Briefly tell us about your book.
Tiny White Lies follows two friends, Ash and Nikki, who decide to take their family holidays at a coastal retreat with no internet! Ash’s daughter is being bullied, online and at school, and Nikki has one kid glued to her phone (plus getting sent all sorts of photos) and a son who lives and breaths his screen time. But their escape for the kids, hoping to reconnect them, turns into a time for adults to reflect, open up and discuss those little things that often go unsaid.
What inspired the idea behind this book?
My own two teenage children. Going away to boarding school at age 12, they had phones earlier than I would have liked. All the stress and concerns as a parent; how much screen time is too much, what can my kids’ access, who is sending them what, do they get any sleep…. All those emotions fell out into a book. My own escape is to Bremer Bay, where the book is set. It is a place where my kids put down their phones to play games, sing songs by the fire, go for walks to the beach with their cousins and interact with us! It is my soul rejuvenating place so I hoped it could be that for Ash and Nikki, as well as all the readers.
Does the creative process get easier for you with each book?
Yes and then a big fat no. (an aussie yeah nar) It’s easier in that I understand what is needed to write a book, word count, plot etc. But trying to write a new fresh story after having written sixteen books is hard. You want to grow as an author, writing better books with fresh content. I don’t want readers to feel like I’m repeating the same story or the same set of characters. So I put myself under a lot of pressure and it gets harder with each book.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?
To write. (get actual words down on a page!!!) They don’t have to be pretty or perfect, they just have to be your words, something you are passionate about and familiar with (as this will make it much easier to write). You can’t edit a blank page. The hardest part, and also the whole point of being a writer, is to get the words in your head down on the page. Just write.
What’s your daily writing routine like and what are you working on at the moment?
I work on 2000 words a day, 10,000 for the week until my first draft is done. But that’s easier said than done as I have two kids, (there is always sport, weekend leave to sort, driving to and from school…an hour and a half trip one way) I also have a job working on a farm. I could be picking rocks one day, driving a tractor the next, welding a trailer or driving a truck. But I find after a day at work I can usually write 2000 after dinner before bed. (no time for procrastination!) I am 10,000 words from finishing the first draft on my next book The Stolen Memories. An idea that came from a writer retreat I went on with Rachael Johns and Anthea Hodgson.
Hey, after a long shift I was scrolling through a forum when I saw someone casually mention a new gaming platform, so I decided to check it out myself. I signed up, tried a few rounds, and immediately hit a series of small losses that drained my balance. While exploring spinogambino I noticed the welcome bonuses for all new players and used them to extend my session. I raised the stake slightly and triggered a feature round that covered everything. That turnaround made the night feel much better.