In a matter of days my second novel, A Dangerous Daughter, will be released into the world. I await its birth with some trepidation, hoping that the characters portrayed therein will enlighten and amuse, rather than cause offence or anxiety. You see, this book is based on a true story; that of my own early life. It tells a story of loneliness and pain as well as enlightenment and joy. Although some characters are inspired by those I knew in my youth, I have gone to some lengths to conflate, disguise and invent new characters. SO that my heroine’s sister is a conflation of my own two sisters but nothing like either of them. Most importantly I want readers to know that the main character, Ivy Morgenstern (that’s an imagined portrait of her above) is definitely not me. For a start I was a weedy, dark-haired child, nothing like the freckly auburn-haired teenager gazing at you with eyes both challenging and curious.

So to my readers, including extended family and lifelong friends, i say to you: do not take offence. Above all, do not judge the characters too harshly, remembering they are not real people, but the products of my imagination.

My book will be launched into the world on June 24, at The Bookshop, the only independent bookshop in Darwin. If you can come along at 5pm that night I would love to see you, and to sign one of my books for you. If you’re not lucky enough to live in this tropical paradise, so far free from Covid19 (touch wood) I will be posting a link to online booksellers where you can purchase a copy in the near future.

I owe the birth of this book to my wonderful publisher and designer, Evan Shapiro of Cilento Publishing. He and his talented editor Leone Sperling have been both doula and midwife, easing me through the birth pangs of rewrite after rewrite. I am proud to be the first author that Cilento has published under its new Author First Initiative. They have taken a chance on A Dangerous Daughter and in return I hope my book will be both a commercial and literary success. only you, my readers, can make it so.

This title has been published through the Authors First initiative, an exclusive program run by Cilento Publishing for quality works of literary fiction submitted by invitation.