Our guest today is Justin Sheedy who is the
author of five books and whether they be don’t-read-on-the-bus-hilarious or
cry-in-every-chapter-heroic, he is passionate to share OUR Australian stories.
His Australian World War II historical fiction trilogy began with Nor the Years Condemn (2011) followed by
Ghosts of the Empire (2013) and now
concludes with his latest release, No
Greater Love. Sheedy’s saga brings to vivid life a stunning true story in
our ANZAC tradition yet one which until now remained untold in Australian
historical fiction: the story of how our nation’s best-and-brightest youth
volunteered for the most dangerous job of World War II, crossing the planet to
become the pilots and aircrew who flew against the might of Nazi tyranny. Given
the ‘best-and-brightest’ fact upon which his saga is based, Sheedy hopes his
readers will fall in love with his characters, their ensuing loss ramming home
for the reader the anti-war message that he intends.
He lives in Sydney where he enjoys
connecting with his readers at his regular book signings, via his Facebook, Twitter and blog at Crackernight.com.
What is the inspiration for your current
book?
Imagine a man who, when he was 21, was a
real-life young superman physically and mentally, beloved by his family due to
his sparkling intelligence and personality. Though he volunteered to leave his
family and cross the planet to fight the worst evil imaginable. This he did in
the most exciting way possible and he won, living to his 90s only to be
surrounded by the ghosts of all his friends from the fight who remain forever
21. Imagine his story is true and there were 37 000 young men just like him.
Who once lived just down the street from where you live right now. THOSE once
young Australians are my inspiration.
Is there a particular theme you are exploring in this book?
In my latest, No Greater Love, an exploration of whether Australia’s history is one
of perpetually fighting other people’s wars due to our national selflessness or
national lack of self.
Which period of history particularly
interests you? Why?
World War Two because, as subject matter
for historical fiction, it’s the greatest drama ever. There is no more
exciting, heroic, tragic, horrific, good versus evil dramatic story for a
writer to bring alive. It’s also when, more than any other time in our
Australian history, we showed the world how to win wars.
What resources do you use to research your book?
Veteran interviews, historical fiction
& non-fiction, documentaries, family-loaned personal diaries, the internet
(often beginning with Wikipedia as a “research road-map” for more detailed
research), online correspondence with historical societies and local councils
internationally.
What is more important to you: historical
authenticity or accuracy?
Authenticity. My goal & reward is to have my readers thoroughly
yet instantly immersed in the history I cover though they may have no prior
knowledge or prior interest in it. To immerse them like this I must present the
history to them in an accessible way. Though of course I intend
forensic-standard accuracy, I find some writers lose their readers with
accuracy for its own sake. In a nutshell, if you tell all the facts, you’ll
never finish the story, let alone keep your reader happily time-travelling.
Which character in your current book is your favourite? Why?
My main character, Colin Stone. “Stoney” to all. A classic ‘rough diamond’ character, the boy
from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ (the mean streets of Great Depression era
St. Kilda). He is the abandoned child who becomes the greatest fighter pilot of
them all, the soul from the gutter who rises to the top from where he sees a
world only worth leaving. Since creating
him, “Stoney” has become real for me and I love him; he’s the underdog, the
unselfish hero, the classic Aussie warrior who (based in historical fact) wins
war because of the unconventional way he fights it, who lacks respect for
Authority because Authority gets young men killed.
Are you a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’? How long does it generally take you to write a book?
A fusion of both. I think a superb “structure” for any
narrative is one of the most rewarding things for the reader and something I
strive for by plotting. Yet at my every stage of writing every book I find
myself with NO idea what I’ll be writing tomorrow. But this happens SO often
that I force myself to say: “You always find it. Have a little faith in
yourself.” Re how long it takes me to write a book, from my first, a 365-pager
in 4 years, to my fifth, same length in 18 months, seems each time I have to
re-invent the wheel a bit less.
Which authors have influenced you?
In terms of my Australian World War Two
historical trilogy, I would nominate Ken Follett for his gripping WWII
fictions, our Kate Grenville for her emotive Australian historical fictions,
and Roald Dahl for the way he evokes his own war experiences as if with the
involuntary perfection of a child’s eye.
