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Beloved author slams Carrie Bickmore for “schoolyard bullying”

<p>New Zealand author and poet Jessica Urlichs has voiced her extreme displeasure with Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little for her radio program "Carrie &amp; Tommy", claiming that she experienced what amounted to "schoolyard bullying" during a recent segment.</p> <p>Bickmore read one of Urlichs’ poems on air recently while speaking to her co-host, Tommy Little. Urlichs, who has nearly half-a-million followers on Instagram, felt that her work was shamefully mocked during the broadcast.</p> <p>"I don’t have any words left to truly articulate the schoolyard bullying you displayed in your recent segment across multiple radio stations," Urlichs wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday.</p> <p>She continued, "You used my heartfelt poem (without permission) as your very weak punchline. Your co-host wasn’t allowing a voice for post-partum women, nor you for that matter, and as a woman who was once post-partum it was very disappointing to see you reduce yourself to his childlike behaviour on such an important topic."</p> <p>In her caption, Urlichs explained she wrote the poem for herself and for mothers who might be offended by the radio segment. She also mentioned that her requests to have the content removed had been ignored.</p> <p>During the radio segment, Bickmore explained to Little that the poems, written from the perspective of a baby to its mother, frequently appeared in her social media feed. Little responded with skepticism and humour, questioning the premise that a baby could write such a poem.</p> <p>Bickmore defended the work, identifying Urlichs as the author and stressing the poem's emotional significance for mothers dealing with sleepless nights. Despite this, Little continued to mock the poem, suggesting it was written by a middle-aged man pretending to be a baby.</p> <p>The segment continued with Bickmore reading the poem aloud, accompanied by background music, while Little laughed and interjected. This tone persisted throughout the reading, leading to further comments from Little that questioned the poem's authenticity and meaning.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Q8DaXPMd9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Q8DaXPMd9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by J E S S I C A U R L I C H S (@jessurlichs)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Following the broadcast, a video clip of the segment was posted on Instagram, where Urlichs expressed her disappointment in the comments. "If you’d asked for my permission to post this and I’d seen how it was mocked throughout I would have said no," she wrote on the post that has now been removed. She added that while she appreciates people sharing her work to support other mothers, she felt her writing was treated as a punchline in this instance.</p> <p>The full text of the remarkable poem can be read below.</p> <p><iframe style="overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjessurlichs%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02jzy9gwBKnMAAX12NYp7XiZ1CpWsgxfd2zyhRaHVQfgLJ3NoB1kCcGXNbhJucZcYNl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="666" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

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Best-selling author diagnosed with "aggressive" brain cancer

<p>Best-selling author Sophie Kinsella has shared that she has been fighting "aggressive" brain cancer since the end of 2022. </p> <p>The British writer took to Instagram to reveal she was diagnosed with glioblastoma 18 months ago, and shared why she chose to keep the devatstsing news out of the spotlight. </p> <p>The 54-year-old said she wanted to "make sure my children were able to hear and process the news in privacy and adapt to our new normal" before going public with her diagnosis. </p> <p>"I have been under the care of the excellent team at University College Hospital in London and have had successful surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is still ongoing," she told her followers on Instagram.</p> <p>"At the moment all is stable and I am feeling generally very well, though I get very tired and my memory is even worse than it was before!"</p> <p>Kinsella said she is "so grateful to my family and close friends who have been an incredible support to me, and to the wonderful doctors and nurses who have treated me."</p> <p>She also thanked her readers for their "constant support", adding how the reception of her latest novel <em>The Burnout</em>, released in October 2023, "really buoyed me up during a difficult time."</p> <p>She ended her statement by saying, "To everyone who is suffering from cancer in any form I send love and best wishes, as well as to those who support them."</p> <p>"It can feel very lonely and scary to have a tough diagnosis, and the support and care of those around you means more than words can say."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

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Outcry after authorities seize internet-famous magpie from Queensland family

<p>In a move that has sparked widespread outrage, Queensland authorities have taken custody of an internet-famous magpie named Molly from a family who rescued and cared for her. The decision has left many Australians reeling, questioning the reasoning behind separating a beloved animal from its devoted caregivers.</p> <p>Molly's journey from a helpless chick to an online sensation began when Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, a couple from the Gold Coast, took her in and nursed her back to health. Their heartwarming story of nurturing Molly, alongside their English staffy Peggy, captured the hearts of countless social media users. Videos showcasing the unlikely friendship between Molly and Peggy quickly went viral, earning them legions of fans worldwide.</p> <p>Despite Molly's free-spirited life, where she roamed outdoors and enjoyed the company of her canine companion, Queensland authorities intervened, citing allegations of unlawful captivity. The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) confirmed that Molly was voluntarily surrendered to them amid accusations of being kept without proper permits or authorisation.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4-gkw-peYc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4-gkw-peYc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Peggyandmolly (@peggyandmolly)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The news of Molly's seizure has triggered a wave of condemnation online, with many expressing disbelief and frustration at what they perceive as bureaucratic overreach. Concerns have been raised about the impact of separation on Molly's well-being, particularly considering her close bond with the family and the potential disruption to her accustomed lifestyle.</p> <p>Supporters of Wells and Mortensen have launched petitions urging authorities to reconsider their decision and return Molly to her rightful home. The couple themselves have pleaded for Molly's return, given the familiarity and love she experienced within their family unit.</p> <p>DESI, meanwhile, has defended its actions, asserting that Molly's prolonged exposure to human contact has rendered her unsuitable for release into the wild. Consequently, efforts are underway to find a suitable facility where Molly can receive the care and attention she requires.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"What a life I’ve had": Author announces own death after years of battling dementia

<p>Wendy Mitchell has died aged 68 after documenting her brave battle with dementia. </p> <p>The author from Walkington, East Yorkshire, became the best-selling writer after she was diagnosed with early onset vascular dementia and Alzheimer's in July 2014. </p> <p>She shared her philosophical outlook on living with the condition in her acclaimed 2018 memoir <em>Somebody I Used To Know </em>and in her 2022 book <em>What I Wish I Knew About Dementia</em>.</p> <p>In an <a href="https://whichmeamitoday.wordpress.com/2024/02/22/my-final-hug-in-a-mug/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> shared online, the author announced her death and revealed that she had refused to eat or drink towards the end of her battle. </p> <p>"If you’re reading this, it means this has probably been posted by my daughters as I’ve sadly died," she began. </p> <p>"Sorry to break the news to you this way, but if I hadn’t, my inbox would eventually have been full of emails asking if I’m OK, which would have been hard for my daughters to answer… </p> <p>"In the end I died simply by deciding not to eat or drink any more," she wrote. </p> <p>She added that the last cup of tea she had, her "final hug in a mug" was "the hardest thing to let go of". </p> <p>"Dementia is a cruel disease that plays tricks on your very existence. I’ve always been a glass half full person, trying to turn the negatives of life around and creating positives, because that’s how I cope." </p> <p>Mitchell said that the language used by doctors can "make or break" how someone copes with dementia, and instead of saying there's "nothing they can do" it is better to tell them they will have to "adapt to a new way of living". </p> <p>"Well I suppose dementia was the ultimate challenge. Yes, dementia is a bummer, but oh what a life I’ve had playing games with this adversary of mine to try and stay one step ahead," she wrote in her final blog post. </p> <p>She also said that she had always been resilient, which has helped her cope with whatever life throws in her way. </p> <p>Mitchell has been an advocate for assisted dying in the UK, and said that "the only legal choice we shouldn’t have in life is when to be born; for everything else, we, as humans, should have a choice; a choice of how we live and a choice of how we die." </p> <p>She added that the way she died was an active choice as she doesn't want "to be an inpatient in a hospital, or a resident in a Care Home," as "it’s just not the place I want to end my years."</p> <p>"My girls have always been the two most important people in my life. I didn’t take this decision lightly, without countless conversations. They were the hardest conversations I’ve ever had to put them through. </p> <p>"This was all MY CHOICE, my decision. So please respect my daughters' privacy, as they didn’t choose the life I chose, of standing up to and speaking out against dementia." </p> <p>She then thanked everyone for their support and left with a touching final message. </p> <p>"So, enjoy this knowing that dementia didn’t play the winning card – I did."</p> <p><em>Images: Daily Mail</em></p>

