Novels, short stories and essays.
Stories on Pages
The first thing I ever published was a short story for children, 'Antonia's Gift' published in The Puffin New Zealand Storybook. I thought I was going to be a writer for children and young adults, and it still feels strange that for whatever reason that has never happened. Maybe it's still coming? But in the meantime, I have published short stories and essays in most of Australia's major literary journals and two novels with Wakefield Press, Surrogate and Black Dust Dancing.
I am working on my third novel which is set in the Adelaide airport on the night of our statewide power blackout. I did have it more or less finished, but then covid came and ripped the premise out from under my feet, so I've slowly, slowly, slowly been putting that story back together again (who doesn't love a mashup of metaphors?). In the early drafts, it was called Blackout but now it's called The Fish Have Vicious Teeth. That is a way better title, and I think it's growing into a way better story too.
Black Dust Dancing
Heidi knows there is something wrong with her son, but she is young and inexperienced and doesn’t know where to get help. Caro, her doctor and sister-in-law, has moved to the town looking for a way to redeem herself after the death of her husband. Heidi and Caro are separated by age, but share a restless yearning. Together they discover that the place they love is making their children sick.
Surrogate
Good mothers don’t give up their babies … do they?
Rachael Carter, a young nurse, is asked to house-sit by a colleague she barely knows. Dr Cate O’Reilly is travelling to Vietnam with her husband to adopt a baby. Before long the request has changed. The couple need a surrogate.
Rachael sees an opportunity to leave her own troubles behind, but is soon caught up in new struggles, both sexual and psychological. She discovers that this couple will do anything to see their dream of a child fulfilled.
Surrogate is a powerful story, beautifully told
Black Dust Dancing
Heidi knows there is something wrong with her son, but she is young and inexperienced and doesn’t know where to get help. Caro, her doctor and sister-in-law, has moved to the town looking for a way to redeem herself after the death of her husband. Heidi and Caro are separated by age, but share a restless yearning. Together they discover that the place they love is making their children sick.
Surrogate
Good mothers don’t give up their babies … do they?
Rachael Carter, a young nurse, is asked to house-sit by a colleague she barely knows. Dr Cate O’Reilly is travelling to Vietnam with her husband to adopt a baby. Before long the request has changed. The couple need a surrogate.
Rachael sees an opportunity to leave her own troubles behind, but is soon caught up in new struggles, both sexual and psychological. She discovers that this couple will do anything to see their dream of a child fulfilled.
Surrogate is a powerful story, beautifully told
other writing
Taking performances around Australia and regional
South Australia (and sometimes overseas).
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Acknowledgement
I acknowledge and pay my respects to the Kaurna People, the Traditional Custodians of the land where I live and work. This is land that was never ceded. I pay respect to Elders past and present.