A cuppa with Meredith

Welcome!

Well hello 
 

Here we are, fifty days away from a Christmas that felt like it was never going to arrive! To paraphrase Charles Dickens, 2021 has been the best of times and the worst of times all rolled into a sort of tumbling mess of a thing. But since I much prefer to focus on the positives, I am going to keep my gaze firmly locked on the horizon.

That is, when it isn’t firmly glued to the page 😊 Throughout September, I was up to the gills in edits for my new book. October has been time to rest and for me that means catching up on lots of reading. Let me tell you, I’ve read some crackers! But no baking!!!! All that sitting down editing and reading is not good for the waistline. Instead, I have been using October to get back into better habits. Afternoon walks and NO snacking. I dream of losing ten kilos. Who knows? Miracles do happen!

In a sideways link to The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison, I also stumbled across an amazing new initiative from the Women’s Justice Network. The Freadom Inside Project is about getting books into the hands of prisoners. I am sharing this info with you in case, like me, you think reading sets you free! Literacy matter! All the good stuff that the Doc likes to bang on about. Here’s a chance to make a difference IRL.

Anyway, enough general chit-chat,
 

Onwards!

 

The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison

Lockdown has meant no events until this past couple of weeks when I was the guest of the Vincentia Book Club. These lovely ladies were wonderful hosts. We had mimosas and croissants a la the wedding breakfast scene and chatted about Derek and the lads, why I had Scrabble in it and the writing life. Lots of fun.
 

Then the Bungendore Book Club went above and beyond when one of their members Kellie’s Cakes, made The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison cookies. These are amazing. Now I want a cake to launch my new book and Kellie is in my sights. Fair warning, Kellie!

Thank you to Jaime from Bungendore book club for the pics and if you also think Kellie is super clever, here she is on Facebook @kelliescakes18

And speaking of book clubs, it was brought to my attention that somehow I had forgotten to pop the book club notes up on my website. This poses no problems for those who bought or borrowed the print or e-book version of the novel because the notes are tucked in the back pages. However, the audiophiles have been missing out! Shock, horror! Aren’t I terrible?
 
All fixed. You can download the book club notes from my website over here. And don’t forget, if you would like me to come to your book club, Probus group, VIEW club, CWA or Rotary Club meetings, I am a very happy and willing participant. There is a booking form on my website here. If I am not local to you, then we are all veteran Zoom users now, aren’t we?
                                                                                                                       

The Tricky Art of Forgiveness

The structural edits are done. Yay! I confess, I used to hate the structural edit process—it’s the bit where you take a long hard look at the book without its scaffolding. Will it stand up? Where does it need more work to realise the vision? (Can you even remember what the vision was???) But now I see it less as a mark out of ten (and I am a goody two-shoes so that mark MATTERS) and more a collaboration between me and my publisher, who is my first  and last reader.

There are still two more rounds of spit and polish to go but I can report that it is a far stronger novel now than it was two months ago. There are some new scenes, there are cut scenes. If this were a room, it’s been jooshed up a lot. It’s a book that makes me feel joy and I cannot wait for you to meet the charming, funny (and sexy) Diana.
 
If you cannot wait, or want to be first in, yes you can pre-order from your favourite bookstores right now over here (and cop a sneaky peek at the cover concept design. Shh! Don't tell anyone.)
 

Matters close to my heart...the Freadom Inside Project

When writer and project organiser, Bri Lee, announced the Freadom Inside Project via Instagram in October, I immediately jumped on board. This initiative brings together the Women’s Justice Network, Glee Books and the Corrective Services Library team and us, it’s supporters.

To quote Bri Lee, ‘In a nutshell: [the Freadom Inside Project] allows members of the public to buy books to donate directly to women who are currently incarcerated in New South Wales. Gleebooks cover the shipping, and the list on their website has been put together by women who’ve previously been inside.’
 

It took me straight back to the Doc and his dilemmas with the Yarrandarrah Prisoner Library. I immediately bought four copies of The Yield by Tara June Winch to contribute towards a book club set. The list includes all sorts of novels as well books to help with English as a second language, memoirs and other non fiction titles. You might also recall that Brian spoke about reading the Rangers Apprentice series with his son, Jason in their weekly telephone calls. The Freadom Inside Project also includes a selection of children’s books so that parents can do exactly that with their kids.
 

For me the best bit is that it is all anonymous. I am planning to donate books every time I earn money from sales of my own books (that’s about three times a year.) I am really grateful to have discovered this grass roots initiative and have the opportunity to support something that has the capacity to make the world of difference to lives of people I will never meet.
 
If this sparks a similar interest for you, then here is the link to the books and more information about the project.
 

This month I've been reading...

