Author Interview: Fleur McDonald

 

Today I would like to welcome author Fleur McDonald to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Hello Fleur, thank you for joining us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

 Hi, I’m Fleur and I live on the south coast of WA in a beautiful little coastal town called Esperance. I’m a farmer and a writer, with a couple of adult kids and a Kelpie as sidekicks.

 

What does your typical day look like?

 I’m an early riser and like getting up between 4 and 4:30am. I have a coffee on the back verandah and then go on a five to seven kilometre walk. What happens after that depends on where I am in the writing cycle. I can sit at the computer for the whole day, or I can spend a couple of hours there. Social media takes up a fair bit of time and I’m the secretary/event coordinator for our two day agricultural show. The show takes up half a day every week from February to November.

If I’m on a deadline, that’s when I’ll spend the whole day at the computer.

Being an earlier riser, I head to bed early too. 8pm is a late night for me.

 

Your books are primarily about farming, women in farming, small communities and the challenges they face - what inspired you to write about these topics?

 I’ve been working in the agricultural industry since I left school which was 32 years ago! I grew up in a small country town and I have a really good working knowledge of these towns, farming and women in agriculture. It’s really important to me that what I write about is authentic and these are topics I can write about with a deep knowledge which I hope keeps people turning the pages.

 

Your latest book Voices in the Dark was released on 31st October - how did you come up with themes explored in Voices in the Dark?

 Hmm, interesting question, because I’m not really sure. I guess some of my friends and I are at the time of our lives when our parents are getting older and we want them cared for safely. Rural areas miss out on lots of services that the city people have and we are severely lacking in services for the elderly who need care.

Small towns simply don’t have services that are able to care for people in their homes and if the town does have a nursing home, it might only cater to the fit and healthy, not people who have got extra medical problems, like dementia or needing special equipment to help move them around.

I also volunteer delivering meals-on-wheels and I see the extremes that families go to, to keep their loved ones in their own homes. 

 

What would you like your readers to get out of Voices in the Dark?

 A lot of entertainment and escapism. The world is so full of horrible actions at the moment and I’d love to be able to help someone have a nice few hours

 

What were the key challenges you faced when writing Voices in the Dark?

 I don’t think there were any.

 

I can’t let a chance go by without asking a question about everyone’s hero, Dave Burrows.

Young Dave Burrows is a tough, relentless, undercover detective, all about the job however the older Dave Burrows has mellowed, he’s a lot more forgiving and shows a lot more emotion. Was this a conscious change or simply an organic evolution?

 I think people change and grow as they get more life experience under their belt. What could have been black and white when people were younger, isn’t always as you get older and can see lots of different points of view. Dave has had many life experiences which help with that, but also his wife, Kim has had a large impact on Dave. Kim always finds the good in people and life and she’s slowly educated Dave to that way of thinking too.

Mentoring younger police officers has had an impact as well. Dave has realised he has to watch his own behaviour in order to be a good role model.

 

Just for fun…..either or?

Tea or Coffee: Coffee

Summer or Winter: Winter 

Dog or Cat: Dog

City or Country: Country 

Morning person or Night owl: Morning person

Paperback or eBook: Paperback

Ninjas or Pirates: pirates!

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

 

  Voices in the Dark is out now and should be in bookstores all over the country. 

About the book:

Sassi Stapleton is called home after news her grandmother is unwell. Less than an hour away from her hometown, Barker, she swerves to miss a roo and her car rolls down an embankment and she's left hanging. By the time she is found, her grandmother has already passed away.

Sassi's mother, Amber, returns from South Africa, and as soon as she arrives family tensions between her and her brother, Abe, are back in the forefront of everyone's minds.

When it quickly becomes clear that Sassi's grandfather Mr Stapleton is unable to live alone, the hunt is on to find a carer. Rasha enters the family home, firmly entrenching herself as someone they can't do without, and before long Mr Stapleton is happier than he has been in years.

Then bruises start appearing on Mr Stapleton and he becomes withdrawn, refusing to talk even to Sassi.

None of the family are convinced that Rasha could hurt anyone. Amber is his daughter; Sassi, his granddaughter. None of these three could hurt Mr Stapleton.

