Hollywood, this knowledge plagued her and as the war in Europe escalated and word of the atrocities filtered over to the US to her, this burden manifested itself into guilt, which over time, propelled her to take action. Movie star by day, scientific inventor by night, Hedy, along with musician and composer George Antheil, invented a technology and went on to patent it, only to have it rejected by the military on account of it being invented by a woman. They instead suggested that she use her beauty to sell war bonds for the war effort – which she ended up doing and making more money for the war than anyone ever before her. But the frustration of this dismissal must have stung. She had especially not used the Hedy Lamarr name in order to avoid not being taken seriously, but in the end, she still wasn’t taken seriously.
‘Hedy’s scientific legacy lives among us in ways she never could have envisioned – nor could anyone else in 1942 when she and George Antheil received their patent. By creating aspects of the foundation for current cell phones, her ideas are woven into the technological texture of nearly everyone’s lives and the fabric of modern society. But the events leading up to Hedy’s invention and the manner in which the military rejected its use in World War II – using instead her astonishing beauty to raise money for the war – leave another legacy, particularly when the military and its contractors later utilised her work without crediting her influence for decades. They are an important testament to the marginalisation of the contributions of historical women, both in their own time and beyond.’
Marie Benedict has used a lot of sources to piece together these parts of Hedy’s life, but of course, this is a fictional biography, so creative license is expected. Even taking this into account, I thoroughly enjoyed this portrayal of Hedy’s early adult years. There was a lot of plausibility embedded within the narrative. Hedy finally was given recognition for her scientific efforts in the 1990s, but if her invention had been implemented during WWII, one can’t help but ponder on how many lives might have been saved. This novel is fast paced and concise, it covers a lot of ground and time with minimal fuss and maximum action. In many ways, it is devoid of the usual descriptions of scene and incidentals, cutting right to the quick and giving you the facts without the frippery. Maybe this comes from the author being a lawyer. I enjoyed the style, the pace lending the narrative an urgency that matched the story. This is the third fictional biography Marie Benedict has written and I am keen to read the previous two. If they are anything like The Only Woman in the Room, I am certain I will enjoy them.
December 7, 2018
New Release Book Review: On the Same Page by Penelope Janu
About the Book:
WINNER OF THE XO ROMANCE PRIZE
Sometimes a girl just has to do what’s in her heart …
By day Miles Franklin, named after the famous author, is a successful lawyer. But by night she writes historical romance novels under the pen name Emma Browning. When Miles’s assistant covertly enters her boss’s novel in one of Australia’s biggest literary awards—and it wins—Miles’s perfectly ordered world is torn apart.
Lars Kristensen smells a rat. As the CEO of Iconic International, the company publishing Miles’s prize-winning novel, he’s determined to meet the author and uncover her true identity. But Miles is equally determined to protect her privacy—and to keep writing. Even if it means mastering pole dancing, and choreographing a love scene in the back of a horse-drawn carriage … Well, she is a romance writer, after all.
Miles has the grit to keep her secret, but Lars has the smouldering looks and arrogance of any romantic hero she has ever imagined.
