I've always kept the stories I wrote outside of journalism close to my chest, unsure of when I would begin to share the fact that writing fiction has been a quiet dream of mine for years. I feel like this photo, though – taken as I signed my first publishing contract with @macmillanaus for my debut novel – is the perfect way to put things out into the world.
Of course, I couldn't have done this alone. I count myself very fortunate to have found an incredible agent in Dan from @thepilkingtonagency who, from day one, has been in my corner and championing my work. An effort that led me to my equally brilliant publisher, @adnlloyd , who brought me in at Pan Macmillan – a publishing house that I once could only have dreamt of being associated with.
There's a lot more to this journey (and more to come) but to write it all out would be a manuscript in itself. So, long story short: Debut novel is on the way. I'm surrounded by the best. Life's good. Might get takeaway for dinner.
#author
I don't know if I'll ever meet a city that photographs as easily as Venice does.
I'll also never again tell myself that I could handle a gondola. I couldn't. I'd be responsible for the city's first 10-gondola pileup at three kilometres per hour. Insurance policies would be re-written across the board and children would study tales of my hubris as part of the local school curriculum.
I'd be lying if I said that recent news cycles didn't make me wonder and worry for the future of writing and books.
But rather than fan the flames, I'm holding out for the intangible. That nameless thing that I believe we've all got in us, and that writing allows us to give to each other.
This isn't to point blame. It's for anyone else who loves this as much as I do to know that it will always be there.
#writing
Little known fact: my first job out of high school was that of a mechanic.
Being Australian, this meant watching the Japanese automotive scene play out from a distance by way of print magazines and DVDs (I'm getting old) that would sporadically appear at newsagents where I grew up on the outskirts of Melbourne.
Fast forward to today and I haven't worked on a car in years. But after coming across Jonathan Taylor's [@pizza_turismo ] photography, I couldn't help but feel that same sense of awe I once did, as though the car scene here in Japan was a world adjacent to my own, which made for a nice little nostalgia trip while writing this.
Check out the whole bit over at @tokyoweekender
I read a lot, not only for a love of stories, but because I think it only makes sense to consume that which you wish to create.
When I was asked recently to explain the inspiration behind my debut novel, the answer was specific, but it got me thinking about all the other places I draw from when I sit down to write.
Photography, video games, the lives of others and out of thin air. Perhaps that's what's so great about writing. It comes from everywhere.
If you had told me as a child that I would grow up to become a writer with the fashion sense of a suburban Australian father en route to a pub meal in the late 1900s, I would have requested that you take it back.
A couple of misty days spent roaming the Scottish Highlands with little more than a camera, inappropriate footwear and the Trainspotting theme in my head.
If you squint really hard, you still can't see the bin chickens printed on my socks.
#scotland #scottishhighlands
![Little known fact: my first job out of high school was that of a mechanic.Being Australian, this meant watching the Japanese automotive scene play out from a distance by way of print magazines and DVDs (I'm getting old) that would sporadically appear at newsagents where I grew up on the outskirts of Melbourne.Fast forward to today and I haven't worked on a car in years. But after coming across Jonathan Taylor's [@pizza_turismo] photography, I couldn't help but feel that same sense of awe I once did, as though the car scene here in Japan was a world adjacent to my own, which made for a nice little nostalgia trip while writing this.Check out the whole bit over at @tokyoweekender](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6747385630266763113659_0_d7d1971a1f67e8cdbd97d506bdc26a18.jpg?o=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&h=38dd79f1124d22ad8647406883b45d7c)