 
 My review: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2023/11/book-review-voices-in-dark-by-fleur.html

 

Author Interview: Fiona Lowe

 

 

 Today I would like to welcome author Fiona Lowe to The Burgeoning Bookshelf

 

Hello Fiona, Thank you for joining us. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you like to do when you are not writing?

 
Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m a distracted wife, a mother of sons—the eldest is about to get married and I have no idea how he got old enough to do that! The youngest is in his final year of university and fingers crossed will soon to be off the family payroll. YAY! I’m also a slave to a cat. I like to knit, read, garden and I am hoping this year to return to travel.

How has the Covid pandemic impacted you as an author, in terms of your writing, motivation and publicity?

 
The first lockdown occurred at the end of my 2020 book tour and writing wise I was saying that I had worked from home for years so there wasn’t a big change. But fast-forward through two years, six lockdowns, a lack of theatre, travel, meeting friends and new people, it did absolutely impact on my creativity because I wasn’t out and about being challenged. It meant ideas were a bit thin on the ground. I think 2021 was tougher than 2020 in terms of motivation and book touring—I missed meeting readers IRL.

Your contemporary novels are primarily about relationships, family and the challenges women face. What inspired you to write about these topics?

 
I’m fascinated by what makes people tick and the choices they make. Modern life with its perceived need to be connected online all the time and the often unrealistic expectations society put on women to juggle a career, a relationship and a family throw up many challenges that threaten to sink us. It makes for great book fodder.

Your latest novel, A Family of Strangers, was released on 2nd March; How did you come up with the idea for A Family of Strangers?

All my books look at different social issues inside families and communities. In A Family of Strangers, I wanted to explore the theme of escape. I used three main characters to do this, all with different versions of the theme. With Steph, I looked at the impact of the mental load women carry for the family on top of their job as a mother, partner and their paid job outside the home. How do you keep all the balls in the air and should you? I also throw in a few other challenges into the relationship, but I don’t want to giveaway spoilers. Currently women in Australia are drinking alcohol at unprecedented rates and I wanted to look at how that can unravel a life. Addy is good at her job, but she’s hiding a lot of pain only she knows she carries. With Brenda, I wanted to mine a mother and daughter relationship that is not as rosy as the media and Mothers’ Day TV advertisements want us to believe. Can a mother be forgiven? Can a daughter?

What would you like readers to get out of A Family of Strangers and how do you think it will resonate with them?

Hopefully some readers might decide to join a choir! But seriously, I write characters who face issues familiar to all women. My characters are flawed and make mistakes, but they grow across the book and learn something about themselves and each other. I hope readers will connect to them and perhaps be more empathetic to the real women in their lives as we try to live our best lives with what we have.

What were the key challenges you faced when writing A Family of Strangers?

Bringing three very different women together who would not have normally spent much time together is always a challenge. I decided to use a community choir as a way to do this. When I started writing A Family of Strangers in 2020, there was a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon and we all thought we had the virus on the run. We didn’t, and choirs are still not yet singing so I couldn’t visit a community choir and see it in action. Fortunately, I was able to draw on my sons’ school choir experiences, memories of my own and I interviewed friends who had sung in choirs up until March 2020 and were happy to talk about them as they desperately missed singing.

What are you currently reading?

Still Life by Sarah Winman on audio book and I’m loving it!

What’s next for Fiona Lowe? Do you have a new WIP?

I’m currently writing the 2023 novel, which has the working title of The Money Club. It’s due in at the end of April and as usual I am barely at the two-thirds mark. Yikes! Let’s hope it comes together in a rush!

Just for fun....either or?

Tea or Coffee: Both. Coffee at breakfast and tea the rest of the day.
Summer or Winter: Winter! You can always get warm but you can’t always cool down.
Dog or Cat: I better say cat or Pekoe will get her nose out of joint.
City or Country: Country or rural city to live, but I love a big city visit now and then.
Morning Person or Night owl: Morning. I’m falling asleep in my soup by 9pm.
Paperback or eBook: I’ll read a good book in any format.
Ninjas or Pirates: This is a question I have never been asked before. Arrr! I think pirates.

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Thanks so much for having me!

 A Family of Strangers is out now and should be in bookstores all over the country 

About the book

How can you know so little about those you love?