Hmm. Sometimes a girl just has to turn the page …
My Thoughts:
On the Same Page is a romance novel and as many of you who regularly follow this blog will know, I have a tricky relationship with romance novels and they don’t often pop up here. I liked the sound of this one though, and the cover is particularly pretty, appealing to the reader in me with the model lying on the grass, lost in a book. Fans of romance fiction will really enjoy this novel. There is a definite rom-com feel to it as the plot unfolds in a comedy of errors fashion. And if you’re a fan of regency romance (which I’m not, unfortunately) you will enjoy the extracts included from Miles’s own novels interspersed throughout the story.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take to Miles, at all. She frustrated me endlessly and I found her to be erratic and incredibly sketchy. There was an inconsistency to her that made it difficult for me to really settle into this story. On the one hand, she would passionately defend the romance genre and Emma’s readers, but she was hiding her true identity as a romance author from everyone in her life, bar one friend. I couldn’t really put my finger on her motivations for keeping her pseudonym a secret. There was certainly an aspect of Miles’s personality that fit with the idea that she was shying away from public life and all of the hoopla that can come with being a successful author. And she was doing just fine really, selling hundreds of thousands of ebooks and making a decent living, with no public profile at all, which is something so unrealistic that it really bothered me. Any self-published author would baulk at this idea that they could be so successful with no public profile at all and each of the very successful ones will have a strong social media presence as well as a website, at a minimum. With so many million books on offer today, books really do not sell themselves. But I digress. While Miles’s personality was one that shied away from the limelight, I couldn’t help but think that she was actually embarrassed for anyone to find out that she was a romance author, which of course, contradicts her passion for the genre. She was certainly afraid of her parents finding out. But, when you truly love something, you’re usually proudly defending it. There was an indication towards the end that for Miles, Emma was her ‘better self’ and that by releasing her out into the world, she was no longer valid. This made more sense to me but I would have liked this to have been explored earlier, strengthening this motivation to keep the pseudonym a secret. By the time I read this, I was so sick of Miles lying and giving everyone the run around. It had lost its potency. And unfortunately, the ending further lets Miles off the hook, making me wonder at the point of her journey; there was no character growth, no turning a new corner, no confronting her fears and moving onto bigger and better things. No standing up to her parents. I was very disappointed about this. The endless round of clumsy antics, accidents and non-stop blushing got on my nerves and I pretty much had zero empathy for Miles. I found myself instead feeling quite sorry for everyone else who was getting roped into her nonsense. One thing though, that I did appreciate about her, was her dedication to her writing. As a writer of historical fiction, authenticity doesn’t come easily, but Miles went to a great deal of effort to ensure she was able to write her scenes as authentically as possible – sometimes, I was taken aback at the lengths she went to, but fortunately for her she had a very accommodating friend in Jack.
Sometimes disliking a main character makes it impossible to appreciate a novel, but there was still plenty in On the Same the Page to keep me reading. There are a whole host of clever literary references and the supporting characters, particularly Jack, were entertaining enough to keep me reading. I quite liked Lars and could completely empathise with his frustrations about Miles, but I truly didn’t understand the attraction he felt towards her. She did nothing but lie to him and waste his time. I kept secretly wishing for him to out her! I did want to initially smack Pippy for even putting Miles into the competition in the first place, but she was kind of endearing and really grew on me as the novel progressed. Crystal was another character I really enjoyed, particularly because she was one of the few people in Miles’s life who didn’t pander to her. It’s a testament to Penelope’s skill as a writer, being able to hold reader interest in the story despite an iffy main character. I’ve read many reviews of Penelope’s previous novels, all highly rated and recommended, and I can see the merit in these accolades.
There’s a couple of really good messages embedded within this story. First, keeping a secret identity can often put you into situations that you would have ordinarily avoided. If you want to maintain control over your life, then perhaps shelve the secret identity. And second, reading, no matter what the chosen genre, should always be valued. In order for reading to be accessible and enjoyable, we need all sorts of genres and storytellers.
December 6, 2018
Book Review: Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney
About the Book:
For more than thirty years, Angela Gillespie has sent friends and family around the world an end-of-year letter titled ‘Hello from the Gillespies’. It’s always been cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises herself – she tells the truth…
From the bestselling author of The Trip of a Lifetime comes a funny and heartfelt novel about miscommunication and mayhem in a family like no other.
My Thoughts:
Monica McInerney’s novels are always such a treasure for me. Hello from the Gillespies is not Monica’s latest release, but we selected it for our November bookclub as a Christmas read. It’s not a Christmas story exactly, but it does open at the beginning of December with Angela Gillespie struggling to write her annual Christmas letter. Christmas themes was enough for us, and I am certainly glad we went with this title. It was fabulous. But Monica always is! Right from the very first page, I was glued to this novel, and it didn’t take me very long to read the 500+ pages.
On the spur of the moment, Angela decides to just write the truth about her family, warts and all, in a kind of mind cleansing, ‘get it all out and I’ll feel better after’ approach. She never intended on the letter actually being sent to the 100 people on her email list, but after a series of distractions and another person deciding they would be extra helpful by sending out what had been left unsent, the letter goes out, in all its truth telling glory. It’s mortifyingly honest and Angela is understandably horrified when she realises it’s all ‘out there’. The fallout from sending such a brutally honest letter is quite interesting, the reactions of Angela’s children, her husband, her extended family and her neighbours; they all differ in their responses and it’s rather thought provoking, and of course, highly entertaining. The letter itself was just gold, although I can understand her children’s horror.
