Barnaby Joyce’s vision for a decentralised Australia, where public servants will populate regional centres rather than congregating in the Sydney-Melbourne-Canberra golden triangle, has a supporter in Queensland’s newest author.
Anna Daniels, best known for funny upbeat stories for The Project on Channel 10, this week launched her debut novel, and it has Australia’s beef capital as its setting.
When asked whether it was a risk to have such a warm, upbeat romantic comedy happening amid the fibreglass bull statues of Rockhampton that are often the butt of urban jokes, Anna was quick to champion her home town.
“People in capital cities have the wrong concept of regional towns,” she said. “We wanted for nothing growing up in one.”
Girl in Between, Anna’s laugh-out-loud novel about life at the crossroads, has heaps of landmarks that bush people will be familiar with - walks up Mt Archer, copies of Queensland Country Life lying round, a hilarious drive out to Capella for a music gig - but Anna hopes the themes are just as relatable for women in Melbourne as they are to girls having a career crisis in Gracemere.
“As a first-time author, you write what you know, but one of my messages is that you don’t have to live in a big city to live a big life.
“It’s always a worry - should I be down in the big city lights?
“I wanted to represent regional Australia in an affectionate light.”
She does it through Lucy Crighton, a girl in between relationships, careers and cities, who’s just moved in with some gregarious housemates called Brian and Denise - her parents.
Denise is obsessed with Cher and Brian is always at the Jockey Club when he’s not giving Lucy unsolicited advice, but thank goodness for Rosie, Lucy’s crazy but wonderful best friend.
In between between introducing the dashing son of the new next-door-neighbour to Wheel of Goon at a backyard party and insisting on a night out adventure dating at Romancing the Rock, Rosie is around for Lucy to confide in and share crazy overseas adventures with.
Like many single girls before them, the pair head to London where they go double dating under the Christmas lights as Lucy attempts to work out what she really wants to do in life and who she wants to share it with.
“I hope the story gels with people in any small town in Australia - I wanted to capture that larrikinism - but make the themes universal,” Anna said. “It’s very Aussie and fun. I wanted a comic book with a little bit of depth too.”
Her natural comedic talent saw an early draft for the book become shortlisted for the 2016 Australian/Vogel literary award, the most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript in Australia.
“I wanted to write a screenplay that was a mix of Muriel’s Wedding and The Castle - I was cracking myself up writing it,” the TV and radio presenter said.
She kicked off her career as a comedic storyteller by winning the ABC's 'Comedy Segment of the Year Award' for an interview with Russell Crowe.
She then went on to co-create the ABC's first online sketch comedy series 'Tough at the Top' with Melbourne comedian, Anne Edmonds.
“I’ve always loved comedy, which not only makes you laugh but also pulls at your heartstrings.
“I think a lot of people may be able to relate to Lucy’s story.”
The rights to Girl in Between have been sold in Germany, and Anna would like to adapt it for TV next.
As far as future books go, she’s taking it one step at a time.
“I’m a writer, even when I’m working in TV, and now that I’ve done one book, it can only get easier,” she said.
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