Caring

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Fire authorities are better prepared for this summer. The question now is – are you?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/graham-dwyer-908955">Graham Dwyer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>Last year, campers had to evacuate <a href="https://www.thegreynomads.com.au/caves-2/">because of floods</a>. This year, they’re evacuating because of fire. Over Victoria’s long weekend, campers and residents in Gippsland had to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-01/gippsland-fires-burn-briagolong-loch-sport-erica/102922014">flee fast-moving fires</a>, driven by high winds.</p> <p>The megafires of the 2019–2020 Black Summer came off the back of an earlier El Niño climate cycle. Now, after three years of rain and floods, El Niño is arriving on Australian shores again. With it comes fire weather – hot, dry and windy.</p> <p>The question is – <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2023/09/30/climate-change-and-the-fire-season-ahead#mtr">are we ready?</a></p> <p>Last week, emergency management minister Murray Watt moved to reassure an anxious country. “Australia is much better prepared for this season than we were heading into Black Summer,” he said, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-24/australia-better-prepared-for-bushfire-threat-than-black-summer/102895018">speaking after</a> a national summit on disaster preparedness.</p> <p>Yes, authorities are better prepared. But by and large, we as individuals are not. Far too often, Australians think it’s the job of the authorities to be ready, which breeds a false sense of security.</p> <h2>This fire season may pack a punch</h2> <p>The Black Summer bushfires of the 2019–20 summer were a stark reminder of how fire prone Australia is. But they were more than that – they <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-black-summer-of-fire-was-not-normal-and-we-can-prove-it-172506">were not normal</a>. Around 20% of all of our forests went up in flame.</p> <p>2019 was the <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2019-2019-was-australias-hottest-and-driest-year-on-record/#:%7E:text=Last%20year%20was%20Australia's%20hottest,are%20the%20worst%20on%20record.">hottest and driest</a> year on record for Australia. But 2023 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/01/australia-records-warmest-winter-caused-by-global-heating-and-sunny-conditions">may break that record</a>, as climate records topple around the world and extreme weather events multiply. This year is likely to be the hottest on record globally, and next year the record <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/what-the-return-of-el-nino-means/#:%7E:text=Looking%20ahead%20%E2%80%93%20with%20El%20Ni%C3%B1o,above%20the%20pre%2Dindustrial%20average">may well fall again</a>.</p> <p>Sustained rain from three successive La Niña years has driven widespread vegetation growth across Australia’s 125 million hectares of forest, bush and grasslands. Over the coming weeks, many areas could dry out quickly and become tinder for bushfires.</p> <h2>Climate cycles do give us time to prepare</h2> <p>Australia’s wet-dry climate cycles have one benefit – during wet years, fire authorities get a reprieve. That lets governments, emergency services and the community <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-22/bushfire-royal-commission-revisited-after-el-nino-weather/102880144">coordinate, plan and prepare</a> for bushfire seasons ahead.</p> <p>That’s why Minister Watt can accurately claim Australia is better prepared. The capacity and capability of our emergency services to predict the spread of fires and issue timely warnings to communities is better than it has ever been. In planning and preparedness for natural hazards such as bushfires and floods, we have seen <a href="https://nema.gov.au/about-us/media-centre/Preparedness-Summit-250923">better integration</a> between government, emergency services, civil and private sector organisations.</p> <p>Planned burning is still a challenge. It’s tough to find the right weather conditions to burn off fuel loads at low intensity, without risking the blaze spreading or threatening property.</p> <p>But these burns are done much more <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-october-2020-searching-for-objectivity-in-burning/">strategically these days</a>. Rather than simply aim to hit a target of hectares burned, authorities are now focused on burning fuel in areas where it could endanger lives and damage critical infrastructure during bushfire season.</p> <p>These advances give us good reason for confidence. But not for complacency.</p> <p>Every bushfire is unique. And our fires are, by and large, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27225-4">getting worse</a>. It would be an error to think our investment in <a href="https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/fighting-fires-from-space-how-satellites-and-other-tech-could-prevent-catastrophic-bushfires">smoke-detecting algorithms and satellite monitoring</a> and the development of the new <a href="https://afdrs.com.au/">Australian Fire Danger Rating System</a> will spare Australia from the loss of life, property and environmental destruction observed during the Black Summer fires.</p> <p>Why? Decades of bushfires have shown even the best preparation can be found wanting on days of severe bushfire danger when firestorms can develop quickly and behave unpredictably.</p> <h2>For Australia to be ready, you need to be ready</h2> <p>While megafires happen – and draw the most headlines – most bushfires are local rather than national events.</p> <p>That means we must prepare at a local level.</p> <p>If you’re faced with a bushfire threat, you have only <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8500.12592">two options</a>.</p> <p>You can stay and defend your property – as long as you are physically and mentally prepared, have adequate firefighting resources, and your property is prepared and defensible.</p> <p>Or you can leave early, which means making a judgement call about the best time to go in a calm manner. That doesn’t mean panic – if there is time, it can be possible to do things like clear fuels from around the home and dampen the surrounds to give your house a better chance of surviving undefended.</p> <p>Which should you choose? It depends, in part, on where you live and your personal circumstances. Remember too that most Australians will never experience a bushfire firsthand.</p> <p>Every community has a different risk profile and people and communities vary considerably in their levels of preparedness and planning.</p> <p>If a fire does start and head towards your house, you could be taken entirely by surprise if you have no bushfire plan.</p> <p>To be clear, this is arguably the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-a-bushfire-and-when-to-leave-50962#:%7E:text=Under%20Catastrophic%20fire%20conditions%20all,of%20bushfires%20and%20their%20unpredictability.">largest gap</a> in Australia’s fire preparedness.</p> <h2>Planning is easy – if done ahead</h2> <p>The question of whether Australia is ready for the fire season should be reframed. The better question is: are Australians ready?</p> <p>The good news is, it’s easier than you think to make a fire plan. As a household, it might take just 10 minutes. Your state or territory government has a website showing you how:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire/your-bushfire-plan">Victoria</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/bush-fire-survival-plan">New South Wales</a></li> <li><a href="https://bushfire-survival-plan.qfes.qld.gov.au/">Queensland</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-a-fire-be-prepared/make-a-plan/5-minute-bushfire-plan/">South Australia</a></li> <li><a href="https://mybushfireplan.wa.gov.au/">Western Australia</a></li> <li><a href="https://esa.act.gov.au/cbr-be-emergency-ready/bushfires/bushfire-ready">Australian Capital Territory</a></li> <li><a href="https://securent.nt.gov.au/prepare-for-an-emergency/fires/bushfires/survival-plans">Northern Territory</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.fire.tas.gov.au/Show?pageId=colbushfirePrepareActSurvive&amp;fbclid=IwAR1mRkwm89K_SlAnUXUm0LYwAQ7Hc8moJ7c9AoNgkmdPVDxxIPx7WMLJzvk">Tasmania</a></li> </ul> <p>Why plan ahead? Because it is vastly better to have a clear plan at your fingertips rather than frantically trying to figure out where your loved ones are, whether it’s too late to leave and whether you could realistically fight the fire – when the fire is on your doorstep. Faced by the reality of fire, many of us can freeze.</p> <p>What firefighters <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-can-still-picture-the-faces-black-saturday-firefighters-want-you-to-listen-to-them-not-call-them-heroes-128632">want us to learn</a> is that the critical decisions and actions which save lives and property in a bushfire are taken by us and our communities, not by politicians or agencies.</p> <p><em>John Schauble contributed significantly to this article. He has worked extensively in bushfire policy and research at state level and has volunteered for over 40 years as a firefighter.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214577/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/graham-dwyer-908955"><em>Graham Dwyer</em></a><em>, Course Director, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/fire-authorities-are-better-prepared-for-this-summer-the-question-now-is-are-you-214577">original article</a>.</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Iconic Aussie author caught up in bizarre book ban