‘You can either laugh about it or kill yourself about it, and you’re my best friend and I don’t want you dead. So we’re going to laugh about it and we’ll get you through this together.’
But there is far more to this novel than the letter, although it does act as a catalyst for all that is to come after. Along with the expected repercussions, there are also a whole lot of benefits from Angela’s honest outpouring. Each of the characters begin to evaluate themselves within the context of where they’re at within their own lives as opposed to their expectations on where they should be. Each are also forced, by circumstances beyond the letter, to consider their role within their family.
‘Was that just what life was like when you were a mother? You were so busy with your children you didn’t have time for your children?’
I really loved this novel with its lively Gillespie family. The dynamic between the siblings was spot on for a large family and despite three of the sisters being adults, they didn’t let that get in the way of being siblings once they, and their little brother Ig (who was a real treasure by the way), all got together. There’s so much to relate to within the pages of this novel: as an individual, as a parent, as a spouse, as a sibling, as an adult child, and as a friend. It has all the feels and you’ll be chuckling away while also dabbing at your eyes. Sometimes the truth really will set you free, even if it does burn in the beginning. I highly recommend you make room in your reading schedule for Hello from the Gillespies this Christmas season.
December 5, 2018
New Release Book Review: The Book of Daniel by Jeff Apter
About the Book:
The highs, lows and incredible life of the enigmatic Daniel Johns, from Silverchair to DREAMS
When Silverchair shuddered to a halt in 2011, there was no swan song, no farewell tour, just a brief statement and then they were gone – after more than fifteen years of brilliant music, five hit albums, legions of fans, millions of record sales, scores of awards and the odd controversy. Three teenagers from Newcastle had taken the world by storm within the time it typically takes most bands to record their first single. Over their stratospheric career, Daniel Johns developed into a performer and songwriter with few peers in modern music.
Shortly after the break-up of the band, Johns’s marriage to pop star Natalie Imbruglia also ended. He became the focus of sordid headlines and whispers of wayward behaviour. People feared what might happen next.
But at the same time a new Daniel Johns emerged. His debut solo album, Talk, appeared to rapturous reviews in 2015 and raced to the top of the Australian charts, and then 2018 saw the advent of DREAMS, his long-awaited collaboration with Luke Steele. This was a vastly different Daniel Johns to the grungy, guitar-blazing teen of the 1990s. His new sound and image were sophisticated, brilliant and sexy as hell. It was a remarkable creative makeover, perhaps the most ambitious ever undertaken by an Australian rockstar. Former rockstar.
The Book of Daniel documents how the reclusive Johns also battled many personal demons, including life-threatening anorexia and crippling reactive arthritis. Drawing on more than fifteen years of documenting the life and times of Daniel Johns, author Jeff Apter has brought his story to life, revealing the struggles and triumphs of one of Australia’s most distinctive and dazzling talents. The book also includes a collection of exclusive photographs of Johns by eminent rock photographer Tony Mott.
My Thoughts:
When Silverchair burst onto the Australian music scene in September of 1994 with Tomorrow, I was reaching the end of my final year of high school. We were deep into the Grunge era at that point of the 90s and it was all about Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins for me. Despite Silverchair having a sound that resonated to my (then) music tastes, I deliberately shunned them, because they were kids, and there was no way I was going to be caught fan-girling over a trio of fourteen year old boys. But with each new album, the Silverchair sound kept evolving and their final album, Young Modern, was eons away from Frogstomp. When I consider the music that has defined certain eras of my life, Silverchair feature pretty heavily. But there’s so much more to Daniel than Silverchair. Over the years, both during band breaks and post Silverchair, he’s worked on a host of differentiated music projects. When Daniel Johns made his comeback in 2015 as a solo artist with Talk, I was listening to it from the start. His sound had evolved dramatically, but so had my music tastes. This year he’s collaborating with Luke Steele as Dreams. I love how he’s constantly evolving and reinventing himself, it’s just fantastic and incredibly inspirational. Although I will say, Miss You Love and Straight Lines remain my favourite ways to listen to Daniel’s voice.
