Shortlisted stories from the HNSA 2017 Short Story Competition

In addition to the first and second prize winners, there were four shortlisted entries in the HNSA 2017 Short Story Competition. Here (in no particular order), we feature two of them:

"Again" by Belinda Lyons-Lee

Belinda Lyons-Lee is an emerging MG, YA and adult author of fiction inspired by nineteenth century history. She is also partial to adding magic, steam and time travel if the occasion calls for it. Belinda started volunteer work with marginalised young people on the streets when she was seventeen. Since then she’s become an English teacher who enjoys matching children with the right book and then talking about it endlessly when they've finished. She’s been doing this in various secondary schools for over fifteen years. She has a Masters of Writing and Literature (majoring in Children's Literature) from Deakin University and is dabbling in an online course on Bibliotherapy. 

While Belinda has written a number of manuscripts, she has had various short stories published over the years in a variety of forms. Her article titled, ‘What is success as a writer?’ was published in the 2017 August/September edition of The Victorian Writer magazine. She has recently been offered a place in the ACT Manuscript Development Program, Hardcopy, taking place in Canberra during 2018. Travels and connections in the UK and Australia continue to be formative in Belinda’s writing and the history, landscape, architecture and ancient stories of these countries provide ample inspiration. Here is how her shortlisted story, 'Again', begins...

She stood in the octagonal room where she could see, as if in the middle of a spider's web, through the doorways and windows of each of the six rooms to the outside beyond. First at one window, then the next, there he was again, pressing his cupped hand above his eyes to peer in. She stood with each hand on the youngest two children's chests, their backs against her thighs and pressed down hard, willing them to be still. Desperate for them to be quiet. Read more...

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"The Letter" by Chris Childs

Chris has a passion for recreating nineteenth century Australian stories that have long disappeared from our memories. Her writing is influenced by academic studies in psychology and history and fuelled by a fascination with mystery and crime. She likes to blend fact and fiction to bring her characters and events to life. Chris has had a number of short stories published in on-line journals and anthologies. She won first prize in the 2015 Henry Lawson Literature Awards and 2017 Words of Wyndham local short story winner. Chris is also an enthusiastic reviewer of Australian historical fiction for Historical Novels Review. Here is how her shortlisted story, "The Letter", begins...



I try not to retch at the sickening stench of boiled cabbage. The queue is moving slowly but no one complains. Nightmares of starvation, and worse, still visit us in our sleeping hours, even though many years have passed since then. Food at Broadmeadows migrant camp is bland and stodgy; generally a combination of overcooked mutton, lumpy mashed potatoes and my old enemy boiled cabbage, but it is enough to keep us alive. Read more...

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Interview with Elise McCune

Elise McCune is a Melbourne based Australian author. She was born in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia. In 1973, she moved to Perth, Western Australia and raised her two children, Lisa and Brett. She worked for ten years in the Western Australian Museum and after this she lived on a 5000-acre farm, two hundred kilometres north of Perth. In 2016, she gained a Certificate of Completion, the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program on fiction writing, centered on female authorial voices and female literary characters. The type of story she likes to read has passion and intrigue and a family secret at its heart.  Exactly the type of story she likes to write. 

What is the inspiration for your current book?

Some years ago, I was staying in Mission Beach and I visited the castle ruins at Paronella Park in the north Queensland rainforest. It is a beautiful, fantastical place, and became the inspiration for Castillo de Suenos in my novel. So it came about by chance that I chose Queensland and the sense of place was one I tried to convey to my readers.Is there a particular theme you are exploring in this book?

In Castle of Dreams, a dual narrative story, I explore how war impacts not only on those who go to war but those left behind on the home front. When I was researching I found that in WW2 American servicemen were stationed in far north Queensland where the 1940’s storyline is set. I already had the idea for two sisters, Vivien and Rose, growing up in a castle in the rainforest and when Robert Shine, an American soldier, found his way into my story, their love triangle echoed the triangle of the American and Australia allies fighting the Japanese in the Pacific War.

Which period of history particularly interests you? Why?

I have always been interested in military history so it was natural that I set my stories against a backdrop of WW1 or WW2 as these periods of war had a great impact on people around the world.

What resources do you use to research your book?

For my research, I read primary sources like diaries, letters and newspaper reports (Trove is wonderful!). I read books written about and of the period I am researching. I use Google but online information can be inaccurate so be careful and check more than one source. I use my wonderful local library and inter-library loans for books I don’t necessarily want to keep on my bookshelf, and also, I always read bibliographies carefully in each book as they are a source of more information on the subject you are researching.

What is more important to you: historical authenticity or accuracy?