What advice would you give an aspiring author?
Write what thrills YOU. If you write it
well, it will thrill others. To write it well, re-write it until it’s the book
it DESERVES to be. (That’s one third Paul Hogan, one third me, one third Peter
Carey, and the rest is just good luck.)
Tell us about your next book or work in progress.
Currently polishing a novella to be part of
a free ebook “bundle” with other authors as promotional tool for our currently
published works. Title of my novella: Other
People’s Wars.
To abandoned child, Colin Stone, World War
Two grants an escape from the mean streets of St. Kilda. A natural warrior, his
talents qualify him to join an elite group of young men. The shining ones. Who
fly Spitfires against Nazi tyranny. Rising with them, from the top Colin Stone
looks down on a world that has doomed his first true friends.
Bringing to vivid life true Australian war
history and events, "No Greater Love"
is a saga in the classic mold, featuring the drama, beauty, heroism and horror
of one young man's war journey through stunning Malta, Egypt and North Africa,
Sicily, England and Europe. It is a portrait of the once-in-a-lifetime
characters the war places on his path, of the tragic, wholesale waste of war,
on occasion even the profound humanity of his enemy, and of his evolving
perception of his world for what it is.
Though standing on its own as a ripping and
also highly emotional read, "No Greater Love" is the third and final
chapter of Justin Sheedy's now widely and warmly cherished World War Two novel
trilogy begun with "Nor the Years Condemn"
and "Ghosts of the Empire". Continuing
and now concluding their portrait of shining young men destined never to grow
old, No Greater Love is the full and
rich story of Part 1's reader-favourite character, Aussie rough diamond Colin
Stone ('Stoney'). It is the story of his war, of his loyalty and devotion to
his friends, of his enduring love for the mother who abandoned him, and his
dreams of being held by her once again.
Many thanks Justin for sharing your passion for world war history with us.
You can purchase Justin's books at the following links:
HNSA 2017 Conference
The HNSA 2017 Melbourne Conference is being
held on 8-10 September 2017 at Swinburne University. Justin Sheedy will be
appearing on Sunday 10 September at in the following panel:
Worlds
at War: The Appeal of 20th Century Historical Fiction
The history of the early to mid-20th
century now falls within the definition of ‘historical fiction’. Why do novels
depicting the great conflicts of modern times hold such fascination? And has
war fiction replaced Tudor fiction as ‘the favourite flavour’ for readers and
publishers? Julian Novitz discusses these questions with Paddy Richardson,
Elise McCune, Justin Sheedy and Julian Leatherdale.
Justin Sheedy is also appearing in our Sydney HNSA Meet the Author event on 26 July 6.00 -8.00 pm at Gordon Branch of the Ku-ring-gai Library with Winton Higgins, Kim Kelly, Michelle Morgan and Elisabeth Storrs (Chair). Bookings essential. More details can be found on the HNSA website.
HNSA 2017 is a celebration of the historical fiction
genre which will showcase over 60 speakers discussing inspiration, writing craft,
research, publishing pathways and personal histories in our weekend programme.
Among the many acclaimed historical novelists participating are Kerry
Greenwood, Kate Forsyth, Deborah Challinor, Libby Hathorn, Lucy Treloar, Sophie
Masson, Sulari Gentill, Robert Gott and Arnold Zable. The HNSA’s speakers’ list is
available on the HNSA website.
In addition to the two stream weekend
programme, there will be ten craft
based super sessions and two research masterclasses. You won’t want to miss
our interactive sessions on armour and historical costumes either! Manuscript assessments will
be conducted by industry experts, Alison Arnold and Irina Dunn. Our free extended academic programme
is open for general admission but bookings are essential.
Our First Pages Pitch
Contest offers an opportunity for submissions to be read aloud to a panel of
publishers. And we are delighted to announce the introduction of our inaugural HNSA Short Story Contest
with a $500 prize!
Let’s
make a noise about historical fiction!
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