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Reviewed by Kate Jackson @kate_thebooklover I was absolutely delighted to read an advanced copy of Claire van Ryn’s debut novel The Secrets of the Huon Wren published by Penguin Random House Australia on June 27. This story had me captivated as it circles around two women and the connection that they build after a chance meeting. Set in Tasmania, the story is written in dual timelines. The present day, 2019, is set in Launceston and in 1953 in Caveside, at the base of the majestic mountains of the Great Western Tiers. We begin the story in the present day where we are introduced to Allira Ambrose who is a journalist for a local magazine, and can I just say when I first read her full name I thought, what a great name for a character, Allira Ambrose! It had such a good ring to it and is so memorable, just like her character will be for the reader long after the last page of this book is turned. It’s through a twist of fate that we meet Nora at the nursing home in the present day. Allira has arrived there to interview another resident but when that isn’t possible, Sally, the homes manager, tells Allira of Nora, a dementia patient who sits cradling a doll so lovingly in her arms. Having lost my own grandmother to dementia, the first few chapters really tugged at my heart strings and I felt a huge mix of emotions. The chapters then alternate from the past to the present, with flashbacks to 1953 when Nora is a 15-year-old, free-spirited young lady who doesn’t want to conform to her mother’s belief that her calling in life is to be that of a housewife and mother. Nora’s world is turned upside down when a young Polish-German migrant makes a wood delivery to Nora’s father who is the local undertaker. The titbits the author provides about his profession I found utterly fascinating. As the story progressed, I couldn’t help but enjoy the connection that builds between the two women. It is so heart-warming, and I found their relationship to be an interesting one. They are unable to connect simply by words, but share a similar life-changing experience that bonded them. As Allira continues to visit Nora, she knows there is a story to be told about this woman and the carved Huon wren in her room and I enjoyed how the secret unfolded and the past came crashing into the present. It was a bittersweet ending, with a few soggy tissues tucked into my sleeve as I finished the final chapters. I enjoyed the array of characters within the story; Rae, Allira’s best friend, Her Husband Hamish (picture a hot, hunky paramedic) and Nora’s father won my heart. There was also an interesting dynamic with mother-daughter relationships experienced by both the main characters. This book covers some sensitive topics that are central to the story, but I found the author approached them delicately and with such care that you can’t help but feel empathy for the characters involved. There is so much to like and enjoy about this book, I found it captivating and loved the instant connection I had with the story and setting. It was a brilliant debut novel, and I am excited to read more of what Claire van Ryn has to offer in the future. Kate Jackson is a prolific bookstagrammer and you can follow her reviews and snippets of life on Instagram @kate_thebooklover

A little while back we asked you, our book-loving community, for your favourite podcasts on writing, reading and everything associated. You responded with such insight that we thought we'd better put all those wonderful suggestions in a safe place. So, here they are, in no particular order. Find them where you listen to your podcasts. But first, a reminder that we have our own archived podcast with some truly top-notch interviews with notable Tasmanian authors. Check it out! TVWF Podcast So You Want to be a Writer (by the Australian Writers' Centre) Everything you've always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Practical writing techniques, insights into how authors got their big break, creative writing processes of well-known and emerging authors. Hosted by Valerie Kho (author, journalist, creative and CEO of the AWC). Length: 25-60mins Frequency: weekly The HYBRID Author Interviews with industry professionals on forging a career as a hybrid author: writing across genres, mixing writing styles, publishing all ways and getting comfortable promoting you and your books. Hosted by Joanne Morrell (author of children's, young adult and women's fiction). Length: average 30mins Frequency: every Friday The Creative Penn A self-help podcast for writers, with interviews on publishing, book marketing and creative entrepreneurship. Length: average 60mins Frequency: weekly The Garret (by Bad Producer Productions) A podcast for lovers of books and storytelling, episodes are always about Australian writers and their craft, as well as some interviews with industry figures about what gets published and why. Each interview is published with a full transcript. Length: average 25mins Frequency: weekly The Word Count Follow three Australian writers step-by-step as they write their way towards publication: - Jo Dixon, bestselling Tasmanian author of The House of Now and Then - Fiona Taylor, crime writer and host of the Reading by Candlelight podcast - Jacq Ellem, cozy crime writer and host of award-winning podcast Tales From Three Corners Length: 25mins Frequency: fortnightly Talking Aussie Books A spotlight on local talent, hosted by lawyer turned fiction writer, podcaster, presenter and moderator Claudine Tinellis. Length: 30mins Frequency: weekly Reading by Candlelight Interviews with Australian debut and sophomore authors, hosted by writer Fiona Taylor. Each book is featured in Reading by Candlelight book boxes by Molly's Cottage. Length: 40mins Frequency: monthly Secrets from the Green Room Hosts Irma Gold and Karen Viggers chat with writers about their experience of writing and publishing in honest, green room-style, uncovering some of the plain and simple truths, as well as some of the secrets — whether they be mundane or salubrious — and having a lot of fun in the process. Length: 50mins Frequency: monthly Writes4Women Celebrating women's voices and supporting women writers, with host Pamela Cook. Length: 60mins Frequency: weekly