With a coveted promotion dangling within reach, the last thing Addy Topic needs to do is waste precious time singing in Rookery Cove's choir. But when she's reminded how much music meant to her late mother, she can't say no. The building pressure raises the ghosts that sent her running from Rookery Cove years earlier - memories she's spent decades hiding from, silencing them with work, alcohol and sex.

For Stephanie Gallagher, Rookery Cove was meant to be a new beginning in the slow lane. A place where she and her husband can embrace community, parenthood and evenly share the load. But the sea-change is changing everything. How much longer can they survive as a family?

Brenda Lambeck is finding her feet after the death of her husband when her best friend convinces her to join the choir. Beloved as a grandmother, Brenda is determined to mend the fraught relationship she has with her daughter, Courtney. But is that even possible when she continues to lie?

In the wake of a spectacular betrayal, three women are forced to face the uncompromising truths about the choices that have shaped their relationships with those they love most. The consequences will shatter their lives and all they hold dear. After such a disaster is rebuilding even possible?

 

 

 

Spotlight & Giveaway: Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle by Krishna Sudhir, MD, PhD

 

Photo: Goodreads

 

Today I would like to welcome author Krishna Sudhir to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

So let's get started and find out a little more about Dr Sudhir and his writing.

 

About the author

 

Krishna (Krishnankutty) Sudhir is a physician, cardiologist and educator. Born in Chennai, India, he has lived and worked in three countries, including India, Australia, and the United States. He is currently based in California’s Bay Area, where he is a senior executive in the medical device industry.

In his academic career, he has taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at major Australian and American universities. He is passionate about educating the general public on health and medicine, and has authored several TED-Ed videos in the health care field. Sudhir has traveled extensively across Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, and is deeply interested in cultures, languages, and cuisines across the globe. He enjoys watching movies, listening to music, reading detective novels, and cooking Indian food. While well-published in the medical field as the author of over 180 publications, the Prince of Typgar series is his first foray into the world of fiction.

Congratulations on your latest novel, Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle! Tell us what the book is about.

This is the second in the Prince of Typgar series, a sequel to Nujran and the Monks of Meirar. The series is set in an alternate universe, an earth-like planet Syzegis in a distant galaxy. At the end of the first book, we leave Nujran as a teenager who has traveled with his teacher, Amsibh, experiencing romance, conflict, friendship, betrayal, and loss. We begin the second book on the campus of the University of Western Foalinaarc, where a body has just been discovered. Who is this girl, and why is she dead? Could it be linked to the mysterious illness sweeping across campus, affecting most of the teaching community? Why does Amsibh come to the school, and what does he need to protect Nujran from? Through what twist of fate is Nujran reunited with his old friends, the Monks of Meirar? And why does Nujran end up being a captive again?

Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle picks up where your last book, Nujran and the Monks of Meirar, left off, but it can also work as a stand-alone. Why did you decide to return to Nujran’s story and what will fans of your first novel be most excited by?
 

I felt there was more of Nujran’s story that needed to be told, and I wanted to have readers go along with him on all of his new adventures as he begins college. In this book, there’s drama in plenty with fugitives on the run, turbulence on the university campus, fresh intrigue, a new romance, a strange kidnapping, an escape from prison, and a rescue mission where things don’t quite go as planned. In short, this sequel is another fast-paced adventure that will hold readers spellbound!

What makes your books stand out from other young adult fantasy novels?

The most unique aspect is that this book is written from an Indian-American voice, that pulls from stories of kings, queens and princes in Indian mythology to create modern fantasy fiction. There are not many YA novels that originate from Indian thinking and tradition, so I was happy to bring that to readers. Plus, it’s set on another planet in a distant galaxy, with elements of not just sci-fi and fantasy but also magical realism, making it a captivating blend of multiple young adult genres. An alternate universe, with multi-ethnic characters, many with unusual abilities, will likely attract fans of the Marvel and DC entertainment films and comic books. Plus, I hope young readers from Indian and other immigrant backgrounds who don’t see their culture widely represented in YA novels will enjoy that aspect as well.
 

Why did you decide to feature multi-ethnic culture and Indian mythology in your novels?

We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic country, but we don’t have enough minority voices in literature. As an Indian-American writer, I bring a unique perspective to storytelling, drawing from my love of Indian mythology, the Arabian Nights and other epic literature in the diversity space. I am honored to be able to bring these to young readers of all cultures, and I hope they can not only enjoy the stories, but learn something about other cultures – or even their own – along the way.

