Happy new year, happy news…

Hello and happy 2023! I hope that you’ve had a good break and that whatever the year ahead looks like, that it will be gentle and joyful. Those are the feelings and emotions that I’m seeking out after what feels like a gruelling couple of years; they were intense and hard work but ultimately rewarding. There were great rewards with seeing family overseas and reconnecting with friends, a new book published, and a new home to move into, but the last few months of 2022 was also a time really needed for valuable reflection and reenergising. Now I’m ready and excited for the year ahead, which includes a few professional things that I can share. Firstly, this new craft book is in preparation of a TV writing course that I start next week at AFTRS. While there are many similarities between TV and novel-writing, there are also fundamental differences, as well as in the way the reader or viewer responds to the story and character, so I’m looking forward to developing my drama writing craft and grappling with some of those differences as I adapt one of my novels for the small screen. I’m really excited about learning new things and meeting new people…

The second piece of news is that I will be visiting Victoria in March 2023 for a library tour and to take part in a special event for International Women’s Day on Sunday 5th March at Campaspe Library. I’m really looking forward to travelling in a part of the state that I’ve longed to visit and to meeting and talking to readers and librarians. These are the dates so far for the libraries I’ll be visiting:

And thirdly, there’s also my novel in progress, another hidden history but this time a suspenseful mystery inspired by the true story of a brave female agent who goes undercover for a specific task and discovers something far more sinister. It’s a story of intrigue and betrayal set in the film world of the 1940s and Gene Tierney is amongst the varied and beautiful images on my mood board; I think it’s time for a little glamour and escapism, don’t you?

Actress Gene Tierney, photograph by Philippe Halsman

What I’m reading…

I’m trying to read more widely this year and not just focus on historical fiction so my current reads include:

Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen – the 2022 Stella prizewinning debut is a mix of poetry and essays confronting an unreconciled nation. Its quite brilliant and offers truths about the colonial past and hope for the future with poems such as Learning Bundjalung on Tharawal: “It is hard to unlearn a language: to unspeak the empire, to teach my voice to rise and fall like landscape, a topographic intonation”

The Stranger, Kathryn Hore – described as a compelling female western this is an immersive and visceral read; you can feel the heat, hunger and desperation of a town living on the edge of civilisation and running out of food, and sense the bristling hairs of the town’s male inhabitants when the female outsider arrives…

The Sun Walks Down, Fiona McFarlane – I’ve only just started this but another immersive read where the landscape is not just setting but character too; evocative of the Dust Bowl in Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds

The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon – listening to this on Audible and intrigued by the atmospheric descriptions of 1945 Barcelona and the quest of young Daniel who seeks the works of a mysterious author. First impressions are that this is a captivating story beautifully written, and there are also echoes of the boy and young blind girl in All The Light We Cannot See, another favourite read…

What I’m watching…

Happy Valley – late to the party on this one but enjoying the tense British crime series set in West Yorkshire written and created by Sally Wainright. Gritty realistic drama at its best with a wonderful cast that  includes James Norton before his roles in Grantchester and War & Peace.

Emily in Paris – I binge watched the last series when I had Covid and it brought a bit of humour, glamour and armchair travel, which frankly was a lifesaver! Call My Agent still gets my vote for “location TV” but Emily In Paris delivers on the sugarcoated romance, fashion and Paris fix that we all need from time to time.

Looking for a historical drama series along the lines of Rebellion if anyone has any recommendations…

What I’m excited about…

Visiting Elevate, the free summer festival hosted on the Cahill Expressway, on Gadigal Land. There is a whole program of events for family, food and entertainment from 3-7 January

And events I’ve booked for the Sydney Festival that include art, music, dance and theatre; Antarctica, Frida Kahlo: The Life of an Icon, Tracker and the fabulous Spanish flamenco dancer, Sara Baras.

It’s worth celebrating that artists are able to perform again and that we can share in these immersive experiences. Whatever you are doing this January, I hope its gentle and joyful, and if you do have time to drop me a line then I’d love to know what you’re reading or watching too.

Very best wishes,

Caroline xx