‘And what about hobbies: did he have any? “My hobby became my job when I was really young.”’
As I’ve been reading this book, I’ve been thinking a lot about Daniel Johns, Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou as fourteen year olds becoming instant rockstars. My eldest son is fourteen, and the way these boys are described in the book has me thinking that they were no more or less mature than what my son is; they were just regular fourteen year old boys with a short attention span who loved to play loud music, clown around, skate, and surf. And I look at my son and imagine him with all of that instant adoration, all of that pressure and scrutiny, and I am astounded that these boys made it through and stayed together as a band for as long as they did. That they each had extremely supportive parents is very fortuitous, and their band management was pretty solid too. That there may have been issues along the road should really come as no surprise. For Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou, fame seemed easier for them to come at, but for Daniel, it was a very different story.
‘When we started out, at thirteen or fourteen, we were exactly the same. But as we grew up and went through the same kind of experiences, it’s interesting how it affected us and shaped our personalities. We went through the whole being-famous-and-going-through-adolescence thing together, and came out the other side complete opposites. I’ve no idea how it happened.’
He seems to me, from this account, to be an introvert. An insanely talented artist who was repelled by fame, repelled by the adoration; utterly terrified of public life and plagued by ill-health. He hated touring and performing live. An artist who was forever seeking to leave Tomorrow behind. His personal story is sad, creatively inspirational, yes, but ultimately heartbreaking, because in truth, he still doesn’t seem to have it all together. He’s only two years younger than me, but the whole time I was reading this book, the mother in me kept rearing its head. He’s been through so much: astronomical highs at an extremely young age; health challenges that would have levelled many. And yet, here he is, still producing music, completely on his own terms.
‘The curious case of Daniel Johns. A rebel teen at 40 years old and an amazing artist at 24.’
Jeff Apter is a skilled biographer. The Book of Daniel is a fact based biography, but Jeff has taken all of these facts, along with anecdotes and interview extracts, and interwoven them with seamless precision. The entire book reads like a story and I enjoyed that it was presented chronologically. I’m not a fan of memoirs but biographies, when written well, I do enjoy – especially music ones. Jeff’s extensive knowledge of the Australian music industry, combined with his clear ability to write well, has resulted in a polished biography that is intimate without being intrusive, and entertaining without being gratuitous. There are some great photos included, along with a collection of insightful quotes from Daniel himself at the top of each chapter. The Book of Daniel is a really well put together biography and I highly recommend it.
December 4, 2018
Behind the Pen with Janet Clare
[image error]Today I welcome American author Janet Clare to Behind the Pen. Her debut novel, Time is the Longest Distance, is being released on December 11 by Vine Leaves Press, an Australian small press.
When did you start writing and what was the catalyst?
I started writing seriously about twenty-five years ago, and I wasn’t a kid. I always loved to read and I greatly admired writers, and dreamed of being one myself. However, I admit that part of the catalyst was that my ex-husband had come out with a very decent non-fiction book and I was extraordinarily upset, perhaps childishly so. I was a bit like the wife who puts her husband through medical school and then he takes off with his nurse. Although, in my case, I was the one who initiated our breakup, a therapist asked if I was sorry we weren’t together for what I saw as his success. After thinking about it, I decided, no, I wanted it for myself. And, for me success was finishing my novel. The true reward was finding the great joy of writing.
What is your favourite scene and why?
This is difficult. My novel is short and therefore I think all the scenes are just as necessary. I would have to say an early scene where Lilly travels to Los Angeles after her mother has summoned her, which pretty much establishes who Lilly is. Then, of course, a scene much later that I won’t reveal because it would be giving away too much. Guess, you have to read the book!
What inspired your novel?
Years ago, I heard about a man who, having spent most of his life in the United States, returned home to Australia for his father’s funeral only to find he had a whole other family living on the other side of the country. It started me thinking about that vast land, and all the spaces where we hide ourselves. How separate we can be from people – often family and those we love – who we see every day. And, too, the longing for those lost from our lives.
How would you best describe this novel to a new reader?