You are a cardiologist and a professor – what made you want to write YA novels?

The ideas for the books came from multiple directions. Raising two boys (who are now almost 26 and 24), I read a lot of young adult fiction. We perused the Harry Potter novels together, a delightful shared experience. When they were younger, I learned to spin a lot of yarns, mainly as bedtime stories. And going further back in time, there was my own childhood and early adult fascination with the Indian epics—magnificent tales of princes and warriors woven into stories.

With your medical and teaching career, in addition to being a parent, when do you find the time to write? 

I love this question because it has a fun answer! Before COVID, I traveled often for my job. The entire first novel in the Prince of Typgar series was written on United Airlines airplanes. Most of Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle was as well, before quarantine kept me home for the tail end of the process. The cabin of an airplane is an unusual, but perfect place to lose yourself in a new universe through writing!

 

What’s next for you? Will you be writing another book in the Prince of Typgar series, or something fresh?

The series is planned as a trilogy, so there’s one more novel after this one. That final one will be the culmination of the story. Nujran’s adventures will continue, you can be sure there will be more intrigue and conflict, and hopefully my readers will stay with me through the end of the series.

Giveaway 

(Enter via the form below)

Smith Publicity are offering an eBook giveaway of the first two books in the trilogy 

 

Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Monks of Meirar

Set on the planet Syzegis, in a distant galaxy, Nujran is the spoiled pre-teen son of King Rababi and Queen Roone in the kingdom of Typgar. Enter Maestro Amsibh, a gifted teacher with extraordinary qualities, and the prince’s transformation begins.
But, why does he have to leave his sheltered life at the palace and his gorgeous friend Zaarica, with the maestro and two bodyguards? Who are the mysterious Monks of Meirar, and what strange powers do they possess? What motivates Hoanan, the villainous politician, who wants to unseat the king and usurp the throne? And amidst all the turbulence in Typgar, can Nujran find his way back home?
With numerous plot twists and turns, the reader will be transported on a fast-paced adventure with our young prince, where he encounters romance and conflict, friendship and betrayal, while building strength and character through his experiences in the real world.

 

Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle

This is the second in the Prince of Typgar series, the much-anticipated sequel to Nujran and the Monks of Meirar. At the end of the first book, we left Nujran as a teenager who has learned much through his journeys alongside his teacher Amsibh. He experienced romance, conflict, friendship, betrayal, and loss. He grew up along the way.
We begin the second book on the sprawling campus of the prestigious University of Western Foalinaarc, where a body has just been discovered. Who is this girl, and why is she dead? Could it be linked to the mysterious illness sweeping the campus and plaguing the teaching community? Why does Amsibh come to the school, and what does he need to protect Nujran from? Through what twist of fate is Nujran reunited with his old friends, the Monks of Meirar? And why does Nujran end up being a captive again?
The stakes are higher than ever before, with fugitives on the run, turbulence on the university campus, a new romance, a bizarre kidnapping, a perilous escape from prison, and a rescue mission where things don’t quite go as planned. Corpse in the Quadrangle is another fast-paced adventure that will hold young readers spellbound!

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was ..... Karen S

Author Interview: Question & Answer with Sherry Shahan

 

 

Today I would like to welcome author Sherry Shahan to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Sherry Shahan lives in a laid-back beach town in California where she grows radish and carrot tops in ice cube trays for pesto. As a travel journalist and photographer, she’s hiked a leech-infested rain forest in Australia, ridden inside a dog sled for the first part of the famed 1049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, and snorkeled with penguins in the Galapagos. Her travels inspired Alaskan-based adventure novels Ice Island and Frozen Stiff (both Random House). While sheltering in place, she’s taking ballet classes in her tiny kitchen via Zoom.

 Sherry Shahan is the author of Young Adult verse novel PURPLE DAZE: A Far Out Trip, 1965.

 

Purple Daze is a story about love, friendship, and rock and roll. It plays out on a stage shared by riots, assassinations, and war. Why did you decide to focus on this particular period?
 

While cleaning out my office closet, I found a tattered shoebox filled with letters written by a friend who was in Vietnam in the 1960s. I spent hours pouring through gut-wrenching accounts of his day-to-day life in that living hell.
 

