Oh my goodness, there is so much to read this year! For a start there are the new releases from the likes of Tania Chandler, Kate Mildenhall, Olga Lorenzo and Jennifer Down to name a few (full disclosure and boasting moment: I know them all, studied with three at RMIT, and taught by one and they are all awesome writers).
I’m so proud of my mate Tania Chandler. She has just launched her debut novel, Please Don’t Leave Me Here.
Tania is one of the most disciplined and critical writers I know. I met her two years ago when she was still studying at RMIT. She said to me then that she was on her ninth draft of her manuscript and that she rose at 5am every day to write before the family got up (I know! 5am!) Two years later, and however many drafts later it is in print, and is a wonderfully compelling novel.
It was such an exciting moment seeing my name in print, even if it is alongside 103 other writers (including Sian Prior).
As my mate Tania Chandler, who just launched her first novel Please Don’t Leave Me Here (a book I highly recommend), said, ‘It’s like a shot in the arm.’
It’s the boost to remind us to keep writing, that it is all worth it.