I had a great time at the Brisbane Writers Festival – although next time I’ll aim to stay longer so that I can enjoy other people’s panels and workshops, too! It was great to catch up with some friends – including romantic suspense writer Sandy Curtis, and of course fellow panelists Christine Wells and Anna Campbell.
Our panel session chaired by Glen Thomas from QUT, was fun and lively, with a great audience with good questions. My workshop yesterday was also enjoyable – it was a great group of writers, again with good questions that led to some lively discussions. I just wished I could have stayed longer, but I had to leave shortly after lunch to get to the airport and my flights home, via Sydney, as there’s no direct Brisbane-Armidale flight.
This morning’s news is that an interview I did some time back with Graeme Blundell from The Australian has been published in the newspaper today – A Popular Misconception. I thoroughly enjoyed doing the interview with Graeme – he was interested, open, and we had a lengthy discussion. He’s such an interesting person himself, that I would have loved to have kept talking with him. (For my overseas readers, Graeme has had a lengthy career in Australian theatre, film and television, and has contributed a great deal to the shaping of Australian culture and perfomance arts.) For someone of Graeme’s standing to be so positive about my books and to present such a balanced article on the genre is wonderful… and I confess I’m still wearing a broad grin, feeling like dancing around, and at the same time moved enough to cry a little.
‘Nuanced and precisely shaped’. Graeme Blundell, The Australian.
Wow.
Thank you, Graeme.
It’s definitely a good day today.
Great article Bronwyn.
Very impressed by the article, Bronwyn. And his comments re Dark Country were so spot on. I’m reading it at the moment – in the middle of it actually – and I’m loving it. Gritty suspense enhanced by a truly wonderful setting and a fabulous tortured hero. Am now really looking forward to book number 3!
Bronwyn
A great article
Fantastic book as well I loved it
loving the book and recommending it to several friends (and more) who grew up in that area
looking forward to reading the next
Thanks, Eleni!
Enisa, I’m so pleased that you’re enjoying Dark Country – and Gil! I did give the poor guy some rough moments – and there was definitely a couple of scenes I didn’t enjoy writing, but fortunately he came through okay 🙂
Helen, thanks so much for your continued support and enthusiasm!
Phillipa, thanks for recommending the book to others. Word of mouth and friends’ recommendations are the most important way books are sold! I’m looking forward to reading the next one, too… but I have to finish writing it, first 🙂
Bron, Great article. Do your little happy dance. It seems that romance REALLY is coming out of the woods. TWO articles in _The Australian_ in as many weeks just has to be a record. Woo hoo. I’m in the midst of reading your book too (bought it at the conference). Let’s hope that means more libraries will order (in Australia PLR Public Lending Rights are where the money is). Glad panel went well and that you enjoyed the BWF–maybe next year I’ll get a moment to attend something.
Thanks, Toni! I did the interview quite a while back, otherwise I would have mentioned IASPR and given them – us! – a good plug 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying the book. I know that As Darkness Falls is in quite a few libraries, and I think Dark Country is already in a fair few, although it’s only been out for 2 weeks.