It was heartbreaking to watch a close friend turn from a carefree guy who just wanted to hang out with his friends into a hardened soldier. I knew I had to do something with his letters; after all, I’d kept them all this time.
 

The more I researched the 1960’s the more I realized I needed to narrow the book’s timeline. I chose 1965, in part, because of the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. By the time it ended, 34 people had been killed, another 1,032 injured, and 3,438 were arrested. Nearly 1,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
 

My friends and I snuck out in the middle of the night, driving the freeways, looking for a break in the National Guard barrier. We were such adrenaline junkies!

 

  

The characters in your story are faced with difficult issues: abortion, drugs, war. Did writing the story using an unconventional form help you tackle these issues?

After reading my friend’s letters, I started messing around with other writing styles. Journals, notes, poems. I wrote character sketches about my crazy friends in high school. Once I began scribbling, it was a constant flashback. Memories assaulted me twenty-four-seven. Bam, bam, bam.
 

I knew I wanted to be inside the head of each character to explore their innermost thoughts and feelings, not just describe them from the outside looking in. I could have done this with an omniscient viewpoint--but bouncing in and out of some many minds could confuse readers. Instead I chose journal entries, letters, free verse and traditional poetry.
 

What stumbling blocks did you encounter writing a novel in verse?


What began as a stream of consciousness had to be shaped into a story with a compelling beginning, middle, end. Each character demanded his or her own story arc. Yet each story had to be woven seamlessly into the whole. Talk about a challenge!
 

I became obsessed with metaphor, assonance, startling imagery, rhythm and cadence. Even white space—meaning the negative space on a page—played a role

in shaping my characters’ emotions. Example:

Ziggy
Fat tits + quick wit

does not = stupidity

if that’s what you think.




Phil
Pages of the new testament fill my pillow,

gospels on a recon in search of a soul.

These two poems are short—yet I think they say volumes about the characters. Even more than if I’d filled a page with margin-to-margin prose.
 

To me, verse mirrors the pulse of adolescent life. Condensed metaphoric language on a single page is a good reflection of their tightly-packed world. Emotions are where teens live.


How did you go about researching Purple Daze? Was your approach different from your other work?


Because Purple Daze is set in a real time and place I read countless accounts of the 1960’s, including The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. I talked to dozens of Vietnam vets.
 

One guy told me he put a condom over the muzzle of his rifle to help keep out steel-rusting moisture. Yet he could shoot through it. Another guy told me it was common to remove tobacco from packs of cigarettes and replace it with marijuana.
 

During that same time, one of my friends had enlisted in the Navy. He spent his days cruising the Caribbean, getting drunk, and chasing women. Such vastly different experiences expressed the utter craziness of the times. I knew these details would go in the book too.


Amidst the poetry you have inserted certain—for lack of a better term news reports—about what was going on in the world, e.g., assassinations, riots, etc. With so many events to pick from, how did you select what would go in the book?
 

When I read about Norman Morrison, father of three, who set himself on fire to protest the war, I sat at my computer crying. His piece was included late in the copyedit stage.

Norman Morrison

(December 19, 1933--November 2, 1965)


A devout Quaker and father of three young children pours

kerosene over his head and sets himself on fire outside

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s office at the

Pentagon in an act of self-sacrifice to protest United States

involvement in the Vietnam War.

The narrative pieces were chosen because I thought they were fascinating or horrifying or both. I added the story behind Arlo Guthrie’s famed song “You Can Get Anything You Want At Alice’s Restaurant” as a light-hearted anecdote. I could have added more history, but I didn’t want Purple Daze to be ‘text-bookish.’

Ultimately, it’s a story about six friends and their sometimes humorous, often painful, and ultimately dramatic lives.


The book feels very intimate. It made me wonder, is the character Cheryl really you in disguise?
 

There are still small holes outside my bedroom door from a hook-and-eye. That was my mom’s attempt to keep me from sneaking out at night. Like the character Cheryl, I simply crawled out the window.
 

In one scene, Cheryl and Ziggy are piercing each other’s ears. They’re using frozen potatoes to numb them, sort of like an earlobe sandwich. The Animals are wailing, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

And, yep, just like Cheryl, I really did shave between my eyebrows.