<p>Australian author Mem Fox, best known for her iconic <em>Possum Magic </em>book, has become the latest writer caught up in Florida’s wave of book bans. </p> <p>Her 1988 release <em>Guess What?</em> is the target, facing the ban in schools throughout Duval County over allegations of “pornography” in its depictions of nudity.</p> <p>The 2022 Florida law, part of the parental rights in conservative governor Ron DeSanti’s education bill, prohibits adults from distributing on school premises any content “of a person or portion of the human body which depicts nudity or sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sexual battery, bestiality, or sadomasochistic abuse and which is harmful to minors".</p> <p>Punishment for not complying includes a third-degree felony, which can mean a prison sentence of up to five years for any individual caught. </p> <p>The book asks children to guess the identity of character Daisy O’Grady with a series of questions - all yes or no - before finally revealing that she’s actually a witch. </p> <p>Illustrations through <em>Guess What?</em> - created by illustrator Vivienne Goodman - see Daisy going about her day-to-day routine, including one key ‘problem’ activity: taking a bath. </p> <p>It’s this scene that caused the trouble for Fox, with some dubbing it “pornographic”. </p> <p>However, it isn’t the first time that<em> Guess What? </em>has come into question for its depictions - past reviews took issue with its images of dead fish in underwear as well. </p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/05/GuessWhat_Embed.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>Fox doesn’t seem too concerned about the ban though, with her agent even telling <em>The Guardian </em>that “Duval County is a county of 997,000 people in Florida. It is not important."</p> <p>As Fox herself said on <em>ABC Radio</em>, “it's pitiful, isn't it? It's like, the Americans keep killing each other with guns and then they do things like this as well.</p> <p>"You just feel sorry for them, you just think, 'people, you're so unsophisticated, you're so pitiful'.”</p> <p>She went on to note that Americans had treated her well in the past, in her 100-plus visits to the country over the course of her career. </p> <p>"They were so kind to me, they were so, so good, so generous, so warm-hearted, so affirming,” she said. “I just grieve for them.”</p> <p>And when it came to the bath time scene, she was firm in her stance that it is “completely appropriate. </p> <p>"She's washing herself, she's sort of sitting in this sink, you can't see any of her private parts at all.</p> <p>"The whole book is about guessing who this person is, it turns out to be a witch in the end."</p> <p><em>Images: Getty, Facebook</em></p>

Books

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5 authors who hated the film adaptation of their book

<p>Most movies these days are adapted from something – whether it’s a book, a musical, a news story or even another film. However, commercial and critical success doesn’t necessarily guarantee everyone will be happy. Surprisingly, the authors of these 5 movies didn’t think much of the film adaptations of their books.</p> <p><strong>1. <em>Mary Poppins</em></strong></p> <p>Author of <em>Mary Poppins</em> P. L. Travers initially had no problem with her book being turned into a film, until she discovered that Disney had disregarded almost all of her edits. When it was released in 1964, then-65-year-old Travers voiced her disapproval at the animated scenes and the downplaying of Poppins’ stricter side. She reportedly spent most of the film premiere crying, and vowed never to let Disney near another of her books.</p> <p><strong>2. <em>The Shining</em></strong></p> <p>With such a prolific author like Stephen King, there are bound to be a few hits and misses when it comes to film adaptations. After King put his faith in acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick, whom he greatly admired, he found himself extremely disappointed in the final product, which went on to become a horror classic. “Kubrick just couldn't grasp the sheer inhuman evil of The Overlook Hotel,” the author explained. “So he looked, instead, for evil in the characters and made the film into a domestic tragedy with only vaguely supernatural overtones.”</p> <p><strong>3. <em>Forrest Gump</em></strong></p> <p>The 1995 Best Picture winner was a hit with everyone – except author Winston Groom, that is. Angry at the filmmakers for toning down the language and sexual references as well as omitting certain important plot points, Groom got back at Hollywood in the first few lines of the book’s sequel: “Don't never let nobody make a movie of your life's story,” he writes "Whether they get it right or wrong, it don't matter.” Groom sued the producers after failing to receive his promised 3% cut of the profits, and wasn’t mentioned in any of the six Oscar acceptance speeches by the cast and crew.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>A Clockwork Orange</em></strong></p> <p>It’s one thing to hate the film adaptation of your book, but to end up hating the book itself? It seems strange, but that’s exactly what happened to Anthony Burgess. Years after the release of the book and the film, Burgess claimed he regretted writing the book, which he wrote in three weeks and only because he was desperate for money, so was unhappy when it was turned into a film that “seemed to glorify sex and violence.” He adds, “The film made it easy for readers of the book to misunderstand what it was about, and the misunderstanding will pursue me till I die.”</p> <p><strong>5. <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em></strong></p> <p>One of the most beloved films of all time, the adaptation of <em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em> certainly wasn’t beloved by Roald Dahl. He thought the 1971 film was “crummy” and that Gene Wilder’s portrayal of Willy Wonka was “pretentious” and “bouncy”, claiming director Mel Stuart had “no talent or flair”. For this reason, as long as the rights to his work is in the hands of his family, you’ll never see the book’s sequel, <em>Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator</em>, grace the silver screen.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Books

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Murder charge levelled at children's book author

<p>Author Kouri Richins wrote a children’s book on grief following the death of her husband in 2022. She is now being charged with his murder.</p> <p>Richins was arrested on May 7 in Utah and is accused of charging documents of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City.</p> <p>Prosecutors allege Richins called authorities in the middle of the night in March 2022 to report that her husband, Eric Richins, was “cold to the touch”.</p> <p>The mum-of-three told authorities she had made her husband a mixed vodka drink to celebrate him selling a home and then went to soothe one of their children in their bedroom. She later returned and found her husband unresponsive, which prompted her to call 911.</p> <p>A medical examiner later found five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system.</p> <p>Additionally, Richins is facing charges involving the alleged possession of GHB - a narcolepsy drug typically used in recreational settings, including at dance clubs.</p> <p>The charges, which are based on officers’ interactions with Richins that evening and the account of an “unnamed acquaintance” who claimed to have sold her the fentanyl, come two months after Richins appeared on local television to promote Are You With Me, a picture book she wrote to help children cope with the death of a loved one.</p> <p>For a segment called Good Things Utah, Richins referred to her husband’s death as unexpected and explained how it sent her and her three boys spiralling. In terms of children, she said, grieving was about “making sure that their spirit is always alive in your home”.</p> <p>“It’s ... explaining to my kid just because he’s not present here with us physically, doesn’t mean his presence isn’t here with us,” she told the reporters, who commended her for being an amazing mother.</p> <p>Richins’ lawyer, Sky Lazaro, declined to comment on the charges.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Legal

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Aussie author of "Puberty Blues" dies at 64

<p dir="ltr">Gabrielle Carey, co-author of the iconic novel <em>Puberty Blues</em>, has passed away at 64. </p> <p dir="ltr">The news was reportedly broken by Carey’s old friend and co-writer Kathy Lette, who was the other half of the creative powerhouse that brought<em> Puberty Blues </em>to life. </p> <p dir="ltr">In a post to social media, Lette shared a throwback picture of the pair in their younger years, and wrote, “I’m deeply saddened by the tragic news about my old friend Gabrielle Carey. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I have such happy memories of our teenage years. They were halcyon, heady days full of love, laughter and adventure.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We made some mischief and broke some barriers by writing <em>Puberty Blues</em> – our raw, earthy take on the brutal treatment of young women in the Australian surfing scene which is sadly, still so relevant. </p> <p dir="ltr">“My heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’m deeply saddened by the tragic news about my old friend Gabrielle Carey. I have such happy memories of our teenage years. They were halcyon, heady days full of love, laughter and adventure. 1/2 🧵 <a href="https://t.co/2wZZiRf1hd">pic.twitter.com/2wZZiRf1hd</a></p> <p>— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) <a href="https://twitter.com/KathyLette/status/1654136967636959234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The groundbreaking book they penned together,  which went on to be adapted as both a movie and a hit TV series, was a candid - then-controversial - story of two teenage girls growing up in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire. </p> <p dir="ltr">It pushed boundaries, captivated young audiences while tackling themes many did not expect for said target audience, and is regarded by many as being the first Australian teenage novel to be written by teens.</p> <p dir="ltr">From <em>Puberty Blues</em>, Carey went on to publish memoirs and nonfiction works, with another of her books - her 1984 <em>Just Us</em>, which covered her relationship with rapist and prisoner Terry Haley, who she married while he was imprisoned - also made into a telemovie in 1986. </p> <p dir="ltr">No suspicious circumstances surrounded her death, according to <em>The Australian</em>, though the tragic news comes just months after she wrote about her father’s suicide in <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">At the time, Carey had revealed she was afraid of reaching 64, as that was when he too had passed on.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was only decades later, when my father died from suicide on the very day he turned 64, that I became terrified of that number,” she wrote. “If I have inherited my father’s disposition for depression, did that mean I would also end up in an early grave?</p> <p dir="ltr">Carey’s early passing is one that has hit her friends and her fans hard, with many joining Lette in sharing their grief and their condolences on social media. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Farewell dear Gabrielle. You were a sister in the cause of mental illness, its impact &amp; our children. I’m enriched for having known you,” one supporter wrote. “Thank you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Writer - Reader - Intellectual - Joycean (fanatical) - Elizabeth von Arnim devotee - Avid Gardener - Rose Petal Jam Maker - Football Follower - Kayaker - Yogi - Joker - Irrepressible Spirit - Hobbit - Underground Writer - My Friend,” friend and fellow writer Yumna Kassab wrote. “I will always miss you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“So sorry for your loss,” one fan said in response to Lette’s tweet. “You have no idea how much as a girl growing up in a coastal town with a surfing scene I understood <em>Puberty Blues</em>. I saw it every day. You &amp; Gabrielle laid it all bare &amp; made girls stand up for themselves. Thank you”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My deepest condolences Kathy,” another offered. “The two of you wrote something so treasured by Gen X girls. It was our ‘how to say no guide’. Our Teen handbook. But it still let us live our lives &amp; learn as we went. RIP Gabrielle Carey.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

