One of the best things about the writers festival has always been having a lot of people I love all in one place, especially this lubly mob. Biggest congratulations to @clairegcoleman for being longlisted for the Miles Franklin too. ❤️❤️ (Image description, four people smiling for the camera. They all look very happy. One on the far right (Claire) is sitting at a signing table while the other three lean in close) #BWF23 #Friends #Tiddas

'Can I steal You For a Second?' by Jodi McAlister (@jodimcalister), published by Simon & Schuster Australia (@simonschusterau)⁠ ⁠ What did I think about this book? Well, here's the thing, I'm not gonna tell you. Instead, you can go find your local @bigissueaustralia vendor and buy the current edition off them, because that's where my thoughts are published! ⁠ ⁠ Seriously though, support the vendors (or follow the links in the Big Issue's insta) to order your copy. ⁠ ⁠ And if you want a hint on Jodi's book, I reckon the look on my face says a lot in the first post. ⁠ ⁠ (Image descriptions: A carousel of three images. The first is of Mel with a copy of Jodi McAlister's 'Can I Steal You For a Second' open across her face. Her eyes and nose are visible and she's looking up and away from the camera with a smug sort of excited look. The second image is of the cover of the magazine 'The Big Issue' which features John Farnham on the cover. The third is a shot of a page inside the magazine. It's too small to read the writing, but one of the pictures is the cover of 'Can I Steal You For a Second.')⁠ ⁠ #RomCom #AustralianRomCom #RomanceNovels #Bookstagram

A day or so before @briswritersfest started, @jackieryan_inc emailed to tell me she had a surprise for us about which table we'd be sitting at during the Marion Taylor Gala dinner. After I spoke at First Word, the festival CEO, Melissa said she was super excited to see my reaction to who I was sitting with, and seriously, when I got to the table and saw the name card NEXT TO ME, I squealed. ⁠ ⁠ @gabriellezevin is smart, funny, talented and so so easy to talk to and I had a wonderful time getting to know her (and will quietly weep for the rest of my life about how different the Aus and US book markets are). So much of my debut fears have been put at ease by just chatting with her and she was so generous with her advice. ⁠ ⁠ This writing life is not always an easy one, but moments like this just make so much of it worth while. ⁠ ⁠ (Image descriptions: 1. In the first image, Mel, a woman with pink hair and pink glasses is wearing a black floral dress, standing next to Gabrielle, a woman with long black hair, wearing a b;ack dress. The Queensland Art Gallery is in the background. 2. The second image shows a formal dinner place setting, with a place card that reads 'Gabrielle Zevin'. In the third image, Mel is holding up a copy of 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow' by Gabrielle Zevin in front of her bookshelf.)⁠ ⁠ #BWF23 #Author #HaveWeGotAStoryForYou

'Funny Ethnics' by Shirley Le, and 'Another Australia' edited by Winnie Dunn (@sweatshop.ws) published by Affirm Press @affirmpress ⁠ ⁠ The Ibis is a much maligned bird that I hold a lot of affection for (despite coming from a high school where IBIS was the school song 'I Believe in Sandgate High'). ⁠ ⁠ The birds have been pushed out of their habitats, forced to evolve into scavengers when they were once majestic estuary birds. They've become the brunt of a joke, a bin chicken, a dump duck (although I don't think anyone but my dad screams out 'DUMP DUCK'). ⁠ ⁠ Anyways, there's a parallel there, a feeling of being 'in on the joke' but a bit sick that there's a joke here at all when you pick up 'Funny Ethnics' by Vietnamese-Australian author, Shirley Le. The book is sharply observed, an exploration of the liminal spaces that exist in the spaces between identities; of what people are and the places that society's perceptions of them forces them into. It's full of joy and humour and love and grit, and everyone must add this to their TBRs immediately!!⁠ ⁠ So too is the anthology 'Another Australia' an exploration of Australian voices from Indigenous peoples and People of Colour. It's a collection of different forms of writing: poetry, essay, short fiction. I both fist pumped and teared up when I opened this book to read the Acknowledgement of Country: the assertion of 'First Nations First' a comfort that showed me that I was safe in this book. It's a special collection and I hope it gets set on school curriculum and is read widely. ⁠ ⁠ I bloody loved chatting with Shirley and Winnie at @BrisWritersFest, and could have listened to them both talk for HOURS about their work. I am now forcing them both into lifelong friendships. ⁠ ⁠ (image descriptions are in first comment because I wrote too much)⁠ ⁠ #SweatShopLiteracyMovement #BWF23 #Bookstagram #Fiction #Anthology #DiversifyYourBookshelf

Love you Mumma.

