The Australian Baby Boomer Podcast

The Ghost of Gracie Flynn

Novelist Joanna Morrison discusses her new book and writing process in this latest episode of The Australian Baby Boomer Podcast.

Joanna Morrison is a talented writer with a big future in crime and mystery writing. In this, her debut novel, three university friends, Robyn, Cohen and Sam are divided by the tragic death of their friend, Gracie Flynn. Eighteen years later, chance reunites them. But death rocks their lives again when Sam's body is found in mysterious circumstances.

And the ghost of Gracie Flynn has a story to tell about the night that changed their lives forever.

You can purchase the book here

Dave Warner, Novelist, Screenwriter, Singer, Songwriter, Musician, discusses his latest crime fiction and creative process

Possibly best known as WAMi Rock'n'Roll of renown recipient (Dave Warner's from the Suburbs) Dave Warner has had an equally impressive career as a novelist. He has now published 11 novels and has previously won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction (for Before it Breaks), and the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for his Debut novel City of Light. As if this is not enough, he has had a successful career as a musician and has written around 600 songs. He is also a writer for screen and television, and theatre.  

His new novel After the Flood has been described by the Sunday Times as "sophisticated crime fiction with a WA flavour", by the Herald Sun as "gripping", and Books and Publishing has described it in the following terms: "Warner's tone is laid-back and laconic, but with sentences as snappy as a nutcracker." 

This link will take you to his website: https://davewarner.com.au/

And this link will take you to his Author Page at Fremantle Press: Fremantle Press

He will be giving talks at various places around Perth this week and will be appearing at the Big Sky Festival in Geraldton on Saturday, October 1. The link is HERE

Ray Bekeris discusses his stroke story as Read Write Now celebrates its 45th anniversary

A couple of weeks ago, Read Write Now contacted me to ask if I could interview Ray Bekeris, a remarkable man who has worked hard on recovering his functional abilities after experiencing a significant stroke. Read Write Now is celebrating its 45th anniversary of delivering free tutoring to adults who want to improve their literacy. Ray chose to contact them as part of his quest to be able to read and write again, and not only to read and write, but, as it turned out, to write books. He began with writing down what had happened to him on the way home from work that fateful day.

The interview begins with Ray and his tutor, Marny, talking about Ray's involvement with Read Write Now. It then branches out as Ray reflects on the journey from a point of not being able to walk or talk, to where he is today, someone who can walk, talk, drive a car, and write a compelling story.

His book can be obtained through his website: raybekeris.com or this link: Ray's Website

To find out more about Read Write Now follow this link: Read Write Now

My day-trip into the world of YouTube as a guest on Strange Reads

I was recently invited to appear on an episode of Strange Reads - a YouTube channel hosted by a friend, David Wildsmith. The channel offers summaries and commentary on unusual stories by some of the most canonical writers, and is well worth a visit. David does an excellent job of introducing (or re-introducing) these works and providing some background to the writer and context in which the story arises. My choice was The Machine Stops by the great E.M. Forster. He wrote this science fiction short story in 1909 and it beats Nostradamus hands down in its predictions. The link to the episode is HERE

The link to the YouTube Channel is HERE

Only Birds Above - A novel about family, war and intergenerational trauma

My guest for this episode is Portland Jones. Portland is a writer, lecturer and horse trainer who lives and works in the Swan Valley. She has a PhD in Literature and her first novel, Seeing the Elephant, was shortlisted for the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. Only Birds Above is her second novel. She has also co-authored a non-fiction book, Horses Hate Surprise Parties. Portland is currently working on a third novel and another non-fiction book. 

Only Birds Above is a beautifully realised work of historical fiction which spans the years just prior to WWI to the end of WWII. 

The Silence of Water - a story of convict intrigue in colonial Australia

Dr Sharron Booth discusses her debut novel, The Silence of Water. Based on the the true story of Edwin Salt, a convict sent out to Australia in the mid 1800s, this novel explores the lives of those who surrounded him and were impacted by him. In this interview, Sharron talks about the comprehensive research process, and what compelled her to take the direction that she did. 

The Silence of Water is published by Fremantle Press and due for release in May, 2022. 

About Sharron Booth

The link to the book

Dr. Michael Levitt discusses his debut novel, The Gallerist

Michael Levitt is a surgeon and health bureaucrat, the author of numerous scientific articles and medical textbook chapters, as well as three medical books for the general public. In 2003 he was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to public education about colorectal cancer. He also has a considerable understanding and knowledge about art and art collection. He is an art collector himself, and an exhibition of selected works from his and his wife's art collection was held at Ellenbrook Gallery in 2021. In The Gallerist, his fascinating debut novel, Michael Levitt has drawn on his passion for, and deep understanding of, art and art collection. 

Where to buy the novel

Dr Michael Levitt Author Page

A university lecturer in creative writing describes her early experiences working in the publishing industry

Today's episode features an interview with Dr Rosemary Stevens.

Rosemary  has a doctorate in creative arts from Curtin University, where she teaches creative and professional writing. She enjoys running memoir, fiction and travel writing workshops in the community, and previously worked as a travel writer in S.E. Asia, and in London for an international publisher and literary agency. Her fiction and non-fiction works have been published throughout Australasia.

This episode begins with a prose poem of Rosemary's, and she goes on to speak of her early experiences working for a major publishing house in London. 

Rosemary Stevens Centre for Stories

Life Writing

 

Grave Robbers in Nineteenth Century Edinburgh, and PJ Johnson’s novel, Isla Rising.

 This discussion with Poet and Novelist, PJ Johnson, explores ideas of life and death, and the mysterious place between the two, as imagined in her novel, Isla Rising.

In Nineteenth Century Edinburgh (Scotland) the festival of Samhain was celebrated as a liminal time between the death of summer and the birth of winter, when the threshold of the other world was felt to be nearest to this world -   at a time outside of ordinary time.

PJ Johnson's novel is set in Edinburgh, 1833, Samhain, when the spirits were thought to walk amongst the living. Around this period in history, too, the most desperate of the poor might be driven to overcome their fear of the spirit world and turn to grave-robbing. Their customers were medical men eager to study the human body in the hope of finding cures for its ills. The episode ends with the author reading an excerpt from her novel in a chapter that deals with just this subject. 

Isla Rising can be purchased from the following sites:

Lane Bookshop Claremont

Planet Books Information

Isla Rising Website

An adventurer and businessman sails into a full life of giving back in his retirement

Peter Sim has led an exciting life, which in his younger years took him cycling across Europe, working in the timber industry in Canada, visiting ports as a merchant seaman, and toiling as a deckhand on a whaling boat in Albany. This was all before he had reached his mid-twenties.

He then became a businessman and navigated his way through various businesses, some with devastating losses which were eventually overcome, a feat he says he couldn't have done without his beautiful wife and life partner, Sheila. He finally found his business feet and worked his way into establishing a successful real estate business.

As if this were not enough Peter and Sheila spent a year sailing around Australia.

But this is where the story really begins. In retirement, Peter has volunteered his time and expertise to two wonderful organisations.

One is 'Sailability' which provides sailing and boating experiences for people with disabilities through the Royal Perth Yacht Club.

And he and Sheila are also heavily involved in Borderless, which we have discussed previously on this podcast. The charity mainly runs on sponsorship of $40 a month. Links to both Sailability and Borderless are provided below:

Sailability

Borderless