News

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Chatbots set their sights on writing romance

<p>Although most would expect artificial intelligence to keep to the science fiction realm, authors are facing mounting fears that they may soon have new competition in publishing, particularly as the sales of romantic fiction continue to skyrocket. </p> <p>And for bestselling author Julia Quinn, best known for writing the <em>Bridgerton </em>novel series, there’s hope that “that’s something that an AI bot can’t quite do.” </p> <p>For one, human inspiration is hard to replicate. Julia’s hit series - which went on to have over 20 million books printed in the United States alone, and inspired one of Netflix’s most-watched shows - came from one specific point: Julia’s idea of a particular duke. </p> <p>“Definitely the character of Simon came first,” Julia told <em>BBC</em> reporter Jill Martin Wrenn. Simon, in the <em>Bridgerton </em>series, is the Duke of Hastings, a “tortured character” with a troubled past.</p> <p>As Julia explained, she realised that Simon needed “to fall in love with somebody who comes from the exact opposite background” in a tale as old as time. </p> <p>And so, Julia came up with the Bridgerton family, who she described as being “the best family ever that you could imagine in that time period”. Meanwhile, Simon is estranged from his own father. </p> <p>Characterisation and unique relationship dynamics - platonic and otherwise - like those between Julia’s beloved characters are some of the key foundations behind any successful story, but particularly in the romance genre, where relationships are the entire driving force. </p> <p>It has long been suggested that the genre can become ‘formulaic’ if not executed well, and it’s this concern that prompts the idea that advancing artificial intelligence may have the capability to generate its own novel. </p> <p>ChatGPT is the primary problem point. The advanced language processing technology was developed by OpenAI and was trained using the likes of internet databases (such as Wikipedia), books, magazines, and the likes. The <em>BBC</em> reported that over 300 billion words were put into it. </p> <p>Because of this massive store of source material, the system can generate its own writing pieces, with the best of the bunch giving the impression that they were put together by a human mind. Across the areas of both fiction and non-fiction, it’s always learning. </p> <p>However, Julia isn’t too worried about her future in fiction just yet. Recalling how she’d checked out some AI romance a while ago, and how she’d found it “terrible”, she shared her belief at the time that there “could never be a good one.” </p> <p>But then the likes of ChatGPT entered the equation, and Julia admitted that “it makes me kind of queasy.” </p> <p>Still, she remains firm in her belief that human art will triumph. As she explained, “so much in fiction is about the writer’s voice, and I’d like to think that’s something that an AI bot can’t quite do.”</p> <p>And as for why romantic fiction itself remains so popular - and perhaps even why it draws the attention of those hoping to profit from AI generated work - she said that it’s about happy endings, noting that “there is something comforting and validating in a type of literature that values happiness as a worthy goal.”</p> <p><em>Images: @bridgertonnetflix / Instagram</em></p>

Books

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Rita's Ripoff: Tassie author receives shock of her career

<p>When Lian Tanner went online to see if her book was available for purchase in Australia, the last thing she could have expected to learn is that it was - under someone else's name. </p> <p>The award-winning Tasmanian author has written no few books over the course of her career, and only released <em>Rita’s Revenge</em> in 2022. But according to one of Amazon’s sale listings for the latter, Lian had nothing to do with it, instead declaring Emilio M Parks to be the author responsible for the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards shortlisted story.</p> <p>Tanner opened up to <em>ABC Radio Hobart</em> about her discovery, confessing that she was “absolutely shocked.” </p> <p>"Both had exactly the same cover, exactly the same blurb,” she explained of the two purchase options, “but one of them listed me as the author and the other one had this fellow Emilio M Parks listed as the author.</p> <p>"He had a whole list of books he had apparently written, including <em>Rita's Revenge</em> and Doctor Seuss books, and heaps of other stuff."</p> <p>She went on to comment that the mysterious Emilio M Parks came with a few red flags, noting that “there was no information listed on Amazon about the 'author', and his version of Rita only had 25 pages, when the real book runs to 351 pages. The stolen version was also selling at half the usual price.”</p> <p>Obviously he is hoping someone will come along and want to buy the book, not notice it's the wrong author listed, and then just click through and buy it. Their money's gone and it's too late. </p> <p>“It's a complete rip-off.” </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Apparently Emilio M Parks has ALSO written a book called Rita's Revenge. With exactly the same cover. And he's selling it on Amazon for half the price of mine. Weird coincidence, huh? </p> <p>He's also selling The Lorax. <a href="https://twitter.com/AllenAndUnwin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AllenAndUnwin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ripoff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ripoff</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/theft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#theft</a> <a href="https://t.co/lzE5UhoE6q">pic.twitter.com/lzE5UhoE6q</a></p> <p>— Lian Tanner (@tanner_lian) <a href="https://twitter.com/tanner_lian/status/1629365601125949440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Allen and Unwin, the publishers behind legitimate copies of <em>Rita’s Revenge</em>, chimed in on the unfortunate theft, though digital publishing director Elizabeth Weiss’ take couldn’t have come as much comfort to Tanner or her fellow authors, simply stating that plagiarism like that “happens from time to time.” </p> <p>Tanner herself acknowledged the unfortunate likelihood of such events when she said that she’d “heard about entire books being stolen and published under a different title.”</p> <p>“That's much harder to pick up because you're not searching for your own title,” she added. "It happens a lot with translations. Someone will pick up a book that's published in English, translate it into a different language, and then put it up as their own work."</p> <p>However, all hope was not lost, with Weiss explaining that “sites like Amazon are pretty responsive. There is a particular channel we go through and if we can demonstrate the infringement of a title we hold the rights to, they're reasonably prompt [in] dealing with it.</p> <p>"We try to get on to it quickly but often it's the author who finds their own book online and raises the alarm.</p> <p>"Clearly they look identical. It's the same cover file but look at the price … it's a loss of sales but also a moral right infringement.”</p> <p>Weiss also shared advice with shoppers hoping to grab their next online bargain, telling them that “it’s always wise to be a bit careful”, and to double - even triple - check all the information on hand before adding to cart, even on large and “reputable sites like Amazon.” </p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Books

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Two thirds of Australian authors are women – new research finds they earn just $18,200 a year from their writing

