So imagine how relieved and pleased I was to get two nice reviews of recently launched Stella's Sea this week, in The Age (Melbourne, read it below) and The Post (Perth) newspapers.
This is what The Age had to say:
Stella’s Sea
is a limpid and
unflinching exploration of
a life derailed by
devastating loss. Stella’s
daughter has died in a
motorbike crash and Stella
has fled her marriage. She
moves to a rundown pad in
Cottlesloe, where she can
be seen in mismatched clothing, walking
her daughter’s dog down the beach,
oblivious to the world around her. When
she meets Ari, an ex-con and volunteer
beach cleaner, a tentative connection
forms and Stella is compelled to revisit the
memories she has been avoiding, and find
a way to live with the crushing burden of
guilt and grief that has consumed her.
Sally-Ann Jones’ prose has a quiet
assurance, chiselling brief scenes and
building up the main character’s internal
world with delicate and credible detail. It’s
a novel of considerable emotional and
psychological insight into trauma,
although the plot (such as it is) isn’t as
well-turned as the characterisation.
 |
| This is the invitation to the book launch |
The answer is, just roll with the punches - and keep believing in yourself and your writing. Hang onto the good things your friends will say (naturally!) about your books. Remember the positive comments and let go of the less than complimentary ones. But let yourself learn something from them too.
I'm really pleased that most people are loving Stella with her bees and wasps - and am already planning my next novel.
 |
| Me speaking at the launch, with Terri-ann White, Director of UWAP, looking on |
No comments:
Post a Comment