Nancy's behavior toward her boyfriend at the end of the novel was interesting. But you don't apologize for her or justify her distance from Phil. Can you talk about that a bit?


Like most circle of friends mine was a jumble of diverse personalities. Nancy is based on one of them. She was much more mature than the rest of us. I guess it never occurred to me to try to justify her pulling away. To me, sending Phil a ‘Dear John’ letter showed a thoughtful decision to take her life in a different direction—a direction that was precipitated by his being in Vietnam.


What do you hope your readers will take away from Purple Daze?
 

While I never consciously write with the intent of hitting my readers with a message, the difficulties facing today’s teens aren’t all that different from those faced in the 60’s. Issues with parents, relationships, love and loss.
 

Teenagers are still breaking away from authority and convention, still forging their way into an unknown future. And, unfortunately, our country is still engaged in a war of choice on foreign soil.

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

 

 About the book

Purple Daze is set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965. Six high school students share their experiences and feelings in interconnected free verse and traditional poems about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, high school, and friendship.Although there have been verse novels published recently, none explore the changing and volatile 1960's in America-- a time when young people drove a cultural and political revolution. With themes like the costs and casualties of war, the consequences of sex, and the complex relationships between teens, their peers, and their parents, this story is still as relevant today as it was 45 years ago.

 

 

Author Interview: Fiona Higgins

 

 

Today I would like to welcome author Fiona Higgins to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Hello Fiona, thank you for joining us. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how many books you have had published?

Thanks for having me, Veronica!

 
Well, let's see... I work in the Australian not-for-profit sector and live in Sydney with my stoic husband, three rambunctious children and two aloof goldfish. I’m also the author of a memoir (Love in the Age of Drought, Pan Macmillan) and four fiction titles: The Mothers’ Group, Wife on the Run, Fearless – published by Allen & Unwin – and my latest, An Unusual Boy, published by Boldwood Books.

 

What is a typical writing day for you?

 

I wish I could say, ‘Oh, I rise at 4.30am and meditate for ten minutes before consuming a perfect macchiato, which helps me deliver a thousand words on the page by noon.’ Sadly, as a mother of three tweens-and-teens, and with an almost full-time job in philanthropy, I’m rather more consumed with daily lunchboxes, school sport and work deadlines!

In short, there’s no such thing as a ‘typical’ writing day for me. I tend to squeeze the words out around my other activities, whenever and wherever that’s possible (sometimes in the Woollies car park – true story!)

Your books are primarily about relationships, parenting and motherhood; What inspired you to write about these topics?

 

(See above: tweens, teens, lunchboxes.) In all seriousness, relationships, parenting and motherhood are topics which are sometimes dismissed as ‘domestic’ or peripheral to the unfolding of human history – but they’re fundamental to our existence. Everyone has a mother and a father. Most of us define ourselves predominantly in terms of our key relationships (or estrangements). Parenting is a human experience which can deliver unmatched moments of beauty, joy and sadness. All of these topics are endlessly fascinating to me - and ripe for writerly attention.

 

Your latest book An Unusual Boy was released on 20^th October; How did you come up with the idea for An Unusual Boy?

 

I have a habit of drawing inspiration from real life and weaving it into my fiction (I wrote The Mother's Group, for example, when I was caring for my very sleepless second child) so An Unusual Boy is inspired partly from lived experience. Over the years, I've encountered many children - and adults, for that matter - who are 'different' in some way (some with diagnosis, others without). It's been simultaneously painful and inspiring to witness their joys and struggles as they navigate the often-unforgiving world around them, and that experience is very much reflected in the novel.

 

 What would you like your readers to get out of An Unusual Boy and how do you think it will resonate with them?

In terms of resonance, I think most parents – especially mothers – will relate to the character of Julia, who is bearing a significant ‘mental load’. She’s running a household of five, juggling a career as a music therapist, attempting to be available and supportive for her three children – one of whom is very ‘different’ – all the while trying to keep her marriage intact with Andy, who travels a lot for his work.

While Julia does a terrific job generally, she’s weary – and she’s deeply worried about Jackson. But she just keeps going, despite being under-resourced – and when things gets tough and slightly out-of-control, she calls on inner strengths she didn’t even know she had. The character of Julia bears witness to the incredible resilience of parents under pressure; and not just parents - but carers, grandparents and teachers who exhibit incredible levels of patience and love.