<p>Most Australian book authors do not earn enough income from their creative practice to make ends meet. They rely on other jobs and other support, such as a partner’s income.</p> <p>In the 2020-21 financial year, the average personal income in Australia was approximately $A70,000. Only one-third of authors earned this amount from all their sources of income combined. The average total income for authors, including all sources of income, was $64,900.</p> <p>And the amount they earned from their books alone was far, far less.</p> <p>In 2022, <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/projects/2022-national-survey-of-australian-book-authors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we surveyed over 1,000 Australian book authors</a>.</p> <p>We found the average annual income authors derive from practising as an author is $18,200. That’s an increase from $15,100 seven years ago (adjusted for inflation). But it’s a modest increase from a low base: it represents growth of less than 3% per annum over seven years.</p> <p>Book writing is a profession dominated by women, who make up two thirds of all Australian authors. More than 80% of authors have attended university and almost half have completed a postgraduate degree – a high level of education that is not matched by high income.</p> <p>In our survey (which followed up on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-read-the-australian-book-industry-in-a-time-of-change-49044" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an earlier 2015 study</a>), we asked Australian book authors about their income and how they allocate their time, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on their career, their relationships with their readers and publishers, and more. We wanted to find out what has changed in the last seven years – and whether conditions are improving for Australian authors.</p> <h2>Authors’ earnings and ‘portfolio careers’</h2> <p>If you are planning a career as an author, what could you expect to earn?</p> <p>Education authors earned the highest average income from their practice as an author ($27,300), followed by children’s ($26,800) and genre fiction ($23,300) authors. Even though these figures are above the overall average for authors, they are not enough to live on, to support a family, or to pay rent or a mortgage.</p> <p>At the other end of the spectrum are poets, who earned an average of $5,700 from their creative practice. Literary authors earned $14,500, which is a decrease in real terms since 2015.</p> <p>To break this down, an author’s income from their creative practice includes advances from publishers, royalties on book sales, fees for live appearances, Public Lending Rights (PLR) and Education Lending Rights (ELR) paid by the government for the use of their work in libraries and educational institutions, prizes and fellowships, and rights sales for film, TV etc.</p> <p>Artists’ careers are often known as “portfolio careers” – which sounds more glamorous than the bracing reality of juggling multiple commitments. Some authors have another career as a journalist, medical specialist, academic, teacher or public figure that provides their main source of income.</p> <p>Several authors wrote about the uneven timing of income from their work. One literary author wrote:</p> <p>It’s difficult to capture the life and income of an author because for up to five years nothing might happen except writing, then for about 18 months there is a flurry of (a tiny amount) of cash and editing, and then a month or two of publicity.</p> <h2>The difficulty of spending time to write</h2> <p>We asked authors what prevents them from spending more time writing. Only 6% of authors reported no competing demands for their writing time. Domestic responsibilities affect almost two-thirds of trade authors (62%). One literary author wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>I managed to devote regular time to writing alongside a full-time job pre-children but the addition of a baby (now toddler) to life has rendered those opportunities non-existent. I now meet my obligations to my publisher by taking annual and sometimes unpaid leave to work on my author duties. It has certainly slowed my career and I can no longer devote time to learning experiences, networking, or applications for prizes, grants and residencies.</p> </blockquote> <p>Insufficient income is a factor for over half of all authors. Some commented that their ability to spend time writing was enhanced by other sources of financial security. A creative non-fiction author commented:</p> <blockquote> <p>Having my first book published the year before I turned 60 meant I faced less financial issues due to owning my own home, superannuation and financial support from my partner. However, if I was less financially established it would be very difficult to live on what I make as an author.</p> </blockquote> <p>The financial insecurity inherent to the profession may contribute to the recognised lack of diversity of Australian authors: a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/fewer-than-1-in-10-aussie-books-published-by-people-of-colour-report-finds-20221013-p5bpj4.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> found only 7% of books published in 2018 were written by people of colour. As the UK Society of Authors <a href="https://www.societyofauthors.org/News/News/2019/May/Report-on-authors-earnings-diversity-implications" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> a few years ago, “people from less privileged backgrounds who want to write are less likely to have additional sources of household income”.</p> <p>In the 2022 survey, we heard from established, prize-winning authors – including some who’d had a bestselling book earlier in their career – who were contemplating no longer writing books, due to dwindling opportunities for mid-list writers.</p> <p>We all stand to lose if established authors leave the profession.</p> <h2>Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic</h2> <p>Like many Australians, the majority of authors experienced disruption and hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Approximately one-third of authors reported large or modest increases in levels of financial stress.</p> <p>Authors promote their books through live appearances in bookstores, schools, libraries, writers’ festivals and other events. Over half of authors experienced a reduction in promotional opportunities for their next book. One creative non-fiction author wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>My book [was] released into closed bookstores and I still find myself questioning if there is anything I can do to improve sales, eight months on. It was, and is, devastating.</p> </blockquote> <p>The lockdowns meant that over one third of authors experienced a large decrease in income from paid appearances.</p> <p>We found it difficult to identify a single factor that meant authors were negatively affected by the pandemic. A range of factors could be influential: whether an author lived in a state which experienced lengthy lockdowns, whether they had a book released (and if so, if they had an established large readership base or not), whether they had carer responsibilities (which could include elderly relatives as well as children), and whether they were experiencing financial stress.</p> <h2>Small, good news – and what’s next?</h2> <p>One piece of good news is that authors are 10% more likely to be satisfied with their main publisher than they were seven years ago. Nearly one-third (31.6%) of authors are very satisfied with their main publisher – an increase from just 19.6% in 2015.</p> <p>Authors, large and small publishers, booksellers and libraries are working on joint initiatives to promote Australia’s reading culture in 2023. The industry awaits the federal government’s national cultural policy with anticipation.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/two-thirds-of-australian-authors-are-women-new-research-finds-they-earn-just-18-200-a-year-from-their-writing-195426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Books

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The most expensive books in the world