#BWF23 Day One: Last night I read the short essay I wrote to celebrate @briswritersfest's 60th Anniversary (which was last year). I was so nervous but what a lovely audience who even cheered when I read about how excited I am about being able to sign my own books at next year's festival. ⁠ ⁠ Being an author and working in this industry can be so very hard, but then there are festivals and nights like this that are a dream. ⁠ ⁠ If you want to read my piece, and everyone else's stories about the 60 years of Australia's longest running literary festival, there's a link to a PDF of the book in my bio (it's free!). ⁠ ⁠ (Image description: This image is taken from the audience. Mel is a light skinned woman with pink hair and pink glasses. She is standing behind a lectern, her mouth open in speech. Next to her is a yellow banner that reads 'Brisbane Writers Festival')⁠ ⁠ #HaveWeGotAStoryForYou #Speaker #Festival #Author

'Not meeting Mr Right' and 'Avoiding Mr Right' by Anita Heiss (@dranitaheiss), published by Simon & Schuster AU (@simonschusterau)⁠ ⁠ As you can see from my stack of books, I am one of the original 'fanitas' (although, who has my original copy of 'Avoiding Mr Right'? I need it back now it's out of print!).⁠ ⁠ I first picked up Anita's romcoms when I was an undergrad about to head off to New York, just like Lauren in 'Manhattan Dreaming', and I loved that there were all these books out there with characters whose lives were so much closer to mine. It's what inspired me to write my own rom com and spend the last almost four years writing a PhD about the genre... (although, it was chick lit when Anita first published these, and it's chick lit in my PhD, even if publishing has ditched the moniker). ⁠ ⁠ On Friday, Anita launched the updated versions of 'Not meeting Mr Right' and 'Avoiding Mr Right'. It was such a fun, joyful launch (with custom cocktails and cosplay) and far out I aspire to have Anita's drive, confidence, and joy as an author. As a reader, I can't wait to see what's been changed in these first two books, and the others later in the year.⁠ ⁠ (image descriptions: in the first image, a haphazard pile of four books on a table. In the second, a woman with wearing a bathrobe and turban sits on a stool in front of a banner for her books). ⁠ ⁠ #RomCom #Bookstagram #KooriBradshaw #ChickLit ⁠

'What we don't talk about when we talk about fat' by Aubrey Gorden (@yrfatfriend) published by Beacon Press (@beaconpress)⁠ ⁠ CW: discussion of body image both pos and neg/mention of WW and calorie counting/value judgement on food etc⁠ ⁠ This book has been INSTRUMENTAL in a very important part of my PhD: RomCom's fuckin awful relationship to fatness and that's how I'm framing this post, though there is MUCH MUCH more for all readers to gain from this wonderful book. ⁠ ⁠ I have a pretty awful relationship with my body and I've been working very hard to be kind to it and understand where the relationship has come from. I've been reading romance since before it was probably appropriate (one of my friends and I used to buy Mills and Boons and sit in the tree in her backyard and read the sex scenes out loud to each other), a lot comes from books. ⁠ ⁠ As a PhD student, I've gone back to books I loved when I was in Weight Watchers, calorie counting, etc and seen where many of my habits and attitudes came from.⁠ ⁠ I've heard slim readers and writers say these books are realistic because they reflect a universal struggle with body image. But I say BULLSHIT, and so does Gordon (well, I'm putting words in her mouth, but it's definitely the essence of an argument in her book). It's true, writers can't represent every type of person in their books and have no control how readers perceive things, but I reckon it's really important that we make efforts to not further marginalise marginalised people. ⁠ ⁠ If you are a straight-sized person (and I acknowledge my privilege as a small fat here), then you have to start to understand that the way you talk, write, post etc about weight and fatness is perpetuating harm against and marginalising fat people. It does not help to have a straight-sized person tell a fat person that they 'understand where they're coming from.' Things like 'I went to Weight Watchers too' or 'I have horrible body days too' isn't the act of solidarity that you might thing it is. ⁠ ⁠ I've got way more to say so a) it's great that I'm writing a PhD and b) I'll probably do a substack post about this too, so make sure you're signed up via the link in my bio.

'It's been a pleasure, Noni Blake' and 'West Side Honey' by Claire Christian (@claireandpearl) published by Text (@text_publishing)⁠ ⁠ TW/CW: discussion of IVF, miscarriage & spoilers for 'Noni..."⁠ ⁠ In 2020, just before we went into lockdown, I picked up 'Noni Blake'. I'd heard great things, I was 6 months into my PhD on intersectional romcom and everyone told me to read it. ⁠ ⁠ I have a vivid memory of my parents being here for a visit, and sitting on the couch with my mum and our dogs. I was loving the book, and then I got to the bit where Noni talks about the IVF and losing her baby and I actually threw the book across the room. Scared the bejesus out of the dogs and burst into tears. I hadn't dealt with my own grief and at the time, I found any mentions of fertility, miscarriage, etc just way too confronting. And look, 2020 was a shit show for all of us, but my brain did some fairly wacked out stuff to try and protect me from my own grief which wasn't real fun but I am better now. The grief is still there, I just don't live in it anymore. ⁠ ⁠ Anyways, the closer I got to the end of my PhD, the more there was this niggly feeling that I needed to put Noni back on my TBR. And then there was @bookfacestores Orion Romance Bookclub and 'West Side Honey' and a night at bookclub that Claire came along to. ⁠ ⁠ I very purposely ordered the TPB of Noni and couldn't get to the store to pick it up until the night of Bookclub. I read West Side Honey and it was wonderful. I loved so much about it, but I could also see I was in safe hands with Claire as a writer. And then we met Claire and she was a delight and so many of the things she talked about in writing her books was the way I've approached writing mine, and I knew it was time.⁠ ⁠ I basically sat up half the night on Friday reading Noni. And I wept a lot because so much of Noni is me. And when Noni changed the flowers in her tattoo to daisies, I knew why. The strange coincidence is that while I stopped reading Noni before I got to that part the first time round, that in 2020, I got a lavender tattoo. ⁠ ⁠ I've run out of words for this post, but West Side is great too (lol). ⁠ ⁠ (Image descriptions in comments)

