The evolution of a logo

Hello fiends Ugh, branding, am I right? It’s a term that makes my teeth itch. It makes my skin crawl. As my mate Dan Moth might say, it makes my back open and close. I really hate that we live in a world that requires things like branding, but it’s unavoidable. It’s...

THE ROO as the subject of an academic text

This is really something weirdly brilliant. Lucas Mattila has written an incredible article for the latest issue of the Australian Studies Journal from the German Association for Australian Studies, called Violent Vibes: ‘Stimmung’ in Alan Baxter’s The Roo....

The collapse of all we don’t control

Social media, by its very nature, is ephemeral. It passes by like leaves in a wind and most people see only a fraction of the content posted by people they actively follow. The chance of being exposed to new followers is even slimmer than your existing followers...

The many streams of an author’s income

Real talk time. This comes up a lot, so I thought I’d post about it. It’s no surprise to anyone that it’s hard as hell to make a living at this gig. Paradoxically, there’s also a well-repeated misconception that always goes something like,...

Learning what I can’t do – my latest newsletter

This just went out via Substack, but I’m also cross-posting it here. Hello fiends Once again, a long time between emails. Sorry about that. Things have been busy. I mentioned last time that I was working on two big projects – a novel set in Wollongong and an...

An open letter to the HWA regarding Thomas F. Monteleone

To the HWA President, Vice President, Trustees, et al As an Active Member of the HWA, I’m writing to add my voice to all the other members demanding Tom Monteleone be expelled from the organization and barred from attending future HWA events. His recent words and...