Is there a better gift than a book? We don't think so either. And a Tasmanian author, all the better. The 2023 year has seen a steady stream of new Tasmanian books hitting shelves, so we thought we'd put together a bookish giving guide so that you can not only give a sensational, thoughtful present to your loved-ones, but support a local author in the process. These titles are available from your favourite independent Tasmanian book retailer. The Unearthed by Lenny Bartulin (Allen & Unwin) Set amidst the harsh terrain of the timber and ore industries of the west coast, The Unearthed is a haunting novel about the past and its quiet but tenacious grip on the present. It reveals the tragic connections between the disparate lives of post-war migrants and local workers, and the fallibility of memory, the illusion of truths and the repercussions on real lives. On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs (Vintage Australia) Told from five different points of view, each one revealing something different, On a Bright Hillside in Paradise, tells the story of a family of convict descendants in the back-blocks of Tasmania, on a farm in a place called Paradise. They lead hard-scrabble lives. The drama begins when strangers arrive, Christian Brethren evangelists who hold big revival meetings in local barns. The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire van Ryn (Penguin Random House) Senior journalist Allira is writing a story for Folk magazine when she meets Nora, a nursing home resident with dementia and a doll cradled lovingly in her arms. Bit by bit, Nora reveals details about her younger life as a spirited teenage girl living beneath the Great Western Tiers in Tasmania’s heartland, of stitching linings into coffins, of her illicit romance with a charming Polish-German migrant, and of a family torn apart by heartbreak. Line in the Sand by Dean Yates (Pan Macmillan) Dean Yates was the ideal warzone correspondent: courageous, compassionate, dedicated. After years of facing the worst, though, including the Bali bombings and the Boxing Day tsunami, one final incident undid him. In July 2007, two of his staff members were brutally gunned down by an American helicopter in Iraq. Line in the Sand is a memoir that is going to resonate for generations to come. It tackles the most important topic of our age in an unforgettable way. The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon (Harper Colllins) After a humiliating public scandal, Olivia is hiding from the press in a remote Tasmanian house when an unknown man knocks on her door, seeking Pippa, a woman who once lived there. His father, Jeremy, has died, leaving behind a letter for this mysterious woman. Olivia wants to help, but can she risk revealing her own sordid past? Home to Echidna Lane by Eva Scott (Harper Collins) It's been thirteen years since Lacey Kane escaped the small town of Whitton for the big city, and life couldn't be better. Or so she thought. When her seemingly perfect life is exposed in the worst way, on live television no less, she suddenly finds herself facing her worst nightmare: returning to her parents' home on Echidna Lane in the small Tasmanian town of her childhood. Graft by Maggie Mackellar (Penguin Random House) In Graft, Maggie MacKellar describes a year on a Merino wool farm on the east coast of Tasmania, and all of life – and death – that surrounds her through the cycle of lambing seasons. She gives us the land she knows and loves, the lambs she cares for, the ewes she tries to save, the birds around her, and the dogs and horses she adores. Mole Creek by James Dunbar (Allen & Unwin) In the tiny Tasmanian town of Mole Creek, retired cop and Vietnam veteran Pete McAuslan has retreated to his fishing cabin to write his memoirs. In Sydney, his grandson Xander, learns that Pete has taken his own life, begging forgiveness in a suicide note. Arriving in Mole Creek in the aftermath of Pete's death, Xander discovers that his grandfather's laptop is missing. He begins to suspect that something is wrong. With the local police not interested in investigating, Xander sets about uncovering the truth. Question 7 by Richard Flanagan (Knopf Australia) By way of H. G. Wells and Rebecca West’s affair through 1930s nuclear physics to Flanagan's father working as a slave labourer near Hiroshima when the atom bomb is dropped, this daisy chain of events reaches fission when Flanagan as a young man finds himself trapped in a rapid on a wild river not knowing if he is to live or to die. The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey (Text) The conversion was Nick's idea, but it's Zoe who's here now, in a valley of old coalmines and new vineyards, working out how to live in a deconsecrated church. Can a church become a home or, even with all its vestiges removed, will it remain forever what it was intended to be? For Zoe, alone and troubled by a ghost from the recent past, the little church seems empty of the possibilities Nick enthused about. She is stuck in purgatory-until a determined young teacher pushes her way into Zoe's life, convinced of her own peculiar mission for the building. Good Life Growing by Hannah Maloney (Affirm Press) Good Life Growing provides the inspiration and know-how to grow your own fruit and veg in any Australian climate. This bountiful guide from Gardening Australia presenter Hannah Moloney is packed with practical solutions for all conditions and every gardener. Whether you're getting started with a pot or developing a plot, you'll find everything you need to hone your skills, fire your imagination and have good, fresh food all year round. She Doesn't Seem Autistic by Esther Ottaway With her characteristic heart and power, Esther Ottaway turns her attention inward in this new poetry collection, creatively illuminating her own hidden autism and that of girls and women, most of whom are misdiagnosed and unsupported in a medical system designed for boys. Every page will surprise and move you. 