13 weeks and one day. ⁠ ⁠ I got my dressing gown out this morning and it undid me. We had this routine where when I was doing my makeup, I'd take it off and put on the bathroom floor and you'd make a little nest while you waited for me. ⁠ ⁠ I got the little heater out for the office yesterday and when I put it on, I half expected you to hightail out of the room: you hated that heater. ⁠ ⁠ It got cold yesterday morning and it really sucked to not wake up to your butt in my face. The only time you'd sleep up the top of the bed was when it got cold. I got lots of cuddles in winter. ⁠ ⁠ I miss you 🐾

'Courting Samira' by Amal Awad (@amalmdawad) published by @panterapress⁠ ⁠ This is a sweet book about a young woman 'from a (somewhat) traditional Muslim family who is looking for love, but not having any luck with the suitors coming to her door. ⁠ ⁠ Because this is what I'd call more chick lit than rom com (and I say this because, you know, I've spent the last four years trying to define the differences between the two), romance isn't the story's central focus: Samira's work, family, and friends also plays a huge part in the story, and there's more than one love interest. ⁠ ⁠ Amal kindly gifted me this copy of 'Courting Samira' after I reviewed 'Things We See in the Light' and realised that it was the third in an interconnected series (in the lovely way rom coms often are) but the first two were out of print. Happily, they're now available as print on demand books, so after reading this, I've put in my Booktopia order for book two, 'This is How You Get Better' because I'm now desperate for Lara's story... and anything else she writes. ⁠ ⁠ (Image description: A fair skinned hand with pink nails holds up the book 'Courting Samira' by Amal Awad in front of a shelf full of books). ⁠ ⁠ #RomCom #ChickLit #Fiction #DiversifyYourBookshelf

AD-PR PRODUCT: 'Again, Rachel' by Marian Keyes (@marian_keyes)⁠ ⁠ I am so excited to be doing my first ever read-along with a group of bookstagrammers. 'Rachel's Holiday' is one of my all time favourite books and one of the reasons I wanted to one day write rom-com: because Keyes shows that it's possible to write funny, joyful books that are about tough topics and featuring flawed characters, so I really can't wait to get started in the next few days!⁠ ⁠ Thanks to @tandemcollectiveglobal and @penguinbooksaus for the copy. ⁠ ⁠ Follow along with me and these great booksta folks who will be reading too: ⁠ ⁠ @bianca_mal_ @Bookish_tk @rebecca.b.reading @stephbookedout @mrsb_book_reviews @bookbants @Teresa_reads @Onetale.atatime @maddiemoobookreview⁠ @Anotherlittlebookshelf @nicestack @atg_reads_⁠ @book_my_imagination @kims.reading.nook @Timasbookz⁠ @bookish.blonde16 @danaeprice @taurusbooklover @theslowbookworm @clareapediabooks @chubby_little_butter_books @TiensBlurb⁠ @taralouisehyatt @bleh_manda @Jeanettereads @Readingbooksbytheircover @bookish.hayls @_theliterarylife_ @jules_blossom01⁠ ⁠ (Image description: the book 'Again, Rachel' by Marian Keyes is on a colourful fabric with galahs and native Australian flora)⁠ ⁠ #TandemReadalong #AgainRachel #AgainRachelReadalong

Well, this is a bit exciting. Hi, new followers. I thought since there are a bunch of new folks here, I'd do the intro thing again, but let's just do it in random facts (a bit inspired by @sarahsalwaysreading's last post): 💕My ancestral country is in QLD and NSW but I was born in lutruwita and am a Tassie girl at heart 💕I used to hate pink so much that if there was even a sliver of it on clothes or accessories, I would not wear it. Now it's basically all pink, all the time (and yes, there's a story there) 💕I used to get told off in primary school for reading my book under the lid of my desk 💕I was obsessed with the Baby-Sitters' Club growing up and last year I completed my set of the books 💕My debut novel is called 'Burn' and it's coming out in September (and I could die with excitement) 💕I'm finishing off my PhD 💕I dance en pointe and got my first pointe shoes when I was 37 💕Little Red Writes is my business name and comes from when I had red hair (and no I am not changing it) Tell me some random facts about you! (Image description: Mel is a fair skinned woman with pink hair. It is in pigtails. She is wearing a blue shirt and a pink cardigan and pointing above her to a screenshot from her Instagram front page that shows she now has over 2,000 followers. Her bookcase is in the background) #reader #author #aboutme