The weeks are just flying by and I can't believe it's Author Stalker time again.
The feedback I have had about the series has been lovely and I would like to say a massive THANK YOU to all of the fabulous authors who have so graciously agreed to be a guest and to YOU the readers, who have embraced the series.
As a writer/blogger it can be hard to get your words out there so I am so very grateful to those of you who have taken the time to read my posts and to those of you who have shared it on social media, I am sending you an extra big hug.x
I must admit that at first I was a little worried about officially being known as The Author Stalker but people seem to love the name...and so far it hasn't scared off the writers I have approached to be my next victim! In fact the first series is fully booked up until July 2020, which totally blows my mind.
There is such a huge volume of fabulous books being released onto the Australian market, which makes it extremely hard to choose just one author/new release to promote each month, so I am considering making The Author Stalker a fortnightly event come series two in August 2020.
But enough about all that! This month's guest is the charming, Melbourne-based screenwriter Christian White, author of the highly acclaimed novel The Nowhere Child (Affirm Press - 2018) and his much anticipated new release, The Wife & The Widow (Affirm Press - Sept 24).
I first met Christian at Castle Hill library in Sydney last year, whilst on his inaugural book tour. The Nowhere Child reintroduced me to the crime genre and had me hooked from the very first page. It was a truly unique story and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It was such a captivating read and that talent, plus Christian's humble, self-deprecating nature, has earned him a loyal legion of fans.
So while I head off to keep frantically turning the pages on The Wife & the Widow, I will hand you over to Mr October, Christian White.xx
Q1: What piece of advice do you wish you'd been given when working on your very first manuscript?
A: I wish someone had told me to just click that damn “send” button already. For a long time, I was obsessed with making every single line perfect, but somewhere along the way I realised perfection doesn’t really exist in writing. You can say the same thing in a hundred different ways. Some work, other don’t, but none of those ways are ‘perfect’ (at least not when I’m writing them). When I finally did click send and got a book published, I discovered that publishers, editors and agents aren’t looking for perfect manuscripts either. They’re looking for good stories, compelling characters, and something they can bring their own voices to.
(Note to self...listen to Christian's wise words Shelley!)
Q2: If you could have written ANY book besides your own, what would it be?
A: The Beach, by Alex Garland. Not only was it an incredible thriller, it’s also one of the cosiest books you’ll ever read. I love everything about it, from the relatable and deeply flawed protagonist, to the sense of impending doom that hangs over the book. Also, anything by Haruki Murakami – I want to live in his books.
Q3: What is the first book that made you cry?
A: The Stand, by Stephen King (I won’t tell you which part because it’s a spoiler).
Q4: Coffee, tea or ? (what is your favourite drink?)
Coffee. Way too much coffee.
Q5: What is the next book on your TBR (to be read) pile?
A: As I write this (in August) it’s an advanced copy of In The Clearing by J.P. Pomare. I loved his first book (Call Me Evie) so I’m pretty damn pumped to get stuck into his second!
Q6: Choose one male & one female character from your novel. In a film adaptation, who would you love to see play them?
A: This is such a tough question. Dream casting for The Wife and The Widow would be Rose Byrne playing Kate (the widow) and Ben Mendelsohn playing Ray (a man accused of murder).
Q7: Name one thing you couldn't live without?
A: My dog.
Q8: What is your dream holiday destination?
A: A lakeside cabin in Maine.
Q9: If you had to choose a career besides writer, what would it be?
A: A paranormal investigator. That’s a thing, right?
Q10: What's the hardest scene you have ever written and why was it so hard?
A: I’ll be careful to avoid spoilers, but there’s a particular scene in The Nowhere Child where something particularly bad happens to a particularly lovable law enforcement official. That was tough to write. But also, fun!
'Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and the Widow is a mystery/thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside down when she’s forced to confront the evidence that her husband is a murderer. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives.
Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and the Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?' (Affirm Press).
'Christian White is an Australian author and screenwriter whose projects include feature film Relic. The Nowhere Child is his first book and one of Australia’s bestselling debut novels ever. An early draft of this novel won the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. Since publication The Nowhere Child has been shortlisted for major awards including the Australian Book Industry Awards’ General Fiction Book of the Year and Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year, and the Indie Book Awards’ Debut Fiction Book of the Year.
Rights to The Nowhere Child have been sold in 16 territories around the world, and were acquired in a major screen deal by Anonymous Content (US) and Carver Films (Australia). Christian lives in Melbourne with his wife, filmmaker Summer DeRoche, and their adopted greyhound, Issy.' (Booktopia).
Thank you so much Christian for joining me on the Author Stalker and I look forward to Author Stalking you at your Erina Event on October 16th!
If you would like to find out more about Christian and purchase his novels, you can find him at: