Work in Progress
This month, I'm completing the line edits for my novel, When Sleeping Women Wake, with my fantastic editors and publishers. One of the best parts of this process has been collaborating with editors who are just as passionate about the story and characters I’ve created. While working on the line edits, I discovered that one of my writing hiccups is time-stamping. I had to rework the timeline for continuity because in one chapter, it was spring, but in the next, it was winter and snowing. Oops. This editing process has significantly improved my skills, both as a writer and an editor. Editing my own work is always challenging since I struggle to see it objectively.
ALSO, I’m so excited because I've seen the cover briefs for the UK and ANZ editions, and I can't wait to share who the designer will be. This collaboration holds great meaning for the book and my identity. Trust me, the cover is going to be epic.
Tip of the Month
Last month, my tip was to remember to take regular breaks. This month, it's similar. With moving house, my editorial agency growing, and working on my own writing, it's been a lot. One downside of working from home and owning your own business is not setting proper boundaries. I find that if a client messages me at 10 PM, I still end up replying. So, this month's tip is to set boundaries and take breaks!
Author Feature
Ayesha Inoon is a Sri Lankan-Australian writer known for her unique cultural perspective. Born in Colombo, she worked as a journalist in Sri Lanka before immigrating to Australia in 2013. Her debut novel, Untethered, which draws from her experiences as an immigrant Muslim woman, won the ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize in 2022.
I first met Ayesha at a book event in Canberra, and we quickly became fast friends. What I love about Ayesha is her warm and kind spirit. She’s someone I look up to and feel incredibly lucky to call a friend. Here’s our discussion:
Your debut novel, Untethered, draws from your own experiences. What inspired you to share your story through fiction?
I wanted to write a story that helped me make sense of some of the beautiful and challenging experiences in my life, but I didn’t want it to be a memoir. I think real life lacks the narrative structure needed for a novel – or at least mine did.
There’s also incredible freedom in translating your own emotions into fiction. You can give a character the strong feelings you experienced, but in a completely different situation than the one you faced. You can imagine a different outcome for a circumstance. You can exaggerate one event and minimise the other. You can take something that was terrible in reality and transform it into something beautiful.
I thought this was a powerful thing.
How has your journey from Sri Lanka to Australia influenced your writing and storytelling?
My writing is a reflection of who I’ve become as a result of my journey from Sri Lanka to Australia. There are cultural elements and perspectives from my life there that I will never lose – and there are layers of experiences in my life in Australia that now colour my stories.
I’m grateful for the variety and depth of experiences that I now have to draw from.
Zia, the protagonist of Untethered, faces many challenges as an immigrant. What do you hope readers take away from her story?
I hope that immigrants would find something in it that they related to, and those who hadn’t ventured far from home might gain some insights into what it is like to leave everything and everyone you’ve ever known to look for a better future in a different country.
I also wanted to tell this story of a woman whose strength is inherent in her gentleness, who is both human and flawed in her desires and who navigates a multitude of challenges to break free of the constraints in her life and discover a stronger version of herself.
What unique challenges do immigrant writers face in the literary world, and how can the Australian publishing industry better support them?
I believe one of the primary challenges is being pigeonholed into writing only about immigrant experiences or being expected to conform to stereotypes about their culture. There are still many immigrant stories that do not fit into mainstream trends or familiar cultural frameworks.
There have been a number of diverse immigrant voices coming into mainstream publishing in recent years, which is encouraging. I hope the Australian publishing industry will continue to be more open to these voices and stories and recognise the variety and richness of immigrant stories.
If Untethered were to be adapted into a film, who would you dream of casting as Zia and Rashid?
Ooh tough one! In my wildest dreams, Ambiga Modi and Dev Patel.
Can you give us a sneak peek into your second novel? What themes or stories are you exploring next?
My next book tells the story of three immigrant sisters who are separated when they are young and grow up in different parts of Australia. It explores themes of exile and isolation, the rift between immigrant parents and their children, and yearning and unrequited desire in the context of the lives of remarkable Sri Lankan women.
Quote of the Month
“When you learn something from people, or from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it.”― Yo-Yo Ma
Until next month, stay happy and healthy!
Emma, x
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