fiction

  • The story behind ‘Broken Rules’

    I heard a delightfully subversive lyric on community radio the other morning. Something like: I’m going to come to your house in the middle of the night and put a cigarette in your baby’s mouth. It got me thinking about a childhood event. My brother, a generation older than me, used to describe an occasion…

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  • During one of my fellowship meetings with Carol Major at Varuna in 2016, it was suggested that I could write a brand new story, an upbeat tale to balance the overall tone of the sixteen existing stories in my collection Broken Rules. I rose to the challenge, and decided to write a personification of joy.…

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  • The story behind ‘Playful Arrangements’

    The seventh story in Broken Rules and Other Stories (Transit Lounge) is one of my personal favourites in terms of mood and atmosphere. An early version appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of Roomers magazine, where the theme was Music. I just had a cursory read of the opening and ending of both versions, and…

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  • I’m so glad there’s cake! Me It’s been a wonderful 18 years. Here’s to the future – I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the group.

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  • The podcast of Cover to Cover episode 548 – broadcast on Vision Australia Radio on Friday 25 October, repeated Sunday 27 October – is available (see above). The program is an Elwood Writers special, featuring work created and performed by members of the group, including myself. My contribution is ‘Haunting in Bandung’ (18 minutes into…

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