'With wit, artistry, compassion and determination, Esther unflinchingly shares her own truth and the truth of multitudes of autistic girls and women.' – Dr Michelle Garnett PhD. When One of Us Hurts by Monica Vuu (Pan Macmillan) Port Brighton hates outsiders. The small coastal town has its own ways of dealing with the evil, the foolish, the misled, and it holds tightly to them. But the seams start to split after two deaths occur on the same tragic night: a baby abandoned at the foot of a lighthouse, and a drunken teenager drowned in the storming sea. Saddleback Wife by Fiona Stocker A book for foodies and those who want to know more about where their food comes from. It’s for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at the foodie-haven of Tasmania, and the pork ‘underbelly’ of farming life. It's also the story of two Saddleback sows called Rosie and Bella, and a boar called Co-Pilot Bob. Told with trademark wry humour and at times heart-breaking honesty, Saddleback Wife is a story about the struggle to make a living from land and livestock, and the reality behind the dream of gourmet farming. The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson by Karen Brooks (Harper Collins) From the author of The Good Wife of Bath comes this brilliant recreation of the vibrant, optimistic but politically treacherous world of London's Restoration theatre, where we are introduced to the remarkable playwright Aphra Behn, now a feminist icon but then an anomaly, who gravitated to the stage - a place where artifice and disguise are second nature and accommodates those who do not fit in. Motherland by Stephanie Trethewey (Allen & Unwin) Motherland gives a voice to the extraordinary lives of fourteen rural mothers across states, territories, cultures and generations. Each offers an unfiltered insight into the tragedies and triumphs that have shaped their lives on the land, motherhood being the most challenging role of all. The Empty Honour Board by Martin Flanagan (Viking) A prison diary, a story of brotherly love, a journey of redemption, Martin Flanagan’s compelling book about his boarding school days goes inside an experience many have had but few have talked about. The Empty Honour Board is part memoir, a reflection on truth and memory, and what is lost in rushing to judgement.

The Tamar Valley Writers Festival is thrilled to announce that, in partnership with Three River Theatre, we are hosting critically acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Andrew Bovell in Launceston on November 17 and 18, during Three River Theatre's season of 'Things I Know to Be True'. There are two events we want to tell you about... the links are below so be sure to book your place: 1/ PRE-SHOW MASTERCLASS Friday November 17 The Florance Hotel, 17 Brisbane Street, Launceston (in the Conservatory) 5:30pm til 7:10pm Please bring along your notepad or laptop and be ready to listen to Andrew speak, to ask your burning questions and to participate in some writing activities. Limited spaces available. +++ Please join Andrew and the team at Three River Theatre at the Earl Arts Centre after the masterclass for TRT's production of Bovell's work 'Things I Know to Be True' (not included in the masterclass price). Masterclass Tickets 2/ POST-SHOW Q&A Saturday November 18 Earl Arts Centre, Earl St, Launceston. 3:30pm - 4:30pm (some slight flexibility of exact time due to live performance prior) Come along to hear Andrew Bovell discuss his play 'Things I Know to be True' and other wonderful works for the stage and theatre, served with a glass of bubbles. +++Please join Andrew and the team for Three River Theatre's production of Bovell's work 'Things I Know to Be True' prior (not included in the Q&A price). Q&A Tickets

Saddleback Wife by Fiona Stocker (reviewed by Claire van Ryn @clairevanryn) After attending the book launch of Saddleback Wife and hearing firsthand its author's delightful British accent and her witty, if slightly dark, sense of humour, I couldn't resist taking a copy home. This is Fiona Stocker's second memoir (you may be familiar with her first, Apple Island Wife) which leans heavily on her experience as an English expat eking out a life in Australia's island state with her husband, Oliver, and two kids. No, you don't need to have read the first to appreciate the second. Nor do you need to have any interest in pigs (phew! I hear you say). Saddleback Wife, with the subtitle Slow Food in Tasmania, is the story of a couple with admirable dreams of rearing Wessex Saddleback pigs and selling premium pork at bustling farmers markets each weekend. The pigs would live long and idyllic lives compared with their mass-farmed counterparts, and the customers would be agog for the delectable, superior pork product made from these happy creatures. It is the dream versus the reality. In fact, it reads like one of those Instagram posts that juxtaposes the glossy, colour-coordinated beauty of a photo with what it took to produce it. The warts-and-all, behind the scenes footage. 