My family motto? It's amazing how lucky you get if you work really hard

"It's amazing how lucky you get if you work really hard. It's the family motto. My father, one of five children, left school after grade 9 and immediately started work. In his early 20s, Dad went back to night school and then served in the public service for more than 40 years. Mum had a career as a secretary too, and together they worked hard to ensure we had the best education they could offer us."

"Through school I worked in a department store, a health food store, at a ship chandlers and as a gardener. I wrote a column for the Hobart Mercury, too my first paid gig as a writer. Later, travelling in Asia and then Europe, I pulled beers, waited tables, cleaned hotel rooms, ran a youth hostel, planted trees, picked grapes and herded goats."

"I spent many years in advertising working as a copywriter, and there was fulfilment in crafting words and meeting deadlines. I knew I was increasing my skills with language, even if it was by way of a hardware catalogue or a commercial for jeans. Now as a novelist, I'm still meeting writing deadlines, and with each completion, I feel as if I'm living into my future with agency and clarity."

The family motto emphasizes that hard work creates good fortune. Parents worked long careers and prioritized providing strong education. The narrator held many jobs through school and while travelling, from retail and hospitality to gardening and writing. Years in advertising as a copywriter developed language skills and discipline through deadlines. Transitioning to being a novelist continued the practice of meeting deadlines and fostered a sense of agency and clarity. Financial rewards existed but were secondary to love of the work and the value of unpaid contributions like parenting, volunteering, and helping fellow writers.

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