<h2>The Tales of Beedle the Bard</h2> <p>JK Rowling’s first book since the conclusion of the Harry Potter series fetched a huge chunk of change. Published in December 2007, Beedle was the complete book of fairy tales that play a crucial role in the final instalment of the Harry Potter series. JK Rowling produced seven separate handwritten copies of Beedle, filled with illustrations she herself had drawn. These books were incredibly beautiful: leather-bound, with silver and moonstones decorating the cover. Rowling gave six of these ‘Moonstone Editions’ to friends and people who worked on the Harry Potter books, but one went up for auction on Amazon. One mega-fan paid US$3.98 million for it, and Rowling donated the proceeds to a children’s charity. While far from the most expensive book on this list, Beedle was the priciest book ever purchased that was written and published in the twenty-first century.</p> <h2>Traité des Arbres Fruitiers</h2> <p>The title of this eighteenth-century French handbook translates to Treatise of Fruit Trees. The book was written by botanist Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau and contained five separate volumes filled with detailed illustrations. This manuscript went for €3.4 million (about AU$5.2 million) at a 2006 auction. Yes, someone spent over five million dollars for a book about fruit trees.</p> <h2>The Gutenberg Bible</h2> <p>This was the first-ever edition of the ‘Good Book’ to be produced using moveable-type print, with Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press (hence the name). Despite being mass-produced, the Gutenberg Bible is still incredibly rare and valuable, as its AU$8.4 million price tag makes clear. Only 48 copies of the original 1450s-printed batch remain today. The buyer of this copy was Maruzen Co. Ltd., a major Japanese bookseller. At the time, 1987, it set the record for the most expensive book ever purchased.</p> <h2>The First Folio</h2> <p>This collection of William Shakespeare’s plays is widely considered one of the most significant treasures in literary history. Formally titled Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories &amp; Tragedies, the folio contains all but four of the Bard’s dramatic works. Of the 750 copies originally published seven years after his death in 1623, only 228 remain. Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, snatched one up at Christie’s, an auction house in New York City, in 2001. It cost him a cool AU$9.6 million.</p> <h2>The Canterbury Tales</h2> <p>This enduring collection of stories from the middle ages by fourteenth-century poet Geoffrey Chaucer fetched a hefty sum of money in 1998 – AU$11.67 million, to be exact. The 17,000 lines of The Canterbury Tales tell the story of a motley crew of pilgrims who engage in a storytelling contest while on their way to visit a holy shrine. Only 12 original copies still exist today. One ended up in the hands of London book dealers, who purchased it for GP£4.6 million (AU$8.1 million). In 1998, that amount was equal to about US$5.5 million. If you do the math (there are 24 separate tales), that’s approximately US$230,000 per tale.</p> <h2>Birds of America</h2> <p>Between 1827 and 1838, naturalist John James Audubon published a series of exquisite prints depicting hundreds of different North American bird species. Together, the 435 illustrations form the complete first edition of Birds of America, of which there are only 119 remaining copies. Another reason for the bird book’s massive value is the fact that six of the bird species depicted are now extinct. In 2010, the most expensive copy of Birds of America went for US$11.5 million at Sotheby’s Auction House in London. Two other copies of the book also raked in big money in the twentieth century: an US$8.8 million copy in 2000 and a US$7.9 million copy in 2012.</p> <h2>The Gospel of Henry the Lion</h2> <p>Only just beating out the birds in this list of expensive books is a lion… Henry the Lion, to be exact. Henry the Lion was the Duke of Saxony from 1142 to 1180 (Saxony, in case you were wondering, is a German state). He commissioned the production of a gospel book for display on the altar of Brunswick Cathedral. The text was a masterpiece, 266 pages long with 50 Romanesque illustrations depicting scenes from all four gospels. The book ended up back in the hands of the German government around 800 years later when it was purchased at a 1983 London auction for US$11.7 million. Today, the complete manuscript has a home in Wolfenbüttel, Germany’s Herzog August Library. To ensure its safety, it is only put on display once every two years!</p> <h2>Rothschild Prayer Boo</h2> <p>These are some pricey prayers: this Flemish collection of Christian texts, psalms, and images cost its buyer US$13.4 million. It was compiled in the early 1500s and features the works of a myriad of Flemish scholars, which fill 254 separate pages. In 1999, Australian businessman Kerry Stokes purchased it from Christie’s in New York. Stokes loaned it to the National Library of Australia in Canberra, where it remains today.</p> <h2>Bay Psalm Book</h2> <p>Religious texts continue to fill this list of expensive books, with the Bay Psalm Book continuing the trend. This one stands out from its fellows, though, because of its distinction as the first book ever printed in the British colonies that would become America. In 1640, 20 years after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, the Bay Psalm Book emerged from printers in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There are approximately eleven copies still intact today, mostly in the possession of libraries and universities. One copy, though, has belonged to American businessman David Rubenstein since 2013, when he bought it at a Sotheby’s auction for US$14.2 million.</p> <h2>St Cuthbert Gospel</h2> <p>This pocket-sized version of the Gospel of John is one of the earliest surviving examples of Western bookbinding. Created in the eighth century, it spent years in the coffin of its namesake, St Cuthbert, before becoming the property of an English Jesuit school. In the years leading up to its 2012 purchase, it was on loan to the British Library. The book measures only 14 centimetres by nine centimetres inches. It may be small, but its price tag sure isn’t; the British Library raised over GB£9.5 million (AUD16.6 million) to buy it for good at an auction.</p> <h2>The Magna Carta</h2> <p>The Magna Carta, the thirteenth-century charter that laid the foundation for the future of the law as we know it, is one of the most famous texts in history. Naturally, it earns a high spot on this list. The text was one of the earliest to lay out the concept of basic human rights and limit the powers of a king. Today, only seventeen copies predating 1300 survive. One sold for a whopping AU$33.1 million at a 2007 auction. The identity of the buyer is most likely David Rubenstein, who is also the lucky (or perhaps just wealthy) owner of the Bay Psalm Book. His reasoning for spending so much money? He thought it ‘very important’ that there be a copy of the Magna Carta in the United States. It’s widely believed that the document helped inspire the Declaration of Independence.</p> <h2>The Codex Leicester</h2> <p>You might know this author’s name: Leonardo da Vinci. You might know the buyer’s name as well: Bill Gates. The current record for the most expensive book of all time belongs to this 72-page notebook filled with the Renaissance genius’s notes and theories. In the early 1700s, the Codex was purchased by the Earl of Leicester, hence its name. In 1980, an art collector bought it from the Leicester estate, and none other than Bill Gates bought it from the collector in 1994. The Codex set Gates back a cool US$30.8 million. Gates decided to share his purchase with the world, and did it in the most Bill Gates way possible: he scanned the pages of the book and turned them into a Windows 95 screensaver.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/the-most-expensive-books-in-the-world?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Literary travels – destinations made famous by your favourite writers

<p>Great writers have the ability to make a destination jump off the page. Here are five places made famous by great writers where you can step into the pages of your favourite book.</p> <p><strong>Myanmar</strong></p> <p>During the 1920s and 30s Burma (as it was called then) was a hub for the most famous writers in the world. George Orwell, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham all lived here and the capital Yangon (Rangoon) was a buzzing party town and the most beautiful capital in the British Empire.</p> <p>Much has changed in modern day Myanmar, but travellers can still spend the night in the famous Strand hotel where Kipling used to write or travel up the Ayeyarwady River stopping at the small towns that Orwell made famous in <em>Burmese Days.</em></p> <p><strong>Bali</strong></p> <p>In 2006 Elizabeth Gilbert chronicled the breakdown of her marriage and her own recovery in the novel <em>Eat Pray Love</em>. After stints in Italy (eating) and India (praying), Gilbert set up camp in Ubud in the lush green hills of Bali to find a balance of the two – and ultimately found love.</p> <p>The book and subsequent film have brought a huge influx of travellers to Ubud, but it is still a quiet region of rice paddies, ancient Hindu temples and roadside stalls – though there is now a healthy dose of art galleries, small bars and boutiques added to the mix. Check into a villa and let the soul soothing begin.</p> <p><strong>St Petersburg</strong></p> <p>St Petersburg has been the inspiration for novelists from Russian greats like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky through to <em>The Bronze Horseman</em> trilogy by Paullina Simons. During the city’s famed white nights (a period from May to July where the sun barely sets and the city experiences near constant daylight) you can practically see Anna Karenina dashing through the streets in her finest.</p> <p>Russia is also home to more literary museums than any other country in the world and in St Petersburg you can visit the Dostoevsky museum in the apartment where he wrote <em>The Brothers Karamazov</em> or the National Pushkin Museum dedicated to Russia’s favourite poet.</p> <p><strong>Dublin</strong></p> <p>Dublin is one of only six UNESCO Literary Cities in the world, which is not surprising when you consider it’s the birthplace of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and WB Yeats. Joyce’s <em>Ulysses</em> follows a day in the life of three Dubliners and fans can now take a self-guided walking tour around the city visiting the places mentioned in the book (there’s even a virtual tour online if you’re more of an armchair traveller).</p> <p>Visit the Dublin Writers Museum to learn about the city’s great literary history or head to Trinity College to see the legendary Book of Kells, an illuminated gospel manuscript dating from 800AD.</p> <p><strong>Cuba</strong></p> <p>To think of Cuba is to think of Ernest Hemingway; sitting at a bar, mojito in hand, cigar clamped firmly between his teeth. Papa, as he was known, lived in Cuba for more than 20 years and it was the setting for his last major fiction book, the Pulitzer Prize winning <em>The Old Man and the Sea</em>.</p> <p>The small fishing village of Cojimar, where Hemingway used to dock his boat, was the inspiration for the book and the old man is said to be based on Cojimar local Gregorio Fuentes. The village is largely unchanged, with narrow streets and a picturesque seafront – though expect to find a few tour buses stopped for photos by the bust of Hemingway. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Author claims she felt "used and manipulated" by Princess Diana