'Television lifestyle shows have a lot to answer for. They're responsible for many of the unexpected turns our married life has taken, and we've sourced many of our experimental ideas from them,' Fiona writes in the prologue. A newspaper article about Tasmania was impetus for the family's move to Australia, and the television series River Cottage was responsible for their interest in pigs soon after. 'As we sat on our sofa one evening, watching Hugh preparing a straw-filled birthing shed for his sows, Oliver turned to me. "We could keep those pigs in our bush block, you know," he said. I could have sworn I saw a light bulb flickering over his head.' Saddleback Wife gave me a great appreciation for farmers, particularly boutique-style farmers with high-end product for high-end prices. Her insights on rearing an animal that requires more time for less quantity, made me appreciate the price tags, not to mention the incredible amount of back-breaking work, tenacity and self-belief required to make a go at something they had never done before. At times, the memoir's accounts are frank to the point of being brutal. I'm not sure I would recommend this to someone who has just started a pig-farming operation. Then again, maybe it would help them avoid the same mistakes. In the end, I was grateful for a glimpse at reality. In a world where I make pork stir fry with meat sourced from a plastic tray bought from a supermarket, it's easy to forget that life is sacrificed for our appetites. Whether you're an avid carnivore or a vegan, or somewhere in-between, I think we can all agree that society would be enriched and somehow more intelligent if our our spending habits were more considered. This is a book for that. For understanding the backstory of our food, and allowing time to sit in that potentially uncomfortable place. Thankfully, it's told with Fiona's wry humour which makes it that bit more palatable. Oh, and did I mention there are recipes? The carbonara was a hit in my household! Find out more about Fiona Stocker, her books and her writing here.

The Unearthed by Lenny Bartulin (Reviewed by Kate Jackson @kate_thebooklover) Tasmanian-born Lenny Bartulin is the author of five books and his latest, The Unearthed (Allen & Unwin), is the first of his I’ve read. I was drawn to the setting of the story in my own locality, as well as the fact that I enjoy a good mystery. Set mainly on the West Coast of Tasmania, in and around the townships of Strahan and Queenstown, there were some very familiar places mentioned throughout this book, like Hamer's Hotel in Strahan and the gravel football oval in Queenstown, giving the story a strong grounding and sense of atmosphere. Initially, on finishing the book, I had the strange feeling of not being sure what I thought, but the more I mulled it over, the more I feel it was actually cleverly done. It included several mysteries to be solved and, unlike crime novels I have read in the past, they aren’t solved in the traditional sense, almost allowing the reader to form their own conclusions. This book will make you stop and reflect on what you have just read. Told from multiple points of view and jumping between various timelines in the present day and 1950s, each part of the story reveals pieces of the mystery. When bones are found in the Tasmania wilderness, one of the main characters, Antonia Kovács, discovers through her work at FSST (Forensic Science Services Tasmania) that they are decades old. She has questions for her father, a now retired Police Inspector who had been stationed at Queenstown around the time, so she heads home to where he is now enjoying a quiet retirement in the harbourside township of Strahan. Meanwhile, Tom Pilar the other main character in the book, receives an inheritance. It’s from a man belonging to his past, a friend of his father's, though Tom can barely remember him. He travels from the mainland to Queenstown to get a better understanding of why he was receiving it. I felt the author's description of the drive from Hobart to Queenstown was spot on! There are flashbacks where we meet some post-war migrants and locals working in the mines. It’s through these flashbacks that the mysteries begin to unfold. I found it interesting how the mysteries were revealed, laughing to myself when I realised the clues I had clearly missed. I certainly won’t be a detective anytime soon! I enjoyed the local references; I could tell that the author had spent time in and around the areas described in the book. There has also been some extensive research undertaken into the lives of the migrant workers of the area in the early/mid 1900s. At 274 pages you can easily devour this in one sitting. The Unearthed was released in Australia on August 1st by Allen & Unwin, in paperback, e-book and audio. Kate Jackson is a prolific bookstagrammer and you can follow her reviews and snippets of life on Instagram @kate_thebooklover