While everyone will have their own experience of the book, ideally I’d like to see readers emerge from this story with a renewed commitment to inclusion. One early reviewer of the work sums it up nicely, I think:
 

If this is a cautionary tale about the dangers to children of unsupervised internet access, then it is equally an admonition to avoid xenophobia of any sort: race, colour, creed or simply a different way of thinking, an alternate perception of the world. The common compulsion to “label” is countered by Julia: “Sometimes labels just put special kids in boxes. Sometimes they just give adults an excuse to stop thinking.” - Marianne (Goodreads)

What were the key challenges you faced when writing An Unusual Boy?

Time. Like Julia, in this hyper-busy time of life, I find myself very time-poor. Consequently it took me almost three years to write this book – yet readers tell me it takes them less than a day to read it. (I almost need therapy when they say that!)

Just for fun…..either or?

Tea or Coffee - Coffee (and bucketloads of it) 

Summer or Winter – Winter (blankies, open fires, blocks of chocolate, good books) 

Dog or Cat – both (seriously, I want one of each… but my husband is unconvinced) 

City or Country – Country (I miss the farm on which we lived a long time ago) 

Morning person or Night owl – morning person (it’s deeply irritating, my teenager tells me) 

Paperback or eBook – paperback (very 1970s, I know) 

Ninjas or Pirates – Ninjas (flexibility, agility and cool weaponry)

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

 

An Unusual Boy is out now and should be hitting bookshop shelves all over the country. 

Click on the cover to read my review

 About the book

Julia Curtis is a busy mother of three, with a husband often away for work, an ever-present mother-in-law, a career, and a house that needs doing up. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Milla, has fallen in love for the first time, and her youngest, Ruby, is a nine-year-old fashionista who can out-negotiate anyone.

But Julia’s eleven-year-old son, Jackson, is different. Different to his sisters. Different to his classmates. In fact, Jackson is different from everyone. And bringing up a child who is different isn’t always easy.

Then, one Monday morning, Jackson follows his new friend Digby into the school toilets. What happens inside changes everything; not only for Jackson, but for every member of his family. Julia faces the fight of her life to save her unusual boy from a world set up for ‘normal’.

An extraordinary boy. The mother who loves him. The fight of their lives.

 

Author Interview: Question & Answer with Teal Swan

 

Photo credit: Goodreads

 

Today I would like to welcome author Teal Swan to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

TEAL SWAN is an international speaker, best-selling author, and a survivor of severe childhood abuse. Today, having integrated her own harrowing life experience, she inspires millions of people around the world towards truth, authenticity, freedom, and joy. Swan is also the author of six internationally published books, the creator of hundreds of frequency paintings, as well as the popular "Ask Teal" YouTube series, which currently has more than 80 million views and almost one million subscribers. She is also the owner and founder of Teal Eye LLC, a company focused on bringing self-empowerment and healing back to the individual. In conjunction with her vision of creating positive world change, Swan founded HEADWAY FOUNDATION, a nonprofit company that enables ideas, goals and ventures that are aimed at positive world change by ending suffering. In the years to come, Headway Foundation will encompass programs, centers, scholarships and products that better our world; such as in the areas of justice reform, education, environmental endeavors, end of life care, health, parenting, integrative medicine and food industry reform. Headway Foundation seeks to create the changes within our society that will create a better life for all beings who call this earth their home.

Tell us what your new book, Hunger of the Pine, is all about?

Hunger of the Pine is my first fiction novel, and is a poetic novel about life on the streets in America. The book centers on Aria Abbott, a teen in the foster care system. She has been placed in a Christian foster home where the father is molesting her and her delinquency problems have turned her into the 'scapegoat' of the family. When the tension between her and her foster parents rises, she runs away and begins her life on the streets of Chicago. She soon meets Taylor, another homeless youth who is dreaming of fame, fortune and the sunshine of L.A. Together they board a Greyhound bus and never look back. In this bright new world, Aria will discover a whole community of people living in the shadows, in the margins of society. As Taylor follows his dreams, Aria follows her heart. But she will discover that it isn’t always clear who you can trust, that strangers can be kind, or treacherous, or sometimes as familiar as your own reflection, if you’re willing to look hard enough.