It’s a story of discovery and yearning. An American woman traveling in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, and she’s related to them. It’s a story about exploring secrets and re-examining decisions.
How much research do you do? How do you balance the demands of getting the facts right telling a good story?
I did quite a bit of research for this book. Lot’s of reading, checking facts through various websites. I had so much information. Maybe too much. My teacher and mentor, the late Les Plesko, gave the best advice about research and fiction. Do it, and then forget it. In other words, for the most part just let what you’ve learned seep in, let it become a part of you. So that it becomes a part of the work.
How much planning do you do? Do you plot the entire story from beginning to end, or let it evolve naturally as the writing progresses? In terms of characters, are they already a firm picture in your mind or do they develop a personality of their own as the story progresses?
I make notes. Scraps of paper, post-its. Some that have nothing to do with what I’m writing, but nevertheless may work their way in. Never an outline. I admire people who do it, but I can’t. I have an idea, a point of view, and a place, which is very important to me, and obvious in Time Is the Longest Distance. My protagonist might come from someone I see, which was the beginning for my second novel. I’m always curious about interesting strangers, what their story might be. So, I try to listen, (I confess to being a terrible eavesdropper, though I also ask questions if it’s appropriate), then I just make it up. Start and see where it goes, which is often never where I would have thought at the outset.
Do you have an all-time favorite book? Why is this book significant to you?
I think if I had to narrow it down, it would have to be Beryl Markham’s, West With the Night. I first read it a very long time ago, and frankly, I should read it again. But it’s just a wonderfully brave, true account of an amazing woman. It’s also a love affair. And, it’s Africa. What could be better? This book is part of why I wanted to travel to Africa, and I did, after surviving a catastrophic illness that wasn’t. I went on my own. Though with none of the dashing bravery of Markham.
Drink you enjoy every day?
Easy. Coffee. Then more coffee.
Fashion accessory that despite having plenty you still keep collecting?
Love a fashion question. Scarves. You could always use another, fresh one, right? And, they’re easy to buy, no taking off your clothes to try it on!
Favourite place to be?
Anywhere I’m not. And, near the ocean.
Time is the Longest Distance
[image error]Set in the harsh desert of the Australian outback, Time Is the Longest Distance is a moral story of immorality in a place where “night comes on like a door slamming shut.”
Lilly, a 45-year-old New Yorker, is persuaded by her newly-found father, Cameron, to take on the Canning Stock Route, the most difficult outback track in the country. Crossing the dead heart of the Great Sandy and Gibson deserts, she is joined by her half-brother, Grant, and his twenty-something daughter, Jen.
Like a moon walker far from her life, Lilly becomes entangled in an unlikely love affair and a witness to an unsavoury death. The hard days and long nights provide time and space for Lilly to recall the years with her ex-husband, Stephen, artist and all-around drunk—the greatest love and disappointment in her life—forcing her to examine her own imperfections as she learns, first-hand, about the power and destruction of secrets, sexual taboos, and the thrill of transgression.
Released on 11th December 2018
Available for Pre-order from Amazon
December 3, 2018
New Release Book Review: Just After Midnight by Catherine Ryan Hyde
About the Book:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes an uplifting and poignant novel about friendship, trust, and facing your fears.
No longer tolerating her husband’s borderline abuse, Faith escapes to her parents’ California beach house to plan her next move. She never dreamed her new chapter would involve befriending Sarah, a fourteen-year-old on the run from her father and reeling from her mother’s sudden and suspicious death.
While Sarah’s grandmother scrambles to get custody, Faith is charged with spiriting the girl away on a journey that will restore her hope: Sarah implores Faith to take her to Falkner’s Midnight Sun, the prized black mare that her father sold out from under her. Sarah shares an unbreakable bond with Midnight and can’t bear to be apart from her. Throughout the sweltering summer, as they follow Midnight from show to show, Sarah comes to terms with what she witnessed on the terrible night her mother died.
But the journey is far from over. Faith must learn the value of trusting her instincts—and realize that the key to her future, and Sarah’s, is in her hands.
