Julie Lamb
I started writing when my children were young. I loved the books they were reading, perhaps more than they did, ideas began to flow and I thought I’d give it a try.
I signed up for a junior-fiction writing course at the local college. Three people came and by the fourth session I was the only one left. The course was cancelled but the teacher let me go to her house instead. One night a week we’d sit down with tea and cake, I’d read to her from what I had written and she’d tell me what she thought.
In this way I wrote my first novel. I entered it into the NZ Tom Fitzgibbon Award, where to my joy it was shortlisted. I received some very useful feedback and a mentorship from award winning author Fleur Beale. Many years later and after much work, it was picked up by Makaro Press and published in 2016 under the title The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain.
I am living in the city of Hobson’s Bay now, with my wonderfully supportive Australian partner and two children. Having lived most of my life in the New Zealand countryside, moving to Melbourne was a bit of a shock. Now, here in Altona, I feel much more restful. I appreciate the fresh air that comes with living close to the sea, and I love the storms and changeable weather of Melbourne.
The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain (2016, Submarine at Makaro Press NZ)
I signed up for a junior-fiction writing course at the local college. Three people came and by the fourth session I was the only one left. The course was cancelled but the teacher let me go to her house instead. One night a week we’d sit down with tea and cake, I’d read to her from what I had written and she’d tell me what she thought.
In this way I wrote my first novel. I entered it into the NZ Tom Fitzgibbon Award, where to my joy it was shortlisted. I received some very useful feedback and a mentorship from award winning author Fleur Beale. Many years later and after much work, it was picked up by Makaro Press and published in 2016 under the title The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain.
Life in, and connection to, Hobsons Bay
I am living in the city of Hobson’s Bay now, with my wonderfully supportive Australian partner and two children. Having lived most of my life in the New Zealand countryside, moving to Melbourne was a bit of a shock. Now, here in Altona, I feel much more restful. I appreciate the fresh air that comes with living close to the sea, and I love the storms and changeable weather of Melbourne.
Publications
The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain (2016, Submarine at Makaro Press NZ)
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