I don’t think you can have a good story unless it is historically accurate. If it is necessary to move, say a battle scene, by a year to suit the plot and the author makes a note of this in the acknowledgements that’s fine (occasionally). Otherwise the book should be labeled ‘faction’.

Which character in your current book is your favourite? Why?

Vivien Blake, a photographer who was a woman of her time (1940’s) and she came alive for me when I was writing her. Women have had an active role in photography since its inception. While researching I found that in 1900 British and American censuses women made up almost 20 percent of the profession at a time when it was unusual for women to have a profession. Many Australian women photographers worked before the Great War and more did hand colouring and darkroom work. At that time it was thought that ‘lady operators’ should only photograph women and families. By WW2 women photographers were working in advertising and portraiture and the worlds of fashion and theatre. I made Vivien a photographer because I wanted to have a motif of light through the story. The American soldier is named Robert Shine and the rainforest is lit with filtered light and the sparkling glitter ball that hangs from the ceiling in the castle’s ballroom showers the dancers with light. There are many references to light in the story.

Are you a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’? How long does it generally take you to write a book?

I would like to say I’m a plotter as it would save so much time. I do start off with a detailed outline and I know the ending of the story before I start writing but inevitably it changes along the way. I write to find out what happens along the way and once I know my characters it all starts to fall into place like a jigsaw puzzle. I can then write the chapters in any order if I wish. It takes me about eighteen months to write a book.

Which authors have influenced you?

Katherine Mansfield. Pat Barker, Vladimir Nabokov, the Brontes, Virginia Woolf, Mary Wesley.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Never give up. I have three books in the bottom drawer, my apprentice books, and every one of them taught me something about writing. If you don’t have time to write a novel then write short stories, or a blog, or write reviews of  books. Writing should not be at the bottom of a long list of ‘to do’ things, it should be at the top. Treat it like a job, even a part-time job, and not a hobby. Set goals. Those first words are the hardest part. Then rewrite.

Tell us about your next book or work in progress.

It is a time split novel set during WW1 and in 2015. The earlier narrative thread is set in the southwest of Western Australia where I lived for several years on a vineyard, with detours to other parts of the world and finally, and most importantly, for this is where the heart of the story is, in the Tumut Valley where the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people lived for thousands of years prior to European settlement. My story is about abandoned gardens and love and romance, betrayal, and of course big family secrets and what more beautiful place to write about than the lovely valley that sits on the north-west foothills of the Snowy Mountains.

Castle of Dreams, published by Allen & Unwin, is a poignant, luminous novel about two sisters, about a mother and daughter, a loved granddaughter, the past that separates them and the healing that comes with forgiveness. Norwegian publisher, Cappelen Damm, published Castle of Dreams in translation in April 2017.

You can buy a copy of Castle of Dreams via Amazon, Kobo, Booktopia, and the Book Depository.

Elise McCune will be taking part in a panel on Worlds at War: the appeal of 20th Century Historical Fiction with Paddy Richardson, Justin Sheedy and Julian Leatherdale at the HNSA conference in September. She is also appearing in our Meet the Author satellite event on 20 August at the Mail Exchange Hotel, 688 Bourke St, Melbourne from 2.30-4.30pm discussing War and Romance Historical Fiction with Gabrielle Gardner, Alison Stuart, and Sylvia Karakaltsas. More information and tickets are available from the HNSA website. 

HNSA 2017 Conference

The HNSA 2017 Melbourne Conference is being held on 8-10 September 2017 at Swinburne University. This celebration of the historical fiction genre 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! Purchase a ticket and you will be entered in the draw to win a $100 Dymocks Gift Card.

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!

Visit our website to purchase your tickets now!

Subscribe to our newsletter for interviews, reviews and news.

Learn about our sponsorship opportunities.

Let’s make a noise about historical fiction!

Interview with Sylvia Karakaltsas and Gabrielle Gardner

S.C Karakaltsas lives in Melbourne and began writing in 2014 after many years in corporate life. She wrote and published her first novel called ‘Climbing the Coconut Tree’ in March 2016. Inspired by true events on an island in the Central Pacific in 1949, the novel is a tale of a naive young man who stumbles into a world of violence and murder. Her collection of short stories called ‘Out of Nowhere’ was published in May 2017. Her short story, ‘The Surprise’ has been shortlisted in the Lane Cove Literary Awards 2016. She is a member of the Phoenix Park Writers Group, Monash Writers Group; Small Press Network and Writers Victoria. 

Gabrielle Gardner is a previous Varuna fellowship winner (2013) and a recipient of a 2015 Australian Society of Authors mentorship for her manuscript Sweetman’s Road.  Her manuscript The Tenant at Holders Farm was runner up in the Jim Hamilton long fiction award in 2014 with the Fellowship of Australian Writers. She has had short stories published in four Stringybark anthologies, the international flash fiction collection 1000 Words or Less : Vol 2 and was shortlisted for the Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 2016. She has had non-fiction pieces published in The Big Issue and The Victorian Writer. She is currently finishing an associate degree in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. She blogs at Gabrielle Gardner  “ Reading, Writing & a Few Dog Stories".

What is the inspiration for your current book? 

Sylvia: I watched a documentary early last year, about 38000 children who were forcibly evacuated, mostly on foot, from Northern Greece during the Greek Civil War. There were many who never saw their families again. I was already playing around with a story of two children and decided to incorporate the Greek Civil War into my setting. I then discovered my husband’s aunt had been one of those children and my research and obsession began. 

Gabrielle: I was inspired to write this story after several years volunteering at a nursing home every Thursday. There, part of my brief was to have conversations with the elderly residents (mainly women) and listen to their stories of the past. I was hugely impressed (and saddened and moved) by their resilience in the face—often—of poverty, isolation, lack of love and opportunity. Their unfailing attitude was ‘you just had to get on with it’. Many were rural women who lived without even the company of other women. So often they longed for more – love, fulfilment, adventure, education, even the opportunity to do paid work – and having none of these, they ‘just got on with it.’ I wanted to create a fictional composite of these women so that they might be, in some small way, acknowledged, remembered and understood. Bridie Bowden is that woman.

Is there a particular theme you are exploring in this book?  

Sylvia: There are a couple of themes. Like my first book, Climbing the Coconut Tree, the rise and spread of communism in the aftermath of the second World War plays a big part. Secondly, A Perfect Stone is essentially a story of child refugees which when you think about, is as relevant a story today, as it was then. Thirdly, I explore the issues of race segregation, like the Macedonians who in Northern Greece are still remain isolated from their culture and heritage now. 

Gabrielle: I wanted to explore the circumstances of isolated, disadvantaged rural women of the early 20^th century. I know not all women in this demographic were so disadvantaged but many were and their stories are, I believe, under-represented in Australian fiction. 

Which period of history particularly interests you? Why?  

Sylvia: My first novel was set in the Pacific in 1948 and A Perfect Stone is set in the same year. Although quite unintentionally, I find myself drawn to the aftermath of World War 2 which produced huge change and unintentional consequences still felt today. 

Gabrielle: Oh, many! But the first half of the 20^th century, especially in Australia, is incredibly rich with tales worth telling. I dread them being forgotten.

What resources do you use to research your book?   

Sylvia: Like everyone, the internet, YouTube, articles, books, but I also like to interview people who experienced that time. I’ve also been to Northern Greece which helps me to visualise the landscape. 

Gabrielle: I suppose the usual – Trove, Google and my father’s books, including an original edition C.E.W. Bean, but mainly the oral stories of the women in the nursing home. 

What is more important to you: historical authenticity or accuracy? 

Sylvia: I think both are important if they add to the story. To dump facts and figures for the sake of it while nice for some readers, may not be useful for the story. Authenticity brings about a flavour for the time and place but can be open to interpretation. Although I wonder about accuracy. In my first book, I interviewed people who were very definitive in their recollections about what happened. Yet when I looked at the facts, their point of view while accurate for them and their way of life, was very different from others of a different culture, race or class. History can often be a person’s interpretation of events from their point of view. Omission is just as bad as recording inaccurately. When researching for Climbing the Coconut Tree, for example I found data around the size of the population on Ocean Island that was inaccurate. 

Gabrielle: My mother was very cavalier about accuracy. One of her life mottos was ‘a man on a galloping horse won’t notice’, and another ‘oh, just chuck it in and see if it floats’. So precision has never been my strongpoint. But I do value and aim for authenticity. 

Which character in your current book is your favourite? Why?  

Sylvia: I love my main characters, Jim as an old man of 80 and his 10-year-old self. The old man is a curmudgeon given to eccentricity and reminds me a lot of my own father. He’s a fun character to write as a relief to his serious and naïve 10-year-old self, Dimitri.  They both move me and I’m in love with their vulnerability as much as their strengths and flaws. 

Gabrielle: Well, they’re all my treasures now but I do love Bridie’s husband, Jack. My Beta readers have all loved Jack. (One says she wept for him.) My ASA mentor insisted I ‘fill out’ Jack a lot more. While Bridie didn’t gain much pleasure from living with Jack he too was a man of his time – hard working, reliable, honest to a fault, loyal to friends but at the same time—and through no fault of his own—inhibited and emotionally unavailable. He might have loved in his own way but his inner world was securely locked away from everyone else, except perhaps his mates when they got together to spin a yarn. 

Are you a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’? How long does it generally take you to write a book?  