Like I said in the intro, TONNES. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration but a lot more books have passed through my hands this month and so many good ones. It’s been mostly about catching up with what all the fuss is about. I had fun with Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, which had that real cosy crime Saturday night in front of the tellie vibe to it. Plus I secretly love that he broke quite a few writing rules about changing points of view and ‘devices that work on the screen do not work in books’ type things. I guess because he is Richard Osman, the editors just let him get away with it.

Then I caught up with BookTok sensation, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I adored Daisy Jones and the Six, so I wasn’t sure whether I was going to be blown away by its predecessor or vaguely disappointed. Wow, wow and wow again! Loved the incredible, unscrupulous, sexy Evelyn. As a writer, I loved the novel’s structure, the pacing and how neatly Jenkins Reid threaded the tension that leads to the big reveal. And I loved that there was no pussyfooting around in Jenkins Reid’s storytelling. Now I’ve met Mick Riva, I can’t wait to see what happens in Malibu Rising.



The other wow book of the month was Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age. It reminded me a little of Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half in so far as the lead character is caught between two worlds. In this case, Emira is the black babysitter for an upper middle class white family. Emira is a fantastically nuanced character and being with her as she navigated this world and these relationships really proved how critical it is to experience life viewed through a different lens. Again, this is a superbly crafted novel with such deeply (and deliciously) flawed characters and a taut storyline that raises a lot of questions about race and gender stereotypes, and the class divide in modern America. Cannot recommend it highly enough.
 

Pick of the month...

'Right from the first page, Foster had me gripped. The Hush will be the thriller of the year' Meredith Jaffé

Existing fans of Sara Foster will know her as the writer of psychological thrillers such as her recent titles You Don’t Know Me and The Hidden Hours. What you might not know is that, as a reader, Sara has always had a bit of a thing for dystopian fiction. So maybe it was inevitable that one day she would write a book like The Hush. This political thriller is set in the near future and will have readers racing through the pages.

The story centres around midwife, Emma, and her seventeen-year-old daughter Lainey. Emma’s job has become fraught since seemingly healthy babies started being born who simply did not draw their first breath. Pregnant women are fearful. The government starts enacting a series of measures designed to keep them safe but have all the overtones of Big Brother. Online, PreacherGirl is spreading information about pregnant teenage girls who have gone missing and the secretive Project 9. When Lainey comes to the attention of authorities, suddenly mother and daughter find themselves at the forefront of an underground movement to save women and children from the government supposed to protect them.

The Hush is a novel very much of our times. There is an epidemic among new born babies that sparks fear and panic because no one knows what is causing the babies to die. But deeper than that, to me, Foster is really talking about women’s reproductive rights and what happens when they are stripped away at a political and systemic level. The opening scenes pull no punches!

Ultimately though, The Hush works because of the relationships. Both Emma and Lainey are fantastic characters and Foster shows so much love on the page between mother and daughter. Lainey’s peer group, her best friend Sereena and misfit Dylan, are strong secondary characters, as is the somewhat mysterious Geraldine. But the aspect that lifts the novel to a thought-provoking level, is the political response to the crisis that has an all too familiar ring to it. What agency are we ceding to our governments? And who, ultimately, should control our destiny?

Buy a copy or read an extract over here
 

Giveaway!!!

Thank you so much to HarperCollins Publishers for this copy of The Hush. And hello to all the new subscribers who joined up since my last newsletter. For your chance to win, all you have to do is answer the following question:
 
What is the name of the online platform spreading information about the missing pregnant girls?
 
(Clue: Read my review.)

Drop me an email at meredith@meredithjaffe.com with your answer. The lucky winner will be picked at random. Please folks, you must live in Australia to enter. I will announce the winner on Monday December 6. Good luck!
 

Book Me!

Did you know, that I could be your guest at your next book club meeting, your local library, or maybe your next guest speaker at a community group event? I love coming together to chat, and if the tyranny of distance is too great, there is always the option of a virtual talk. It is as easy as jumping onto my website here and making a date.

 

Buy My Books!

Sadly, booksellers can't keep every book ever written in stock all the time, especially bricks and mortar bookstores. Similarly, libraries can't keep every title on the shelves.

What's the solution? I hear you cry.

I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but if you want to buy either of my older titles, The Fence or The Making of Christina, then the easiest solution is to jump on my website here. Each copy is personally signed and, if it is a gift,  I will write whatever lovely inscription you want on the inside. You can buy as many copies as you like, all from the comfort of your favourite chair. Easy peasy!

The end of the cup...

And, my friends, my cup is empty. I’m sitting in my studio, the gentle rain is falling and our new puppy sleeps by my side. Let’s hope nature behaves herself over the summer—no fires, no floods, and no cyclones thank you very much. I hope 2021 ends of a joyous note for you and the ones you love. Let’s hope 2022 brings freedom and peace for all.



Keep an eye on my website for upcoming tour dates www.meredithjaffe.com or you will always find me chatting on socials on either Instagram or Facebook @meredithjaffeauthor.

See you in 2022!