Home to Echidna Lane by Eva Scott (Reviewed by Kate Jackson @kate_thebooklover) Back in late 2021, Eva Scott and her family made the Coal River Valley their home after moving to Tasmania from Queensland and, excitingly, her 2023 release is set in the very area she now calls home. Her recent books have followed tropes from '90s romcoms and Home to Echidna Lane (Harper Collins Australia) is no different, drawing comparisons to the Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr movie Hope Floats. I couldn’t get enough of the local Tassie references. There were just so many moments this book made me smile due to the mention of something like a familiar place, the aurora australis, or even just a reference to the Tasmanian way of life. Although the main setting of the book, the town of Winton, is fictional, quite a few Southern Tasmanian towns and locations get a mention, like Richmond and Sorell—and even Eva’s favourite coffee shop, Czegs’ Café, makes a cameo. I just adored the characters in this book; Shane, a local lad, widower, a single father who makes a living walnut farming; and Lacey, Shane’s high school crush, is a local girl who only ever wanted to escape the small-town life for the glamour of the big city. Lacey finds herself back living with her parents in Echidna Lane after her perfect life crumbles live on television. She brings her two boys and a broken heart and it’s her parents and Shane that help to piece it back together. I really enjoyed the banter between Shane and Lacey, and the way they navigate through this new chapter in their lives. The minor characters also really added to the story. Lacey's father had me smiling with his bedtime stories. I loved the walnut-inspired recipes included at the end of chapters. I am definitely going to give some of them a try as they sound utterly delicious! First up will be the Sunday Lunch Tortellini with Burnt Butter, Sage and Walnuts. Chatting via Instagram, Eva has told me that this will be her last Rural Romance novel for a while, and I can say that without a doubt she has gone out with a bang. This one would have to be my favourite of her recent books. I have no doubt that Home to Echidna Lane will be very popular with Tassie readers and lovers of rural romance. Home to Echidna Lane, published by Harlequin Australia, is set for release on August 2 around Australia. Kate Jackson is a prolific bookstagrammer and you can follow her reviews and snippets of life on Instagram @kate_thebooklover

The Tamar Valley Writer's Festival is hosting a Children's Book Week themed Trivia Night that you will NOT want to miss! In partnership with IBBY Australia and The Children’s Book Council of Australia - Tasmanian Branch, we want to celebrate classic children's books from across the years. There will be lots of prizes and we encourage you to come dressed as your favourite children's book character. THE DETAILS WHEN: Thursday August 24, 6:30pm for a 7pm start. WHERE: The Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston. COST: Tickets are $15 each. BOOKINGS: are essential, grab your tickets here. Tables of up to 8 people can be booked, but you are welcome to book in smaller numbers and we will place you in a team. If you would like to be on a specific team please answer the question when prompted during the booking process, and indicate your team leader/group name to make sure we pop you all together. DINNER Bookings for dinner at the The Royal Oak prior to trivia are encouraged, with a suggested booking time of 5:30pm. Bookings - (03) 63315346 DON'T FORGET... Come dressed as your favourite children's book character! Use your imagination, and join in the fun! We can't wait to see what you come up with.

On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs (Reviewed by Katie Lewis). On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs (Penguin, 2023) follows the Hatton family, convict descendants living in the Tasmanian bush on a farm called Paradise in the 1870s. The story centres around the arrival of two strangers into their midst, both evangelical preachers from outside Tasmania. The strangers’ arrival causes quite the stir within the tight-knit community as they go from house to house conducting revivals and converting the locals, and the Hatton family start to question long held beliefs about their past and their future. I was completely drawn in by this book. Tasmania in the late 1800s is not a setting I’ve read much about, and I really loved being transported to the rough but beautiful farm of Paradise. The story is told through the perspectives of five different members of the Hatton family, following each character through roughly the same time period. As we move from one character’s perspective to the next, we learn more and more about their lives and their reactions to the arrival of the evangelists. We see the same events through five very different perspectives and, rather than being repetitive, it was nuanced and so unique. I loved how each new perspective added more and more to the story, carefully and delicately layering details on top of each other. It was cleverly done. I also love when the landscape becomes a character in a story and the author does it so well in this book. You can feel the connection she has to this place and its history, and I loved being able to feel that through this story. It was also impeccably researched. This is a quiet but tender book. It was a little melancholy but also eerily beautiful, and I loved how the author highlighted the beauty in the ordinary lives of the Hatton family. The more I learned about this family, the more I found myself sinking into their world. I could smell the gum trees, I could hear the water of the Dasher, and I could feel the cold wind blowing in from the mountain. The writing was evocative and immersive, without being overly flowery, and dialogue felt natural and genuine. I loved the way the author carefully crafted the characters and slowly brought them to life. They felt so real. I’ll be thinking about this family for a long time to come. On a Bright Hillside in Paradise was an extremely enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend, especially to readers who enjoy character-driven historical fiction. Katie Lewis as a prolific bookstagrammer and you can find more of her reviews on Instagram @katie.reads.things More Reviews The Secrets of the Huon Wren, by Claire van Ryn. Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here, by Heather Rose.

Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here: A Memoir of Loss and Discovery, by Heather Rose (Reviewed by Johanna Baker-Dowdell) It seems fitting that the first review I write for the Tamar Valley Writers Festival is for Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here: A Memoir of Loss and Discovery (Allen & Unwin, 2022) by Heather Rose because my introduction to Rose was at the event’s first iteration: The Festival of Golden Words. As an eager festival attendee and aspiring author, I was lapping up every session I could, but the one I remember most clearly was the panel featuring Heather Rose, speaking about The River Wife. As Rose described the Tasmanian setting for The River Wife it occurred to me that a place can be a character as much as a person. I was captivated by Rose’s powerful words then, and continue to be now, with Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here. Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a collection of personal essays, thoughts and insights spanning Rose’s life from childhood to the present day. Rose contemplates some of the bigger questions we all wrestle with: what do I believe, what does love look like, how do you parent, what does grief look like and how do you carry on when everything feels like it is imploding? I was fascinated to read Rose’s take on these – and many other – questions and her deeply honest response to everything life has thrown her. However, I was equally fascinated to read about her extraordinary life, from early memories of herself asking the big questions, to the horrific tragedy that clearly reshaped Rose’s entire family, through her courageous globetrotting, her relationships and, finally, how she deals with chronic pain. There were many times I found myself nodding along with Rose’s insights about herself and relating them back to myself as a fellow parent, a writer, a woman and somebody who also has learned to live with chronic pain. I interviewed Rose when Bruny was released in 2019 and it was a conversation I have cherished ever since because it covered so much ground and left me inspired. I hung up the phone feeling like I’d had a nourishing chat with an old friend. Reading Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here left me with the same feeling afterwards ­­­– like we’d had another long conversation, but she had summoned up the courage to finally share a long-held secret. I felt an almost voyeuristic pull to keep diving into Rose’s words because this memoir contains such deep and compelling insights into her life, thoughts and beliefs. Something Rose and I discussed during that 2019 interview was my own writing. I still think about the ideas she had for my works then and have kept them filed away for a future novel. Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here inspires me to keep feeding my creativity and be a better writer but, more importantly, Rose’s struggle with illness and pain reminded me to be gentler on myself, and those around me. I appreciated the reminder. Johanna Baker-Dowdell is a communications specialist and author. She is also the Vice-President of the Tamar Valley Writers Festival committee.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a book reviewer on social media? We all know that the world of social media is where it's AT when it comes to marketing brands, fashion, technology, travel, ideas, food... and books! Yep, books. Increasingly, publishers are relying on 'bookstagrammers' to promote new release reads to their burgeoning audiences. (For those unfamiliar with the term, a bookstagrammer is someone whose Instagram account is focused solely on books and reading.) So, we've tracked down a Tasmanian-based bookstagrammer to find out just how it all works. Introducing Kate Jackson (@kate_thebooklover)... 1. Tell us about yourself. I’m a mum to a five-year-old daughter, and a wife. These two are my world. I am currently living a pretty stress free life after having had the opportunity to take time away from the busy 9-5 office job and instead I’m enjoying a sea/tree change for a couple of years on the rugged West Coast of Tasmania. I live opposite the beach and love to go out on the water paddle boarding. Over the last year I have spotted dolphins in the harbour and on Sunday morning back in January was even able to get up close to a pod as they cruised in the harbour. That was a pretty magical experience and one I shared with my daughter as she rode on the front of my paddle board. I am a drinker of tea, and thankfully my friends and family no longer look at me weirdly when they go to make me one and ask, 'How many sugars?' and I reply 'Four please!' Tassie has always been my home growing up on the North West Coast in the beautiful town of Penguin before heading south for Uni where I studied at the Art School in Hobart majoring in photography in the late '90s. 2. How did you start in the #bookstagrammer space? I’d never really been a reader at all, probably only reading one or two books a year. I preferred to watch reruns of A Country Practice and other '80s Australian TV shows as a way to unwind. It wasn’t until my daughter was born that I started listening to audiobooks as I walked her in the pram, and then for my first Mother’s Day my husband bought me a couple of books and that got me started. I was then looking for a way to track my reading. I started just popping it on my Facebook under the locked settings. At the time I’d been listening to a lot of audiobooks and when I googled pictures of them I discovered people were doing the