My Thoughts:
Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novels are so under-rated, in my opinion. I have never seen a paperback of hers on a shelf in any store, and even when there’s a new release, I usually find it by accident on my eBook retailer’s shelves, never in a promotion or by a review. I really hope this is just an Australian thing. I sense she’s very well known in her homeland of America, but her stories are universal, and I just think so many readers in other countries are missing out on such a good author. So, I’ll keep doing my bit by reading and reviewing her novels, one by one, in the hopes that I can persuade some of you to give her a go.
Just After Midnight is a journey novel, both actually and metaphorically. Faith is putting some distance between herself and her husband after finally leaving him. Sarah is in danger, emotionally and possibly physically, after witnessing her mother’s death. After meeting Sarah and her grandmother, Constance, quite by accident, a series of circumstances leads her to getting to know the pair, and subsequently, helping them out by taking Sarah away with her for the summer as a means of protecting the girl. Just After Midnight is very much a character driven novel, and while it’s told in Faith’s voice only, Catherine Ryan Hyde has such skill as a writer that we clearly hear Sarah and even Constance, and feel their pain, what they’re going through, and sense what it is they need, without ever being in their heads. Just After Midnight is also a horse novel. It’s about dressage, something Catherine Ryan Hyde knows a lot about, so we are treated to the ins and outs of the sport as Faith goes from knowing nothing to having a reasonable grasp on the basics. More than this though, is the aspect of connection between a horse and its owner. I absolutely love horse novels, it’s inexplicable, I don’t even have a horse, but I love them and I always have. So for me, the strong focus on horses throughout this novel was like heaven spread over the pages. And because we were being guided with such expertise by Catherine, the knowledge was woven into the narrative seamlessly, and never appeared as a dressage lesson or a case of information overload.
“How do I say this?” he continued. “That girl and that mare, they belong together. They need to be together. That girl has put her whole life outside of school into riding dressage, and that horse is her partner. Her match. It’s so wrong for them to be separated that we can hardly even sleep at night. It’s like the world should have shifted off its axis because this is so wrong, what happened, and we can’t figure out how life is just going on like it’s all okay. The more time you spend around her, the more I hope you’re getting that.”
“I think I pretty well have it,” Faith said. “I just don’t know what anybody can do about it.”
Essentially, Just After Midnight is about trauma. Sarah’s mother is not long dead, she believes her father is responsible, and on the back of this, he has sold her beloved horse, Midnight, to clear a gambling debt. But he did it without telling her. And this is no small thing because the horse is valued at $75,000. The betrayal to Sarah is portrayed with stunning clarity. This girl is grieving, afraid, angry, and frantically worried about her horse. She convinces Faith to follow the dressage circuit for the summer so she can be with Midnight a bit longer. The connection between Sarah and Midnight was profound.
“I’m not a perfect person by any means, Faith, but I do genuinely love horses. I love what I do because I care about them so. There’s a thing that happens to horses who are sold to too many owners – a sort of spiraling slide down into misery. The more times they’re sold, the more sour they get, and the more sour they get, the more times they’re sold. I care too much for that beautiful animal to see that happen. And in addition to caring for horses, I care for the vulnerable young girls who love them. Especially the ones who are humble enough and grateful enough to appreciate a fine horse when they have one.”
Where does Faith fit into all this? She’s in her late thirties but has no children. The state of her marriage has led to this, so now she’s finding herself in the role of a mother figure to Sarah, a trusted confidante. It allows her to focus on something other than her husband, but bearing witness to Sarah’s trauma also allows Faith the opportunity to gain clarity over her own situation, leading to some ground-breaking decisions and courageous moments. I just loved Faith. She was so giving; a rare and special person. The relationship that develops between Faith and Sarah was so special, all the more I think because neither were actually looking for it. One of those serendipitous right place at the right time moments that change lives. These are the sorts of moments Catherine Ryan Hyde is known for building novels up from.
There are some hard hitting moments throughout, raw and intense, where a character’s pain is a tangible force on the page.
“I didn’t mean that. I meant…should I wake her? You know how when a child is having a nightmare and they’re acting afraid in their sleep? You wake them. You kiss them awake to save them from it. So they’ll see there’s nothing to be afraid of. But what do you do when a child is heartbroken in her sleep but the world you’re waking her up into is no better?”