 

What was your inspiration behind the writing the book?

As far as I know, no one has ever written a poetic novel about life on the streets of America. I wanted to highlight homelessness through descriptive writing and used a main character as a lens through which to see a snapshot. I also wrote it because I feel that we as a society -- especially in America -- need to look in the mirror at homelessness and see that it is a problem caused by many systemic failures within society. For this reason, there are many 'reasons' someone ends up on the street. And we aren't really solving those reasons. People are complex, and it we need to see them with more compassion and understanding. And, it is with this 'understanding,' rather than labeling people good or bad, that we may see the root cause of behaviors and accurately resolve that root cause.

 

You have written a lot of non-fiction books. Why did you decide to take the leap into fiction?

I want people to feel the raw reality of a side of life that they might never have experienced themselves by using descriptive writing to emotionally put them there. I am a descriptive writer first and foremost. My other books are informational, which I love, but they were not an opportunity to exercise my skills as a writer. Descriptive writing is a whole other beast than writing non-fiction that is engaging yet informative. It is to convey an emotion or sensory experience with words instead of to convey a concept for the purpose of comprehension. I want people to love the writing in and of itself, and remember it for the writing, and for their experience learning about homelessness as well as.

 

Why did you decide to tackle the topic of youth homelessness?

A Great many people don't relate to homelessness or the issues surrounding it. But a great many do and those people are drowning in the feeling that they were just born to suffer. I wanted to show the reality of homelessness and make it relatable to those who don't understand it. But I also wanted to insert some answers and hope into this novel for those who do. To be 'real' it had to be a mixture of "this is too much to surmount" and "you can surmount it". It needed to be tragic but also inspirational. And people who relate to these characters, especially the main character will not have thought of themselves as a protagonist.. as significant...As someone capable of love and triumph and of finding belonging and love... until now!

 

What do you think society can do to help the homeless population? 

The issue of homelessness is not an easy one because so many systemic factors within society contribute to it. This means there is not a one size fits all solution. For example, the failures within parenting and beyond that the foster care system cause youth homelessness.

Society's complete lack of care for the mentally ill and the fact that there is literally nowhere for them to get help if they don't have money, contributes to homelessness in the mentally ill and veterans. The fact that a person on social security is not getting enough money to afford both food and housing and often medications causes senior citizen homelessness. The lack of prioritization within society when it comes to understanding and finding solutions for the needs of those who are in need, create this multivariable factor scenario where suddenly a great many people are on the street. It's time to see the broken-ness of our system and stop thinking things are being taken care of by 'someone else' when they are not.

 

What do you hope readers take away from A Hunger of Pine and Aria’s story?

I want people to feel the raw reality of a side of life that they might never have experienced themselves by using descriptive writing to emotionally put them there. Also, a better and more empathetic view of the homeless population. We tend to be so uncomfortable with homelessness that we compartmentalize it and tell ourselves that we could never be in the same position... That homeless are like a 'breed' of people or another species unto themselves. Understanding this why behind homelessness actually makes it impossible for us to keep this 'separation' alive. To keep them marginalized. When we stop seeing people as "other", when we relate to them, we suddenly have the motive to do something because we identify with them instead. I wrote this book to create this identification, understanding and relatability so as to close this perceptual gap.

 

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Hunger of the Pine by Teal Swan was published on 13th October 2020 by  Watkins Publishing

 

Blurb:

Aria Abbott has never had a home. Drifting through the foster system for most of her life, she finally finds herself in a situation so unbearable that she has no choice but to run away. Sleeping on the streets pushes Aria beyond any suffering she has felt before; the only thing worse than seeing no escape is the knowledge that no one in the world cares enough to try and find her.

Enter Taylor, a homeless young man with a charismatic smile and a dream of fame, fortune, and the sunshine of LA. Swept up in his energy, Aria and Taylor board a greyhound bus and never look back.

In this bright new world, Aria will discover a whole community of people living in the shadows, in the margins of society. As Taylor follows his dreams, Aria follows her heart. But she will discover that it isn’t always clear who you can trust, that strangers can be kind, or treacherous, or sometimes as familiar as your own reflection, if you’re willing to look hard enough.