June busyness, a fabulous book you must read and a little bookish gossip
Well hello lovely,
How are you? I am busy, super busy. Juggling work deadlines, life dramas, competing objectives. It’s crazy! All I want to do is lie on the couch and disappear into a good book. But, not until I have sent this newsletter into your hands and shared all the news. One excellent thing I have done since we last caught up was go and see the play of The Dictionary of Lost Words. Have you seen it? I was so impressed by this interpretation of Pip Williams novel. The set was so clever, the acting magnificent and it was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an evening. If, by chance, it comes to a town by you, I recommend you buy some tickets.
In Behind the Scenes I can finally tell you that I am working on my edits. My lovely publisher, Anna, even likes my working title. So, for now, my new novel remains The Importance of Being Delia and it will be published sometime in 2026. I know, a bit vague but there is an awful lot to do between now and then.
In terms of reading, I have a brilliant book to share with you in Books to Love. The Names by Florence Knapp has one of the best premises I have heard in ages. All my other reading has either been for New Voices Down Under (more on that at the end of this newsletter) or for events I’ve been doing. So, it’s just one recommendation this newsletter.
On 30 June, I will be celebrating an important anniversary. It marks ten years since I signed my first ever publishing contract. That two-book contract was for The Fence and The Making of Christina. I’m sure almost every writer dreams of getting their work published. It was a big day in my life and signalled the beginning of a wonderful ten years writing, meeting readers and meeting so many other writers. I feel truly blessed. If you’ve been with me all the way, or even part of the way, THANK YOU! for making this life possible for me.
Last, but by no means least, I have a few events over June and July. Maybe we can catch up if they happen to be on in your neck of the woods? All the details are in Upcoming Events.
Behind the Scenes
This writing business is a very strange one. You sit in isolation, tapping away at the keyboard for weeks and months and years, surviving on chocolate and coffee. Finally, when you cannot see the story with any real objectivity anymore, you send it off to your agent and publisher. Fingers crossed, you wait to hear the verdict. Then the news come through. Not quite like a Roman emperor giving the thumbs up or thumbs down but kinda sorta :-)
Anyhoo, it was a thumbs up. Yay! But, also, a long chat and notes on how to make the story stronger—from strengthening the plot, deepening the characters and lifting the humour. All of which means that I am back at work, attacking the story with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. It’s what we call in the trade a developmental edit. Which is really code for a complete rewrite. I have until the end of August to do so. That means saying no to social engagements and basically having any life at all until the work is done.
I’ve completed a complete read through resulting in copious additional notes. Now it is a matter of working through the story in sections. The end of August sounds like a long way away but I know I’ll be back in the land of coffee and chocolate to sustain me until the work is done. Wish me luck!
Books to Love
Right now, I’m reading Fiona McIntosh’s Blood Pact ahead of our session at StoryFest in a couple of weeks. The session is about being a bestseller and McIntosh certainly knows a thing or two about that! But, as mentioned above, I have such a brilliant book to share with you.
The Names by Florence Knapp
London 1987: In the aftermath of a wild storm, Cora is on her way to register the birth of her son. Her husband expects he will be named Gordon after himself and his father before him. Cora likes the name Julian because it means sky father. Her nine year old, Maia, thinks he should be called Bear because he is so cuddly but bears are also powerful and strong.
Whichever names she chooses will have consequences—for herself as well as her children. If she accepts her husband’s authority, as Gordon, her son may be condemned to become another violent cruel man. If she follows her heart and calls him Julian, she will be punished. Bear? Well, that may just tip her husband right over the edge.
And so lives hang on this turning point. Standing at the registry desk, pen in hand, Cora knows that whatever she names her son will change all their destinies. But by defying her husband will she also set them free?
The Names is an astonishing debut by Florence Knapp. The novel spans 35 years, each section seven years apart. Split into three narrative strands, each section follows their lives depending on whether Cora chooses Bear, Julian or Gordon. This structure allows Knapp to explore the generational trauma of domestic violence and the very real consequences of what might be unleashed by defying the authority figure in the family. How ceding to that power perpetuates the violence but pushing up against it is terrifying and damaging.