I just love the imagery Catherine generates with her words. You feel yourself in the scene, experiencing the emotions as the characters do. She is such a good writer. I’ve read several of her novels now, and each one has affected me deeply.
‘Harlan Deaver looked down at the carpet in shame. Faith couldn’t even see his face. But she could feel his shame. It was in his body language. It was there in the room. It all but filled up the breathable air, leaving no room for anything else to exist.’
If you like your fiction hard hitting and authentic, character driven and immersive, I highly recommend Just After Midnight. You may likely cry, but you’ll also rejoice in the beauty of human connection and be awed by the love that exists between a teenage girl and her horse.
‘Faith thought from the girl’s voice that she might be crying. Or right on the edge of it. Just at that place where emotions twist your mouth around and cause a word to come out sounding shaky and strange. But in the dark it was hard to tell.’
December 2, 2018
Behind the Pen with Penelope Janu
I am delighted to welcome Penelope Janu to Behind the Pen today. Over to you Penelope…
[image error]
When did you start writing and what was the catalyst?
After I finished school, I took a conventional path, going to university to study history and law, travelling for a year, working as a solicitor and legal academic, doing post-graduate study in law, and having six children. I never had the time to write, or so I thought. My start in creative writing (compared with my other writing—involving thousands of footnotes!) came via a masters degree. I’d never studied writing or literature—even though I’d always wanted to put the stories in my mind into a more permanent form—so going back to uni was, for me, a means by which I thought I might be able to write something that someone might want to read. Some of my early career skills were transferable—once I’d started writing, I wrote in a very disciplined way. And I guess that’s why, within five years, I’d completed three manuscripts.
What is your favourite character from one of your novels and why?
I have a soft spot for many of my characters, particularly my female leads, but a contemporary character called Miles Franklin, the protagonist in On the Same Page, is definitely one of my favourites. Miles is burdened with parents who are great literary writers, but snobby and pretentious. Miles is, like most writers, very widely read, but her greatest reading love is historical romance novels, and she writes in this genre as well. There is a clash in her personal and professional lives (as a lawyer and a writer) because her parents, and others in her life, lack respect for what she does. Miles is a shy and private person, but has a warm and generous spirit and never loses sight of what will make her happy. She gets involved in many situations that are difficult for her, but manages to pick herself up—just in time to be challenged all over again.
How far has your writing career evolved from when you first began to write, to what it is today?
I’m still very much learning and developing as a writer—I don’t think that will ever stop, and I don’t want it to.
Is this in line with your initial expectations?
I always imagined writing would give me joy, and I was right about that. And I wanted to be traditionally published, and have been fortunate to have achieved that ambition relatively early in my writing career. Even so, there are marketing and other commitments that come with being a writer, and it took me a while to come to terms with those. I spent so many years teaching my children the perils of social media, and now I am very much a part of it! On the bright side, I’ve made some really good friends, and learnt a great deal from other writers at all different stages in their writing careers. Finding out about the publishing side of the industry has also been a steep learning curve. It is a business (who would have thought?) and I am a brand (I think …)
Are you balancing a different career with your writing?
I now only work one or two days in a legal space. The rest is of the time I write. Most of my children have moved out of home, so preparing six sets of school lunches is a thing of the past, much as I miss many aspects of having little ones under my feet.
[image error]
How do you go about making time for your writing within limited hours?
When I write, just like when I read, I am generally impervious to anything going on around me. Often to my family’s consternation! But even though I have more time now, leaving my house and giving myself a deadline generally works well for me—particularly when I’m writing a scene that I’m struggling with. I think there is a lot of truth to the adage that you can’t edit a blank page. Often words that are ultimately deleted, lead me to the place I really need to go, and there is no way I would have made it there without them. But I have to sit down and write those words in the first place!
How much planning do you do? Do you plan/plot the entire story from beginning to end, or let it evolve naturally as the writing progresses? In terms of characters, are they already a firm picture in your mind before you start writing or do they develop a personality of their own as the story progresses?