same sort of thing but on Instagram. So in November 2019 I began @kate_thebooklover Initially and still at times I feel like a fraud as I am not a writer and have no real desire to be one, so my Bookstagram account is purely from a reader's perspective and it was always designed as an account where I could share the books I really like. By the middle of 2020 Bookstagram was growing in popularity, mostly due to covid lockdowns. It was during this time that I was first contacted by a publicist about sending me a copy of a book which I had commented about on another bookstagrammer's account. Initially, I was a bit sceptical, but that began my journey reviewing new and upcoming releases. Since joining Bookstagram I have really enjoyed the connections I have with authors. I will often be having chats about day-to-day stuff with them and I am excited that one quirk I shared with an author once is even making its way into an upcoming novel! I've had an author arrive on my doorstep with a signed copy of his debut novel, and my husband has assisted an author with police procedural questions she had. Sadly for me, he has had his name in a book before I have! Haha! 3. How does it work? After that first contact I received through my IG account I was able to establish a connection with other publishers and get added to their blogger list. At that time, publishers were looking for established accounts having posted for at least six months and with at least 2000 followers. Now that I'm on the blogger list I receive emails about books coming out, giving me the option to request the ones I’d like to read and review. I also jump on the publishers' websites and look at the upcoming releases and if there is a book that has interested me, I will send an email to express an interest in the book months in advance. Advance Readers Copies (ARCs) can also be requested in digital form through Netgalley. Publishers will put upcoming releases on that site a month or two prior to release. There are also times when I receive a book in the mail unsolicited from a publisher, this is often referred to on Bookstagram as 'surprise book mail'. It is always exciting getting book mail of any kind. When I started receiving books it was such a buzz to get home from work and find packages on my doorstep. Even now, four years down the track, it still brings me the same joy. There have been happy dances and tears of pure joy when a book I have been anticipating has arrived in my post box. I will also buy new releases and books by self published authors. I have filled my house with books, more than what can fit on the bookshelves I have. I wouldn't call myself a hoarder but more a collector and I have a dream of converting the attic in our Hobart home into a cute and cosy little reading room. I’m not a writer and sometimes I do find it hard to express my thoughts, which can lead to procrastination when it comes to posting a review. It ebbs and flows. But as it's just a hobby, I don't put pressure on myself to have weekly posting targets. I can go through times when reviews flow easily and I smash out several in one go, and other times I just can't find the words. Generally I try to post a review within a month of reading the book, and once I post my review on my Bookstagram account I then add it to my Goodreads account. 4. What's your favourite genre? Before starting my Bookstagram account I didn’t really know what books were out there, so I just stuck to what I knew, that being the Jack Reacher Series (Lee Child) and celebrity memoirs/biographies. Bookstagram opened a whole new world for me, and I fell in love with many different genres. Now I really enjoy historical fiction, rural romance, romcoms and crime thrillers. The only genre I struggle with is fantasy. There are times when I will read books that aren’t usually what I would pick up. I will always give a book a go but if it isn’t for me I feel bad, especially as I know how much work goes into writing a book. 5. What if you don't like a book you've been asked to review? Early on I used to push through and finish a book, but now if I find I am not enjoying a book I will often put it down, start something else and then come back to it. If, on the second attempt, I am still not enjoying it I will DNF (did not finish). This is about the only time I will ever go looking at reviews on Goodreads and Bookstagram before I have finished a book, mainly to see if it is a common theme that others couldn't relate or if it is just a case of the book not being for me. I am less inclined to post a negative review on my account, opting to maybe feature the book in my grid as I still like to promote Australian authors where I can. I am a strong believer that not all books are for everyone so, just because I didn’t like it, doesn't mean someone else would. 6. What do you think makes a great read? A great connection with the main character/s and/or the location. When I look at the books on my favourites shelf I can straight away say, 'Oh I loved that one because it was set in Tasmania and the main character was…' or 'I really enjoyed this one as I learnt about a historical event and it was written in such an engaging way...' or 'Oh gosh I loved this one as the main character was such a hoot and I loved a particular part when they did...' I have read so many books in the last five years (around 500!) and not all of them are going to stick in my memory, but when they do, I know they were a winner. 