Knapp does not provide easy answers to these possibilities. If Cora stands up to her brutish husband, does she condemn Gordon to a life where he is bullied, manipulated and controlled as she is. If she defies her husband and her son is condemned to grow up fatherless, that too has consequences. And then the version of her son who is free of the actual man but oppressed by his legacy, how does that change his life. Whichever name she gives him, Cora is shaping his future and thus her own.
Admittedly, the domestic violence scenes are confronting, as they should be. There is no way to sugar coat this particular kind of crime. However, in Knapp’s hands this is not gratuitous. It underpins the themes of nature versus nurture. About the power of mother love and not just from Cora. As the story takes us through her son’s various lives, there are many other characters who show strength through love. There are no neat answers, although there is a reckoning for them all after thirty-five years. What Knapp manages to do is instill hope—that we can overcome our legacies, reshape them, or find joy in what we do have. The Names is a gripping, gorgeously written story which takes that sliding door moment of a woman having the courage to choose her baby’s name and altering the course of destiny.
Upcoming Events
I’ll be facilitating a few events as part of StoryFest in June and the South Coast Writers Festival in July. Here are the details.
Behind the Bestsellers
Saturday 21 June, 2.30pm
Ulladulla Civic Centre
Two of Australia’s top selling authors, Candice Fox and Fiona McIntosh, discuss what it takes to create quality popular fiction, what it’s like to experience connection with a wide readership, and the pressure of continuing to deliver for their fans.
Tickets are available here
First Time Novelists—Fabulous or Fraught?
Sunday 22 June, 1pm
Ulladulla Civic Centre
Join three emerging Australian writers who have recently had their first novels published. What was the journey like - from the inkling of an idea to seeing the book in-store? How has the dream that sparked the passion to write matched up with the reality of being a published author? Featuring Mitch Jennings, Kate Horan and Ann Dombroski.
Tickets are available here
Saturday 6 July, 2.25pm
Thirroul Library
Want an insiders perspective on the business of publishing? Publishers Meredith Curnow (Penguin Random House) and Elizabeth Weiss (Allen & Unwin) discuss key issues in Australian and internationally with author Meredith Jaffé.
Tickets available here
Sunday 6 July, 11.15am
Thirroul Library
Nikki Gemmell is one of Australia’s bestselling authors, known for her provocative and honest writing style. Her latest novel, Wing, is a searing examination of what it means to be female today. She sits down with author Meredith Jaffé to talk about writing women from memoir to thriller and everything in-between.
Tickets available here
New Voices Down Under
Over at New Voices Down Under this month, I had a fantastic chat with Domenic Amerena about his novel, I Want Everything for our May edition of Meet the Author. It’s not too late to read the interview then answer the giveaway question to go in the running to win a copy. In Books to Love, I feature Sarah Clutton’s gently funny family drama, The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bains about a little boy who just wants to meet his father. The fantastic crime thriller from Angie Faye Martin, Melaleuca. And a quirky, hilarious novel, Stinkbug by Sinead Stubbins about the corporate retreat from hell. Plus the chance to win a copy of these titles. What? You’re not a subscriber yet? Then click on the link below to subscribe and receive a monthly newsletter with even more bookish news.
The end of the cup
And now, my friend, my cup is empty. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I’ll be back in your inbox in August with all my news and reviews. Hopefully, life will be back on an even keel by then, or I will have overdosed on chocolate and coffee. Either is possible :-) And I hope your life is filled with delightful surprises in between. If you know someone who might enjoy my ramblings, please share via the link below.
Don’t forget, you can check out updates on events at www.meredithjaffe.com or, why don’t you leave a comment below or drop me a line. I love hearing from you!
Keep well,
We're reading THE NAMES next for our podcast, READING BETWEEN DEADLINES. Can't wait. And have noted down you'll have a book next year in my list for possible RJBC picks :)