I plan very little at the start of a novel—except for giving my characters occupations that interest me and that I’d like to find out more about. My character in On the Right Track, Golden Saunders, is a speech pathologist, and this character was inspired by a friend who uses animal therapy in the treatment of her young patients. I’m terribly slow in writing the first few chapters of every novel, because I feel I can’t go any further until I have a very clear idea of the character’s voice. The speechie aspect led to some wonderful ideas with this book in terms of ways in which the two main characters communicate (and fail to communicate!) with each other. Once I have the voice, I generally have the character as well. Writing organically like this does have its challenges—on the one hand I am excited to find out what will happen as the story progresses. On the other hand I become anxious that I don’t quite know what will happen, and I’m tens of thousands of words into the book!
How would you describe On the Same Page if you could only use five words?
Books, writing, friendship and love.
How much research do you do? How do you balance the demands of getting the facts right and telling a good story?
It’s important to get the facts right. Yet … the facts shouldn’t get in the way of the story. It is a balancing act! In my first novel, In At The Deep End, the characters Harriet and Per share the same surnames as Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen, who led the first and second teams to the South Pole. Although the early expeditions were used in the book as a means to explore differences in approach to a modern day dilemma—global warming—I did a great deal of research on the South Pole expeditions, and on climate science. In my academic life, I’d taught a unit called ‘The Global Legal Regulation of Climate Change.’ I knew something about the law, I researched the science, but I had to communicate these elements in a way that would appeal to readers (and Harriet and Per had to fall in love as well!).
Where do you normally write? Is it in the same place every day or are you an all over the place writer?
Definitely all over the place—and often in my head. A couple of years ago I hiked 320km across England (from the west coast to the east) with my husband and a few friends, and we only got back from walking around Mt Blanc (200km of quite steep climbing!) taking in France, Switzerland and Italy, a few weeks ago. I thought through a lot of plot points while trudging up the hills. At home I do a lot of coastal and bush walking, which I love.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? How do you fill up that creativity well?
Although I read a lot, I enjoy going to the theatre and draw a lot of inspiration from that. Maybe it’s because theatre is a different way of telling a story? And the dialogue is so fundamental. I was in the front row of a performance of Romeo and Juliet while writing a crucial scene in On the Same Page, and Mercutio’s lines about hazel eyes, as well as many other Shakespearian lines, became a really important part of that book!
I also draw a lot of inspiration from my family. The intensity (for want of a better word) of having six children within nine years, in the early years, and even now that they are mostly in adulthood, is something that challenged and inspired me. My eldest daughter, Pip, is an English teacher and doing a PhD in 18th Century literature (I call her my literary go-to girl). Her breadth of knowledge and passion for literature is inspiring. My second daughter, Tamsin, has written five middle grade fiction novels (she was twenty-two when her first novel was picked up by Scholastic) and she inspires me too. My two boys and husband don’t read romance, but they are unendingly respectful and encouraging that I write in this genre. I have two left feet, but my two youngest daughters were very sporty and competed at State and National level. They are now lawyers and they inspire me too!
[image error]
You can wear one pair of shoes for the rest of your life. What type are they and what colour?
They would definitely be boots, either riding boots or hiking boots, well made and in dark brown leather. When I leave the house in boots I’ll usually come home tired and grubby, but invigorated by the natural beauty of the environment, and the wildlife that inhabits it. When I wear boots there’s adventure ahead!
On the Same Page
[image error]
Sometimes a girl just has to do what’s in her heart …
By day Miles Franklin, named after the famous author, is a successful lawyer. But by night she writes historical romance novels under the pen name Emma Browning. When Miles’s assistant covertly enters her boss’s novel in one of Australia’s biggest literary awards—and it wins—Miles’s perfectly ordered world is torn apart.
Lars Kristensen smells a rat. As the CEO of Iconic International, the company publishing Miles’s prize-winning novel, he’s determined to meet the author and uncover her true identity.
But Miles is equally determined to protect her privacy—and to keep writing—even if it means mastering pole dancing, and choreographing a love scene in the back of a horse-drawn carriage … Well, she is a romance writer, after all.
Miles has the grit to keep her secret, but Lars has the smouldering looks and arrogance of any romantic hero she has ever imagined.
Hmm. Sometimes a girl just has to turn the page …
On the Same Page will be available in bookshops in Australia and New Zealand from 1 December 2018.
