There are so many talented writers in the world yet only a small portion of these are lucky enough to be published by the big publishers.  Susan Lattwein has self-published her book ‘Arafura – Blood, ‘the Wet’ and Tears’ this year and will be hosting the launch at Beyond Q Bookshop in Curtin at 6pm tomorrow night, Thursday 7 November.

Susan was kind enough to send me a copy of her book and I wanted to give you all a sneak peek into the inspiration and hard work that has gone into Susan’s first novel.

What genre is Arafura and what does Arafura mean?

Arafura doesn’t fall neatly into any one genre, the closest being ‘romantic suspense with a dash of humour’. The Arafura Sea is off the coast of Darwin, in the Northern Territory. I have a soft spot for the frontier town of Darwin, and the setting is an integral part of the storyline, especially for the sequel.

What is Arafura about? 

Arafura is about Kat, a teacher, who is patiently waiting for her long-term fiancé to find the time to marry. An enigmatic stranger (Byronic hero), Adam, arrives in town and they strike up a relationship, which flusters Kat and upsets her predictable existence. Weightier themes also run through the novel, such as post-traumatic stress, indigenous education and domestic violence.

Your characters are very well developed and throughout the book I felt like I got to know them quite well. Are your characters based on people you know or are they completely made up?

Thank you. Some characters began as people I know, but developed their own unique personalities as the story progressed. After turning off my computer, they sometimes keep talking and I need to turn on my bedside light, or dash out of the shower, or grab paper and pen at red lights to scribble down conversations. Yes, I’m hearing voices, ha ha. The dance instructors are very real though.

Kat lost her family at a young age, and while she was adopted by a lovely family, surely losing one’s family so young would have long term effects. How do you think that this part of Kat’s history affects her decision-making throughout the story?

Who we choose as a partner depends very much on our early attachments and past relationships. Adam is imperfect, but Kat is attracted to the way they connect, which I hopefully demonstrate in the dialogue between them. Perhaps Kat is also attracted because she didn’t have enough early emotional bonding with her parents. The ability to connect with someone is important, it gives meaning to life.

Kat’s decision-making? Sometimes people are willing to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out, because it brings things like love, belonging and happiness. This vulnerability is a risk but can bring joy. (There’s a really interesting TedTalk about vulnerability and emotional intimacy by Brene Brown. Please let me emphasise that I would never condone taking risks in violent or abusive relationships!)

I didn’t like Adam, mostly because he reminded me so much of someone I used to know who treated me quite the same as Adam treats Kat. Do you like Adam? Would you choose Adam or Lucas?

Can I put them on a roster? Only joking!! Like my students when I teach, I like all my characters. Adam seems to press different buttons for different readers. He’s troubled by post-traumatic stress and its symptoms such as nightmares, shame, disengagement and hyper-vigilance, but he never means to hurt Kat or lie to her. PTSD is a real injury, just as real as a bullet wound, and most people can recover with professional help.

As for Lucas? He means well, and Kat feels a strong sense of loyalty towards him, but he is very different to Adam.

While I am yet to meet any man who could read my mind, I found Adam seeming to pre-empt Kat’s thoughts a bit freaky! Do you think this ability really exists?

I’ve known two people who could finish the odd sentence of mine, and both had been tortured. Some adults and children in abusive environments can develop extraordinary abilities to scan for warning signs of attack. They learn to read subtle changes in facial expressions, voice and body language as signals of anger, sexual arousal, or intoxication. This non-verbal communication becomes highly automatic and occurs for the most part outside conscious awareness. We still have a LOT to learn about the human brain, so I like to keep an open mind, and thought it would make an interesting addition to the story. Neuroplasticity wasn’t properly acknowledged until recent years!

I thought you wrote about some of the issues faced by the NT Indigenous people with respect and thoughtfulness. Why did you choose to include these issues into your story?

Thanks again, Martina. Like many of us, I’ve read appalling stories and watched shocking documentaries about the insidious abuse, alcoholism and neglect in some parts of Indigenous Australia. Being a teacher, I would feel remiss in not raising these issues in Arafura. I think I’ve touched on them lightly and carefully in the novel, but sense that Australians, of every skin colour, are in disagreement and truly stuck in finding solutions. Unfortunately, there is no happy ending on the horizon for many indigenous youth in real life. Having said that, I like to think there is always an idea/s to solve or improve any problem, and I believe there are people who could facilitate ways to move forward. You have to believe this, or the situation is hopeless, which it isn’t. I think Malcolm Gladwell’s books are very interesting.

Thank-you so much for including the recipes at the end of the book! Are these family recipes?

Bless my sisters-in-law, that’s all I can say!

I’m looking forward to reading what happens next for Kat! When will the sequel be released? Can you give us a hint?

Hopefully the sequel will be finished early to mid-2014. A hint? Let’s say Kat is put in situations where her resilience is put to the test, the baddies play a much larger role, and loose ends from Arafura are resolved.

Where can people purchase Arafura from?  

The paperback version of Arafura can be purchased from Beyond Q bookshop in Curtin, Paperchain Bookstore in Manuka, and in Civic at Smith’s Alternative and at Shop Handmade.

Alternatively, Arafura can be downloaded as an eBook from Amazon. If you don’t have a Kindle, the free Kindle app enables eBooks to be downloaded onto iPhones, iPads, Android phones or PCs.

Arafura will be launched at Beyond Q Bookshop at 6pm tomorrow, Thursday 7 November. This event is free but numbers are limited. Please book by leaving a message on 0431 531 784.

Want a free copy of the Arafura eBook?

Susan is giving away 10 copies of Arafura – all you have to do is go to Amazon, leave a reader comment, and then email susanlattwein@hotmail.com to let her know your details. The first 10 people to comment each get a free download!