<p>An author has claimed she felt "manipulated and used" by Princess Diana, after she published a book detailing the late Princess's relationship with British Army captain James Hewitt. </p> <p>Anna Pasternak, was widely criticised for her 1994 book <em>Princess in Love</em>, said she is now "firmly team Camilla", but admits she feels "sorry" for Diana, King Charles and the Queen Consort, believing they "suffered at the hands of an unrelenting monarchy".</p> <p>A year before the publication of Anna's book, she wrote about Princess Diana's friendship with Captain Hewitt in a series of articles for the Daily Express, though their affair was not mentioned. </p> <p>"Hewitt told me that he was only speaking to me because Diana had asked him to – although the series never hinted at an affair, it just showed them as good friends," Pasternak wrote in a piece for <a title="The Telegraph" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/11/02/wrote-dianas-affair-took-20-years-recover-backlash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Telegraph</a> UK.</p> <p>"Diana was in constant contact with him during this time. He said that she thanked him on the phone for 'talking, as you know I can't. At least people will know the truth'."</p> <p>A year later, royal expert Andrew Morton's explosive new book came out and Diana feared his forthcoming next work would expose her affair with Hewitt.</p> <p>Diana decided to take control of the narrative of her relationship and called on Pasternak, who was soon tasked with writing the book with Diana's permission. </p> <p>Through Hewitt, Diana wanted Pasternak to write about their relationship so the "world could see that their love was genuine" and see why she had had an affair "in the face of Charles's rejection" believing the public "would not condemn her".</p> <p>Hewitt called Pasternak the night Prince Charles admitted, on television, to having a relationship with Camilla.</p> <p>He asked her to write the book in just five weeks, to beat the publication of Morton's second book.</p> <p>The author said she wrote <em>Princess In Love</em> because she needed money and "burning with injustice for our adored, lonely princess, I genuinely thought that I was helping her".</p> <p>The book was quickly condemned by the public and dismissed as "romantic nonsense", despite Diana soon confessing to her love affair with Hewitt in her BBC Panorama interview.</p> <p>Pasternak says Hewitt was "ruined by his confession" and "would never have spoken out in the first place without Diana's encouragement and consent".</p> <p>The author also admitted that she regretted the toll the book had on her reputation, her family and the royal family.</p> <p>"It took me ages to realise that I felt manipulated and used by Diana. Now, firmly Team Camilla, I feel sorry for Diana, Charles and Camilla. Each of them suffered at the hands of an unrelenting monarchy."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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White, female, and high rates of mental illness: new diversity research offers a snapshot of the publishing industry

<p>Books are fundamental to our society: they shape our culture, education and ideas. To do this well, books should reflect the amazing and varied world we occupy.</p> <p>Those who create books – publishers and publishing industry workers – are the gatekeepers. If those industry professionals are diverse and work within an industry that is inclusive, then there is a better chance that books will represent a wider range of experiences.</p> <p>But how diverse is Australian publishing?</p> <p>The 2022 <a href="https://www.publishers.asn.au//WorkplaceSurvey2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Publishing Industry Workforce Survey on Diversity and Inclusion</a>, produced by the Australian Publishers Association and the University of Melbourne, shows there is work to be done.</p> <p>The industry needs to be more culturally diverse: fewer than 1% of Australian publishing professionals are First Nations and only 8.5% have an Asian cultural identity.</p> <p>Perhaps the most startling finding of the survey is the high proportion of publishing workers experiencing mental illness. 35.4% of respondents were experiencing mental health conditions. This compares with 25% of respondents to a similar survey of the UK publishing industry in 2021, an increase from 20% in 2020.</p> <p>While the reasons for the high rate of mental illness are no doubt complex, the message for publishers is clear: staff need support. The industry can also be more inclusive for those with disabilities. 24.7% of publishing professionals reported having a long-term health condition or disability, including a physical or mental health condition, with just over 5% of respondents identifying as living with disability.</p> <h2>Shortfalls of diversity</h2> <p>The Australian survey was a response to Radhiah Chowdhury’s groundbreaking <a href="https://www.publishers.asn.au/common/Uploaded%20files/APA%20Resources/Research/BDEF/BDEF%202019-2020%20Report%20-%20Radhiah%20Chowdhury.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 APA-funded report</a> on lessons in diverse and inclusive publishing from the UK, which reverberated around the industry.</p> <p>Chowdhury called for more empirical data to sit alongside qualitative accounts of working in publishing, noting “a paucity of research on the demographic composition of the industry, as well as of our national trade publishing output”.</p> <p>Our survey was launched in March this year and received close to 1000 responses from across the sector. These came from small, medium and large organisations, micro-publishers and freelancers.</p> <p>The broad uptake gives us confidence in the survey as a snapshot of Australian publishing today. It also shows a widespread recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusion within the publishing industry, and a commitment to positive change.</p> <p>What the initial survey reveals is perhaps not surprising for those who work in and around publishing. The industry is largely white, including a high percentage who identify as British. The proportion of those who identify as having Asian or European backgrounds is lower than in the general population.</p> <p>Very few Australian publishing professionals identify as First Nations. This matters, because it suggests publishing is not an industry of choice for Australians of diverse cultural backgrounds, and because it limits the industry’s capacity to produce books that speak to readers of different cultural identities.</p> <p>In other areas, the publishing industry is more inclusive. Survey respondents identify as LGBTQ+ at around twice the representation in the Australian population (21% compared to population estimates of 11%). The majority of LGBTQ+ respondents are open or partially open about their sexuality at work.</p> <p>Women make up the majority of the Australian publishing workforce: 84% of the survey respondents were women. But representation of women and non-binary people shrinks in more senior positions in the industry.</p> <p>There is also work to be done in breaking down the class dynamics of publishing. A minority (33.6%) of publishing workers come from family backgrounds that could be described as working or lower middle class. Only 24.7% are located outside of Sydney or Melbourne.</p> <p>More than 85% of those working in publishing hold a bachelor degree and more than half also hold at least one postgraduate degree. 48% of publishing industry respondents attended private schools, compared to around 30% of the Australian population.</p> <h2>Potential for change</h2> <p>The potential for change in the Australian publishing industry is now evident. The industry would benefit from focusing on how to include workers with disabilities of all kinds and ensure workplaces are accessible. It also has work to do in encouraging participation from around Australia, and in opening up pathways for entry that recognise a range of relevant skills and experiences.</p> <p>This initial survey sets a baseline. It provides the necessary data that will allow initiatives to be targeted. It is already driving practical steps towards change.</p> <p>The industry has committed to act on the results. The Australian Publishing Association has established a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group to monitor progress and target the gaps highlighted in the survey. It has renewed support for paid internship schemes as inclusion initiatives.</p> <p>In response to the survey, President of the Australian Publishing Association James Kellow said:</p> <blockquote> <p>We have a highly able and committed workforce, but our workforce doesn’t always represent the breadth of our culture. This plays into what and how we publish and the extent to which we reach, or don’t reach, all potential readers […] This survey’s hard data tells us we have a great deal of work ahead and provides a solid base from which we can lead change.</p> </blockquote> <p>A better understanding of the book publishing industry can help to improve working environments and, ultimately, diversity in cultural products in Australia. Future surveys will allow changes to be tracked and progress to be measured. We look forward to seeing positive change in the publishing industry and in the good work publishing people are doing.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://theconversation.com/white-female-and-high-rates-of-mental-illness-new-diversity-research-offers-a-snapshot-of-the-publishing-industry-189679" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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5 minutes with author John M. Green

<p dir="ltr">In the OverSixty “5 Minutes With” series, we ask book writers about their literary habits and preferences. Next up is John M. Green who is debuting his sixth book, <em>Framed</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">John worked as a director at a leading investment bank for 30 years before deciding to pursue his writing career.</p> <p dir="ltr">Framed is inspired by the infamous robbery that took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990 and looks at the world of art theft and organised crime.</p> <p dir="ltr">With six books already published, John M. Green has started working on his seventh one. </p> <p dir="ltr">Watch this space. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What inspired you to write <em>Framed</em>?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Being confronted by a series of empty frames on the walls inside Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, frames where thieves - in a billion-dollar art heist in 1990 - sliced out and stole three Rembrandts, a Vermeer and five works by Degas, among others, works that have never been recovered. From that day, I’ve been haunted by the question: where are these works today? </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>You’ve written six books, did you do anything differently for <em>Framed</em>? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">I wrote <em>Framed </em>while convalescing from open heart surgery, so readers might find a greater love of life in it. And due to the COVID lockdowns, I wrote <em>Framed </em>with far fewer distractions … I wasn’t travelling anywhere, for business or pleasure, I didn’t have to attend physical meetings, you know the rest. In many ways, it was my most satisfying writing experience, and I hope it shows in the reading.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>If you could tell your younger writer something, what would it be? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr"> Stop thinking about writing a novel, and actually start writing it. But most importantly, finish it.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What is next on the agenda for you as an author? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">While Framed is about art - and murder, my seventh novel is about theatre - and murder.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What is one book you recommend everyone should read?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I was utterly entranced. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Supplied</em></p>

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Where the Crawdads Sing author wanted for questioning over murder