7. Your fav read so far this year? The One and Only Dolly Jamieson (Penguin Random House) by Lisa Ireland closely followed by The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker (Penguin Random House) and Duck à L’Orange for Breakfast (Pan Macmillan) by Karina May. Dolly Jamieson was such a beautiful character I couldn’t help but fall in love with her and the strong friendship she made. She was an older character and had plenty of stories to tell of the life she lived. I have always enjoyed Sandie Docker’s books. The first book of her's I read had me crying big fat ugly tears as I really connected with the character and the storyline… and her subsequent books have been absolute joys to read, thankfully without the tears. Duck a L’Orange was one of those books I just didn't want to end! I got anxious as I neared the end and would often read only a few pages before putting it down to draw it out. 8. Your fav Tasmanian author? I would probably have to say Meg Bignell and Minnie Darke, though there are plenty more out there and others I am yet to discover. Welcome to Nowhere River (Penguin Random House) by Meg Bignell was the first book I ever requested from a publisher and I was so excited when I received a finished copy a month prior to release. I also really enjoyed Jo Dixon’s debut novel The House of Now and Then (HarperCollins), and I am excited for her future novels. Have you bought your tickets to the Sydney Writers Festival Live & Local livestreaming event in Launceston on Saturday May 27? Book now to avoid disappointment! Sydney Writers Festival info and tickets

The Tamar Valley Writers Festival invites you to a Live and Local streaming of the 2023 Sydney Writers Festival, here in Launceston on May 27. Please join us at the new UTAS Inveresk Library to participate in sessions with literary greats ranging from Maggie Beer to Pip Williams, on topics from crime to food to history to activism. We are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity for Tasmanian readers, writers and thinkers. Single session and day passes are available. Sydney Writers Festival tickets THE PROGRAM Saturday May 27 10:00 - 11:00am - A LIFE IN FOOD: STEPHANIE ALEXANDER AND MAGGIE BEER Culinary icons Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer have inspired generations of home cooks and fundamentally transformed how we think about food. They reflect on their decades-long friendship, and their partnership in running a cooking school for Australians in a medieval villa in Italy. They also talk about their influential books on preparing, cooking and savouring delicious food, including their co-authored Tuscan Cookbook, which was recently optioned to be made into a feature film. They are joined on stage by cook, writer and presenter Adam Liaw. 12:00 - 1:00 - CRIME AND JUSTICE We are fascinated by stories of crime and how they unfold. There are no finer narrators of such stories than legendary author Helen Garner and The Teacher’s Pet podcaster Hedley Thomas, whose work explores the link between confronting terrible things that happen and the people who are involved. They sit down with Sarah Krasnostein to explore the compelling nature of crime and the pressing question of what happens when justice takes a lifetime – or if it never comes at all? Helen Garner appears thanks to the support of Kathy. 2:00pm – 3:00pm GREAT ADAPTATIONS Four favourite writers come together to give the lowdown on having their works adapted into TV shows and movies and adapting the work of others. Hear from Eleanor Catton, whose novels The Rehearsal and The Luminaries have made their way to the screen; Holly Ringland, whose bestseller The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is being turned into a series starring Sigourney Weaver; and Tom Rob Smith, whose novel Child 44 became a movie with Tom Hardy and whose adaptations for the screen The Assassination of Gianni Versace have won him an Emmy and a Golden Globe. They chat with Benjamin Law. 4:00pm – 5:00pm - PIP WILLIAMS: THE BOOKBINDER OF JERICHO Australian novelist Pip Williams drew wide acclaim for her bestselling debut, The Dictionary of Lost Words, “a marvellous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress” (Geraldine Brooks). Her new novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, covers similar terrain, with the story of a young British woman working in a book bindery who gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life. Pip is in conversation with Cassie McCullagh. 6:00-7:00pm STATE OF THE ART How is fiction evolving with our times? Is the novel a vulnerable art or more vital than ever? Could AI one day pen a masterpiece or do our storytellers guard an inimitable craft? Join some of the leading names in literature today – Eleanor Catton, Richard Flanagan, Tracey Lien and Colson Whitehead – for a lively discussion about the state of the novel and the future of fiction. They are joined in conversation by ABC RN’s The Bookshelf’s Kate Evans. 7:30pm – 8:30pm REAL SELVES Women and girls have long been pressured to conform to written and unwritten rules about how to think, act, look and feel. But a new generation of writers and activists are breaking down barriers to allow women and girls to show their real selves. Hear from Heartbreak High actress, advocate and Different, Not Less author Chloé Hayden, Wadjanbarra Yidinji, Jirrbal and African-American filmmaker and Gigorou author Sasha Kutabah Sarago, and activist for sexual assault survivors and The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner author Grace Tame in conversation with disability and women’s rights advocate Hannah Diviney about their pathbreaking work.