A Shadow's Breath
Page 21
I must make special mention of dear friends and confidantes, who also happen to be among our finest writers: Ellie Marney, Rachael Craw, Fleur Ferris, Gabrielle Tozer, Trinity Doyle and Rebecca James. Thank you for your endless supply of wisdom, patience and humour – and easily the world’s best gifs. I hate to think how many stupid mistakes I would have made without the vault, and love that you’re only a DM away, despite the distance – and sea! – that separates us.
Thanks also to Kathryn Moore, Annie Collins, Jo Burnell, Deb Vanderwerp, Olga Lorenzo and P. E. Stevens for feedback on that first draft – your comments and advice helped shape those crucial early decisions.
In the revision stage of this novel, I had the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of amazing writers who offered thoughtful advice around pretty much every aspect of this wildly unpredictable writing life. Extra thanks to Amie Kaufman and Ellie Marney for herding all those cats, Jay Kristoff and C. S. Pacat for letting me bounce around my ill-formed ideas; and the rest of the clan, Ebony, Will, Kate, Kate, Liz, Sarah, Sari and Lana, for the excellent company, food and conversation. I’m counting the days until the next time.
To all those students I’ve taught along the way, it’s a privilege and a delight to read your stories. In particular, thank you to Carmel, Christine and staff and writers at Phoenix Park Neighbourhood House, and to Valerie Khoo and the team at the Australian Writers’ Centre – extra thanks for letting me share your space at the Convent.
This novel was supported by the Victorian Government through a grant from Creative Victoria. It made a huge difference to my ability to meet deadlines and for the necessary peace of mind financial security can provide any artist. My hope is that this sort of support continues and thrives across all art forms. We need it now, more than ever.
For three months I was provided access to a studio at Glenfern, a room I shared with the talented (and tidy!) writer Carolyn Marshall. Thank you to the National Trust, Writers Victoria, Iola Mathews and the other Glenfern writers for the space, the quiet and those all-too-rare but always excellent lunchtime conversations. Special thanks to Fiona Wood for her insightful career advice.
I was also the lucky recipient of one of the inaugural Writing Fellowships at Melbourne Polytechnic, sharing an office with the ever brilliant Emma Viskic and Mark Brandi. Thanks for being the most considerate of roomies, and thanks to Melbourne Polytechnic for the opportunity.
Thank you to friends who have suffered my endless waffle in person and online about what I’m doing, what I should be doing and why I’m not doing it, without visibly rolling their eyes, in particular, Elena Christie, Rose Giannone, Veronica Pardo, Jac Tomlins, Holly Ringland and Kerryn Wallace. It’s been a weird few years, hey? Thanks for still talking to me.
From the beginning of this writing life I’ve relied on the support and insight of author and friend Melanie Benjamin, whose calm and wisdom has been one of the few constants throughout this unpredictable journey. I can’t wait for our next New York adventure.
Thanks to my ‘expert teens’: Hannah Hayes-Webb, Emily Hayes-Webb and their always tolerant friends who answered my questions and suffered my ignorance with grace and humour. Special thanks to Kaoru Lok for help with the Japanese language. Any errors are entirely my own.
A massive thank you to my family, in all its forms – my mum, Linda (Yolanda); my much-missed dad, Geoff; Ryse, Amanda and Damien Hayes; Ian, Jessica and Kirsty Spargo; Ellyahne and Liam Childs; and Lori Henderson. In America: Madeline, Allan, Steve, Amy, Maddie and Bill Webb; and Jo, Bob and Jack Dunston.
But especially to my gorgeous girls and their gorgeous dad. It’s been a long and convoluted road, quite a bumpy one too. Thank you for your patience, your encouragement and those extended periods of silence. Without you, there’s really no point.
Finally, I’ve dedicated this novel to Alicia Sometimes, Kate Seear, Lucy Race, Felicity Race and Emma Race, my fellow compatriots at this thing we call The Outer Sanctum. Some strange and unexpected things happened during the editing of this book, and it was the Sanctum women who carried me through. But despite all the madness, it’s been the most ridiculous fun I can remember and I’m so pleased I let that loopy lady hug me in the street.
When Nicole Hayes isn’t yelling at the Hawks on TV or sharing hosting duties on the all-female AFL podcast The Outer Sanctum, she teaches writing and writes fiction, essays and scripts. Her debut novel, The Whole of My World, was published in 2013 and was shortlisted for a Young Australians Best Book Award and longlisted for the Gold Inky Award. One True Thing, Nicole’s second novel, won the Children’s Peace Literature Award, is a CBCA Notable Book and was shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards. She has also co-edited an anthology of footy stories, From the Outer: Footy Like You’ve Never Heard It, with Alicia Sometimes. Nicole lives in Melbourne with her husband, two daughters and a dog called Brody. Say hi at nicolehayesauthor.com or tweet @nichmelbourne.
THE WHOLE OF MY WORLD
BY NICOLE HAYES
Desperate to escape her grieving father and harbouring her own terrible secret, Shelley disappears into the intoxicating world of Aussie Rules football. Joining a motley crew of footy tragics – and, best of all, making friends with one of the star players – Shelley finds somewhere to belong. Finally, she’s winning.
So why don’t her friends get it? Josh, who she’s known all her life, but who she can barely look at anymore because of the memories of that fateful day. Tara, whose cold silences Shelley can’t understand. Everyone thinks there’s something more going on between Shelley and Mick. But there isn’t – is there?
When the whole of your world is football, sometimes life gets lost between goals.
An unputdownable novel for anyone who’s ever loved or lost, drawn a line between then and now, or kept a secret that wouldn’t stay hidden …
OUT NOW
ONE TRUE THING
BY NICOLE HAYES
Frankie is used to being a politician’s daughter, but with her mum now running for Premier, life’s a whole lot crazier than usual. All Frankie wants is to lose herself in her music. So when her best friend, Kessie, invites a student journo to interview the band, Frankie is less than thrilled.
But Jake’s easy to talk to, and he seems to really like Frankie. That doesn’t stop her from wondering if he’s just after the ultimate scoop, especially when photos surface of Frankie’s mum having a secret rendezvous with a younger man. With her family falling apart around her, Frankie is determined to find out the truth – even if it means losing Jake.
‘A powerful, heartfelt novel that confirms Nicole Hayes’ talent on every level’ – Ellie Marney, author of Every Breath
OUT NOW
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Version 1.0
A Shadow’s Breath
ePub ISBN – 9780143781080
First published by Random House Australia in 2017
Copyright © Nicole Hayes, 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House book
Published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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www.penguin.com.au
Addresses for the Penguin Random House group of companies can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com/offices.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Creator: Hayes, Nicole, auth
or
Title: A shadow’s breath/Nicole Hayes
ISBN: 978 0 14378 108 0 (ebook)
Target audience: For young adults
Subjects: Families – Juvenile fiction.
Interpersonal relations – Juvenile fiction.
Young adult fiction.
Dewey number: A823.4
Cover image © Barnaby Kent, barnabykent.com
Cover design by Christabella Designs
Ebook by Firstsource
This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.