<p>Best-selling author Delia Owens has been receiving global attention for all the wrong reasons, as it has been revealed she is wanted for questioning over a murder committed in Zambia. </p> <p>Owens, who shot to the top of the New York Times best seller list with her novel <em>Where the Crawdads Sing</em>, has been back in the public eye recently as her novel is being adapted into a film, and has garnered a lot of buzz. </p> <p>However, as the spotlight has been placed back on the story, many people have noticed some strange parallels to Delia's personal life and the protagonist in her novel. </p> <p>Before Owens published <em>Where the Crawdads Sing</em>, she worked as a zoologist and conservationist in Africa alongside her husband Mark. </p> <p>During the 1990s, the couple were focusing on battling poachers in Zambia’s North Luangwa National Park, as detailed in Owens’ second book, <em>The Eye of the Elephant</em>, which was released in 1992.</p> <p>In 1996, the couple then featured a documentary about their work, as they had established a reputation of being ruthless in their efforts to stop the poachers. </p> <div data-testid="body-content"> <p>Bizarrely, the documentary included a scene that depicts, according to Jeffrey Goldberg writing in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/07/where-the-crawdads-sing-delia-mark-owens-zambia-murder/670479/?taid=62cd901236d8fb0001cd2b91&amp;utm_campaign=the-atlantic&amp;utm_content=true-anthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Atlantic</a>, “the filmed murder of an alleged poacher, executed while lying collapsed on the ground after having already been shot.”</p> </div> <div> </div> <div data-testid="body-content"> <p>Goldberg has been following the Owens case since the beginning, and his 2010 story in <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/04/05/the-hunted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Yorker</a> revealed that the couple – along with Mark’s son Christopher – were suspected by Zambian authorities of being involved in the killing. </p> <p>The Zambian national police launched an investigation but the body of the executed poacher was never found, as Mark, Delia and Christopher returned to America. </p> <p>The story is back in the public eye as the film adaptation of <em>Where the Crawdads Sing</em> continues to excite fans of book, which follows protagonist Kya, a young woman accused of murder. </p> <p>It’s hard to say whether Delia would actually face charges, but in The Atlantic piece Goldberg spoke to Zambia’s director of public prosecutions, Lillian Shawa-Siyuni, who confirmed that Mark, Delia, and Christopher Owens are still wanted for questioning.</p> <p>“There is no statute of limitations on murder in Zambia,” Siyuni told Goldberg. “They are all wanted for questioning in this case, including Delia Owens.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

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5 minutes with author Sally Piper

<p dir="ltr">In the Over60 “5 Minutes With” series, we ask book writers about their literary habits and preferences. Next up is Sally Piper who is debuting her third book, <em>Bone Memories</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Piper worked as a nurse and nurse educator, specialising in neurosurgical critical care and decided to use her experience in people’s vulnerabilities to write her books.</p> <p dir="ltr">With <em>Bone Memories</em>, Piper explores grief, family, murder and media representation of female victims of crime. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Bone Memories</em> is out now and can be purchased <a href="https://www.uqp.com.au/books/bone-memories" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and enjoy the <a href="https://d3f44jafdqsrtg.cloudfront.net/book-clubs/BookClubNotes_Bone-Memories.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book club notes</a> with your friends.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What inspired you to write Bone Memories?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The story grew first from questions I had about how victims and survivors of a crime might memorialise the site where their trauma had occurred. I wondered whether being close to this ground brought people comfort or if proximity to it harmed them further. I wondered what it made their grief look and feel like when they moved across that ground and how that relationship might affect them or change over time.</p> <p dir="ltr">Through the story, I hoped to explore how trauma lives in the body and for some people how it also lives in the land where that trauma occurred; how history and geography for some are inextricably linked. And I wanted to explore how people reconcile this link or what happens if they are unable to.</p> <p dir="ltr">Equally, I often think about the effect that witnessing violence has on children, even if they have little or no memory or understanding of the event. Would they have some innate sense that they had witnessed something terrible? If so, how might this play out as they matured?</p> <p dir="ltr">In writing Bone Memories, I hoped to answer these questions. But as is often the case with any writing project, once you get into it, doors open to other thinking as well. With this story I was once again drawn into what forces impact upon women's safe and free movement through the world (something I explored in my previous novel,<a href="https://www.uqp.com.au/books/the-geography-of-friendship" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The Geography of Friendship</a>), but this time I looked at it in the way that the media represents female victims of crime; how some crimes against women are reported with a sympathetic narrative, one that elicits intense social empathy, and at other times women are essentially blamed for their own deaths.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong> Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">I read widely and often around obscure topics, which inevitably takes me down rabbit holes of thinking, so ideas I hadn’t previously considered important suddenly become so. This is the best kind of information gathering, because it is unexpected. It is also one of the reasons I never plan my stories, allowing them to evolve organically. And neither do I allow myself to know the ending of a novel. Because if I get surprises along the way, then it is my hope that readers will too.   </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>How do you deal with writer’s block?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Writer’s block is a phrase I won’t use in relation to my writing practise. It sounds too much like a disease that I’m at risk of ‘catching’. When I’m struggling to start or progress a work it is usually because I haven’t thought enough about what it is I want to say. Or as Jonathan Franzen puts it: ‘the blank page in the mind has to be filled before you have the courage to face the actual blank page.’ Which is to say, think first, write later. If I get stuck, I go back to the original questions I began the story with: What do I want this story to say? What are the themes and issues I want it to address? Who are the stakeholders? Not being able to find the words is often because I have lost sight of the answers, or I need to ask myself new or better questions.</p> <p dir="ltr">There is also something else that can stop a work in its tracks, which masquerades as writer’s block: procrastination. But procrastination is a defence mechanism, another word for fear or a lack of self-belief. It protects us from criticism. It keeps us safe from failure. It saves us digging deeply into the personal stuff of what we’re writing about, which is often the place where the gold is found. The solution then is to find courage, trust yourself and persevere.  </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What is your work schedule like when you're writing?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">When working on a new project, I write most days, mainly in the morning. The afternoon is usually spent editing that morning’s work, often after a bushwalk, an activity I call writing away from the desk. Once away from the work, I see it through a different lens: an editorial one. I find the rhythm of walking allows for clearer thinking, helped in no small part by fresh air and the calming beauty of the bush. With this clarity I can usually work out what isn’t working in the story, and often why as well, so that I come back with a solution. Sometimes I cut the walk short because I’m excited to get back and make the changes.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Do you expect Bone Memories to become a TV series?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">I think every writer has a secret dream that their story will be reimagined for the screen, and there certainly is more scope for these opportunities now with the rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Stan. When this dream came true for my second novel, The Geography of Friendship, which is to be made into a 6-part TV series by Aquarius Films and Rose Byrne’s Dollhouse Pictures, I was absolutely thrilled to think that the characters in that story would be reimagined in this way. So, it is hard not to hope for the same thing for my third novel, Bone Memories. It is a deeply human, family-centric story with strongly realised characters and a sharp eye for the Australian landscape, so I think it would make an excellent adaptation. But of course, I’m not at all biased!</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Fiona Muirhead/Supplied</em></p> <p> </p>

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How to Murder Your Husband author sentenced to life in prison

<p>The author who once penned an essay “How to Murder Your Husband” was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband at his workplace. </p> <p>Nancy Crampton Brophy, 71, was found guilty of second-degree murder for shooting dead her chef husband Daniel Brophy, 63, back in June 2018. </p> <p>Following the seven week trial, Nancy was sentenced to life in prison on June 13 and will only be eligible for parole after serving 25 years in custody. </p> <p>Prosecutors told the court that Crampton Brophy killed her husband to claim her husband’s $1.4 million life insurance policy. </p> <p>They said that she was collecting gun pieces in the moments leading to Daniel’s death before killing him at the Oregon Culinary Institute. </p> <p>Footage presented to the Multnomah County courtroom showed that Crampton Brophy in fact owned the same make and model of the gun that killed her husband.</p> <p>She was also seen driving to and from the culinary institute when Daniel was killed and found by his students. </p> <p>Her defence team argued that she was collecting them for a new book she was writing - about a woman who slowly collected gun parts to complete a weapon and get back at her abusive husband.</p> <p>They said that Crampton Brophy and Daniel were in a loving relationship for almost 25 years. </p> <p>The jury of five men and seven women deliberated the case for eight hours before delivering the guilty verdict.</p> <p>One of Crampton Brophy’s attorneys, Lisa Maxfield said they are looking to appeal.</p> <p>Crampton Brophy is due to be sentenced on June 13.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

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