1.
What is the working title of your next book?
That boy, Jack. (published by Walker Books, Australia)
2.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The idea developed over a long period of
time and mainly from reoccurring visits to a place called Moonta in Yorke
Peninsular, in South Australia. I’d visited this place as a child and as an
adult, and it always intrigued me because of the little tiny, Cornish cottages
dotted about the area, which had once been a thriving copper mining district. I
always felt a strong pull to the place and when I discovered that I, like
thousands of South Australians and indeed, Australians, were descendants of the
Cornish who left Cornwall and the tin mines for a better life in Australia (and
also in USA), I became more interested.
Suddenly, I had a heritage that I’d known
nothing about.
As
a child I had also read about the 19th century British reformer,
Lord Shaftsbury, who argued in parliament for laws to stop children under the
age of 10 from working underground in coalmines. Yet, in the Cornish Museum in
Moonta, I saw a photo of young boys working as picky boys for long hours each day, sorting ore hauled up from the mines.
Another
totally different aspect was added to these memories and images. Having spent
many years as a Junior Primary and Primary teacher, I was horrified to discover
the cruel treatment handed out in bygone days to children in schools who used
their left-hand, their dominant hand. The children were punished, often caned
and many had their left hand tied or strapped, to prevent it being used, thus
forcing the child to write with his/her right or proper hand.
After
more research into the Cornish social history, I penned a short story,
incorporating those earlier thoughts and newfound knowledge, and sent it to an
educational publisher, hoping it would suit their brief. When it was rejected,
the story lay low for many years. However, I later rewrote it as a novel, and in
2003, Penguin Books Australia showed initial interest. But the concept of novel
writing eluded me. I was more used to writing smaller works. After more than 20
complete rewrites and countless drafts, Walker Books finally accepted it in
2012!
3.
What genre does your book fall under?
Children’s historical fiction, age 9
- 13
4.
What actors would you choose to play the parts of your characters
in a movie rendition?
Don’t know.
5.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
In the early copper mining township of
Moonta, South Australia, 11-year-old Jack struggles with decisions; to stay at
school or follow his friend to the mines, but whatever way he turns there’s
both adventure and conflict, with family, friends and his own real fears.
6.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book will be published by Walker
Books, Australia in May, 2013, and represented by my agent, Jacinta di Mase.
7.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the
manuscript?
As I said, the book’s grown from a short
story and it was more than ten years, with over 20 re-writes and dozens more
drafts, before being accepted.
8.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The series:
Our Australian Girl (Penguin)
My Australian Story (Scholastic)
The wind is silver by
Thurley Fowler
Boy of the Mines by
Trish Stringer
9.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I once read a book, set in the early
mining days of Moonta. It was called Not
only in stone by Phyllis Somerville and it described the life and times of
an early, Cornish mining family. It was so rich and evocative, both in
characterisation and emotion, that it had an enduring effect on me. I think
that’s probably what opened my heart to writing about this era and this place.
10.
What else might pique a reader’s interest?
*How much children in earlier times were
required to work in adult industries and the changes that have come about in
Western countries. Child labour still prevails in 3rd World
countries.
* How values and language of another
immigrant group can be melded into a country’s own culture, enriching it and
making it unique.
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