Sylvia: I’ve only been writing for three years and started off by being a pantser with my first novel. This carried on with A Perfect Stone - then I got stuck. So that’s when I decided to plot out the story – it helped me sort out the end. With my first book, Climbing the Coconut Tree, I had no idea what I was doing. It took me two years to research, write and publish which I guess is really not that long. I began A Perfect Stone 12 months ago so expect to have it out sometime next year. It’s taken a bit longer because I’ve been writing contemporary short stories and published a collection in May 2017 called “Out of Nowhere.” 

Gabrielle: No doubt I’m a panster. I’ve tried from time to time to plan a plot but it just paralyses me. Consequently I have several manuscripts of about 30,000 words going nowhere because I’ve painted myself into a corner and couldn’t get out. C’est la vie! I began Sweetmans Road in 2012 but it’s had an enormous amount of input – Varuna, ASA mentorship, RMIT Professional Writing course. 

I have 2 other completed full manuscripts that I wrote fairly quickly – a year or so but they need work still. 

Which authors have influenced you?  

Sylvia: Nicole Hayes, a YA writer, mentors my writing. As for other authors, I love Hannah Kent, Emily Bitto, Sonya Hartnett, Brooke Davis, Richard Flanagan, Anthony Doerr and Geraldine Brooks to name a few who have influenced and inspired my writing.  

Gabrielle: Generally - Alice Munro, Penelope Lively, Ann Patchett, Tim Winton for his ability to write about place, Sonya Hartnett – too many to list – but for this manuscript specifically I owe a lot to Marion Halligan’s Lovers Knots and Matthew Condon’s The Trout Opera for the way they both move around in time, voice, and place while keeping the story flowing and engaging. 

What advice would you give an aspiring author?  

Sylvia: Setting a goal to write is great. Sitting down and writing without the baggage of your own judgment is even better.  

Gabrielle: Not sure I’m in a position to give advice, given that this book is just about to start looking for a home! However - write! – just do it! Redraft over and over, the first draft is never as good as it can be, nor the second, nor the third. Give it to other writers to read and ask them to be honest, especially about plot. Best of all, read your work out aloud to yourself, hear how it sounds and adjust accordingly. 

Tell us about your next book or work in progress. 

Sylvia: Unpacking a box belonging to his late wife, eighty-year-old Jim Philips discovers her diary and a small stone which triggers an avalanche of secrets and memories he’s hidden, not just from his bossy middle-aged daughter, but from himself. The memory of a treacherous march of survival through the mountains of Northern Greece to escape the Greek Civil War causes him to confront his heritage which he’d turned his back on after arriving in Australia. His daughter has no idea about her father past until he has a stroke and reverts to his native tongue.  

Gabrielle: I’m very excited about my next attempt at the G.A.N. I’ve always wanted to write a novel for adults but with a child as one of the protagonists. Think Sonya Harnett’s Thursday’s Child. This one is called Down the Green Road, about a single father, a mother mysteriously missing and their nine-year old daughter. I’m 20,000 words in, so not past the paint-yourself-into-a-corner zone yet!

Climbing the Coconut Tree by S. C Karakaltsas 

Inspired by true events, this is a story about eighteen-year-old Bluey Guthrie who, in 1948 leaves his family to take the job of a lifetime on a remote island in the Central Pacific. Bill and Isobel, seasoned ex-pats help Bluey fit in to a privileged world of parties, dances and sport.  

However, the underbelly of island life soon draws him in. Bluey struggles to understand the horrors left behind after the Japanese occupation, the rising fear of communism, and the appalling conditions of the Native and Chinese workers. All this is overseen by the white Colonial power brutalising the land for Phosphate: the new gold. 

Isobel has her own demons and watches as Bill battles to keep growing unrest at bay. Drinking and gambling are rife. As racial tensions spill over causing a trail of violence, bloodshed and murder, Bluey is forced to face the most difficult choices of his life.

S.C. and Gabrielle are appearing in our Meet the Author satellite event on 20 August at the Mail Exchange Hotel, 688 Bourke St, Melbourne from 2.30-4.30 pm discussing Historical Romance and War fiction with Alison Stuart and Elise McCune. More information and tickets are available from the HNSA website. http://hnsa.org.au/conference/satellite/

HNSA 2017 Conference

The HNSA 2017 Melbourne Conference is being held on 8-10 September 2017 at Swinburne University. This celebration of the historical fiction genre 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! Purchase a ticket and you will be entered in the draw to win a $100 Dymocks Gift Card.

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!

Visit our website to purchase your tickets now!

Subscribe to our newsletter for interviews, reviews and news.

Learn about our sponsorship opportunities.

Let’s make a noise about historical fiction!