Guest Post #3

Author: Susanne Timpani Published: about 8 years ago
Tags: inspiration, fiction, indigenous, writing groups, Susanne Timpani Category: Blog tour

Novel Inspirations

This week, I’m pleased to welcome debut author Susanne Timpani as our guest blogger. Her novel ‘Twice Stolen’ won the unpublished manuscript prize at the CALEB Awards for faith-inspired fiction in 2012. The novel has just been published by Armour Books. In today’s post, Susanne takes us back to the very beginning of her writing journey.

Inspirations are like fire flies darting around in the darkness of the mind. When you collect them and release them in one space they light up corners and crevices you never knew existed.

Which pin prick of light do I attribute to the inspiration for Twice Stolen?

When I was a ‘stay at home’ mum with three pre-schoolers – and later, with one other – our local library became my refuge. A place to find warmth in winter, reprieve in summer, cost nothing and child friendly, it became my magical world in which to escape. I discovered an exciting cast of characters from exotic settings who enthralled me with the twists and turns of their believable lives.

I read voraciously and this supported me through the early years of parenthood where maternal joy came in a cloud of fog caused by the torture of chronic sleeplessness.

While standing in the queue one afternoon to check out an armful of books, my eyes settled on a flier on the community notice board. Reading community notices at that time wasn’t something I ordinarily did. Playgroups and kinder gym were the only community events suitable for me at that time, and I had plenty of these to fill up my week.

Yet on that afternoon, there must have been a particularly bright fire fly inspiring me to take a closer look. A poster printed with just the right size font to read from the queue asked a question, which for me was to prove life changing. Do you want to become a Writer?

That one fire fly attracted a flock of others and I experienced a profound moment of inspiration. Memorising the details of an upcoming presentation, I left the library that day knowing I had discovered a new tunnel.

Subsequently I escaped our children’s bedtime routine on the first Friday of every month and entered the magical world of creative writing through a writing group.

The inspirations that tumbled out of my mind as a result of the fellowship and information from other writers and successful authors can never be counted.

Which one inspired Twice Stolen? Reading poetry, autobiographies and biographical works written by Aboriginal people, ploughing through key documents such as Bringing them Home and Bridging the Gap, the exposure to Aboriginal customs and culture at exhibitions? Yes to each of these, and to so much more.

A novel is never the result of just one inspiration. Countless ideas dart around in your head until the light of a story unfolds with surprising visits into undiscovered territory.

Twice Stolen leads readers into intriguing places. Themes of the Aboriginal Stolen Generation, Solomon’s Song of Songs, immigration, the challenges of young love and so much more are woven into a novel I hope readers will find entertaining, challenging, and perhaps even life changing.

Author Bio

Susanne is married, has four beautiful children and works as a community nurse with families. Themes of her work and her faith appear in her writing.

Susanne is the author of the blog, 10 Minute Daily Retreat. These twice weekly reflections on scripture can be viewed through

http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/ or https://www.facebook.com/10MinuteDailyRetreat

Further information can be found on Susanne’s website:

http://www.susannetimpani.com.au/

or Goodreads

Twice stolen can be purchased from:

https://www.booksinstock.com.au/twice-stolen.html

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