A cuppa with Meredith

Welcome!

Well hello 
 
And hello 2021, I say, with a skip in my step. I know I am not alone in being glad to see the back of 2020. It was such a slog! And I am also kicking up my heels because the teenagers have finally gone back to school. Break out the secret stash of chocolate and let’s have a second cup of coffee—in peace!!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I do love them as only a mother can, but they wreak havoc on my work schedule, not to mention that playing Mum’s Taxi does start to wear rather thin by Week 6 of the holidays. The occasional thank you might have helped. No, I was not holding my breath.
 
I hope you all enjoyed the mild summer and whatever it is you do for fun. If indeed you were on a break. I was not. Publishing deadlines loomed large over my summer. The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison goes to the printer on February 18. It’s all hands on deck as we spit and polish and get that book ship-shape. More deets below.

Onwards!
 

The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison

 
It’s all very much behind the scenes stuff at the moment. My publisher, HarperCollins, has very kindly done a run of Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs.) These are sent to media, bookstagrammers, bookshops and the like. Fingers crossed, some of these people will want to write a review, interview me, or similar. It is all part of the lead up to the publicity campaign that begins in earnest in about early April. This phase of pre-publicity is critical in laying the groundwork and giving a book its best chance of gathering an audience before it is actually released.

 

Did you know you can help spread the word? I know, right? So many readers don't realise how easy it is to support their favourite authors. More often than not, they are completely unaware that they (you!) have the power to help sell and promote books.

For instance, if you click on this link here, it will take you through to my publishers page. On the right-hand side of  that page are a number of links to booksellers. If you click on your preferred bookseller, it will take you through to a page where you can pre-order the book rather than having to wait until 5 May. This has two benefits. One, you can rest assured that you will get your hands on The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison almost before anyone else. Two, often the bookseller discounts the price for pre-orders, so it costs you a little less as well. (FYI, the same applies to e-books.) Equally, you can pop into your local bookstore to pre-order a copy. Booksellers love knowing what you want to read and you're supporting your local bookstore at the same time. Win-win #1!
 
Don't buy books anymore because you've run out of space? No worries! You can also ask your local library to order the book in. Even better, if you are feeling particularly confident, you can ask them to order in a book club set (10 copies!! Be still my beating heart.) Libraries always have suggestion slips and it is such a simple thing to do but with a massive impact. Why? Because every time a reader borrows a book, the author earns a few cents. Win-win #2!

And just like that, you have supported a favourite author!

This month I've been reading...

I’ve actually read more books than I thought I had over the past couple of months; all of them by Australian writers and all of them quite different. I read an ARC of The Breaking by Irma Gold, which will be out in March. It’s set in Thailand and told from the perspective of Hannah. She befriends a girl called Deven in a hostel and the pair end up travelling to different parts of the country to work with rescue elephants. Gold has a background in elephant rescue herself, so you can imagine that the level of detail is excellent. I really liked the way she presented the ethical dilemmas raised around the animals’ treatment in Thailand and the contrast between how the animal is treated as a beast of burden versus its status as a religious icon. In some ways, these sections were stronger than the interpersonal relationships, or maybe it was just me preferring to read about elephants!

A firm favourite was Karen Wyld’s Where the Fruit Falls. Wyld won the 2020 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript with this novel. It is set against the backdrop of 1960s and 70s and threaded though the narrative is the evolution of Aboriginal rights of that time. The story centres around the unforgettable character, Brigid Devlin, and her twin daughters, Victoria and Maggie. It is an epic journey and family saga rolled into one as Brigid leaves the family home she has always known and traverses an ever-changing landscape. At one level, Brigid’s journey has no real destination, at another level, she is unravelling her family history and discovering her true identity. This novel hums with emotion, a steady beat that lays on the page the trauma and suffering, while celebrating family and resilience.Thoroughly recommend.

Completely different again is The Imitator by Rebecca Starford. Evelyn Varley is a scholarship student, bright but not from the same echelons of society as the girls with whom she attends school. She makes one friend, Sally, but other than that Evelyn must subsume her true self and adopt the manners and mores expected of her. The skill proves handy when she succeeds in getting into Oxford, and by the time she graduates, she is an expert at fitting in. As war looms, Evelyn’s German studies helps her secure a role with the War Office but it is not long before MI5 have spotted her real potential.
The Imitator moves between the early days of Word War II when many British people were desperate to avoid another war at all costs and the early post war period where Evelyn must reconcile herself to the many betrayals she enacted in the name of loyalty to King and Empire. Starford has based the novel on a true story and meticulously researched the period, which is perhaps less explored than the main war years. I really enjoyed this novel, and in fact, my one wish is that it had been longer. There were questions and relationships I felt deserved more time on the page. But having said that, Starford deftly navigates the tricky but murky waters of courage, loyalty and sacrifice. The Imitator is a very satisfying read.

The Second Son by Loraine Peck is being touted by the publisher as the first bestseller of 2021 and with good cause. This is an assured debut by Peck. The novel snaps along at a cracking pace, is filled with sharply drawn and complex characters, and has a complicated enough plot to keep the reader guessing until the end. Set in the multicultural suburbs of Western Sydney, this page-turner has an authentic Australian flavour without resorting to the rural landscapes that have popularised so many recent Aussie crime novels. Disturbing, fresh, and thoroughly entertaining. I loved every minute of it.

Pick of the month...

I finally got around to reading Shepherd by Catherine Jinks. I’ve never read any of Jinks’ adult fiction but I won’t be making that mistake again. Shepherd is a historical thriller and an absolute page turner. The story is told from the perspective of young Tom Clay who was caught poaching at the age of twelve and sent to the penal colony of New South Wales. He is assigned to a shepherd’s hut somewhere out west to watch over the sheep. The convict men he works alongside are brutal and, unsupervised, they are a law unto themselves, particularly, Dan Carver.

Carver has been missing for three weeks, presumed dead. A new man has arrived to take his place, Irishman Rowdy Cavanagh. He is far too talkative for Tom’s liking. Tom prefers the company of his dogs, Gyp and Pedlar. But it tuns out Carver is not dead and he’s out for revenge. And even though Tom is a stranger in a land he cannot read, he has to try and stay one step ahead or risk a gruesome, torturous death.

Shepherd is such a little book at only 226 pages but it packs an enormous punch. I had to stay up late to finish it as I could not bear the tension. Jinks writing is riveting, her landscapes evocative, and young Tom Clay such a worthy protagonist. I am girding my loins for her 2021 novel, Shelter.

The end of the cup...

That’s it. I’ve demolished an entire block of dark chocolate with hazelnuts and my cup is empty. I love it when you share your thoughts and your best reads, so do drop me a line if you feel so inclined. Maybe you have question for me? We can chat via email or via my socials, whichever you prefer. In the meantime, I’ll be working on my next novel, reading, and looking forward to sharing a cuppa around Easter time. More chocolate! Hot cross buns! (If I can hold out that long. Boxing Day they were in our local Coles. I ask you??)