Doing the hard yards
It’s been a whirlwind month from the launch of the new book with great publicity and loads of interviews to an incredibly relaxing holiday for a couple of weeks - but hell - that’s all over now and the really hard work starts. One of the great misconceptions of authorship is that once you write your masterpiece the waiting world will embrace it and you can slip away and reconnect with your muse. That may have been true for Hemingway but it ain’t for Hampson - nor most other authors in the early stages of their career. Although the last book was incredibly well received, I’m not well known enough to have people galloping into bookshops slamming their $32.95 on the counter and demanding a book - unfortunately.
So now comes the long slow task of getting out and talking to bookshops and reminding them they have my book. Putting a face to the cover. So many books! I went into one store yesterday, they had about 30 copies of ‘Two for the Road’ on the front table and even then we had trouble locating them because of the huge piles of other books.
One of my main activities - which really is fun - is making myself available to join reading groups in Sydney who select the book to read. It’s great for them to have the chance to sit down with the author and discuss the book over a glass of wine - and interesting for me to hear what they have to say about it. If you’re reading this and part of a group located in Sydney get in touch and book me as soon as possible - the diary is filling up fast!
REVIEW: Sunday Age
TWO FOR THE ROAD
Amanda Hampson
Viking, $32.95 Amanda Hampson’s first novel was the bestselling The Olive Sisters. This new novel is a similar tale of feminine sea change, but a little more downmarket in its subject matter. As a traumatised teen, Cassie fled seaside Bilkara. An assault on her father brings her back from London, just as her marriage falls apart. In a rather unlikely plot twist, she takes over the family tow-truck business. It owes back taxes and has cut-throat competition and a dodgy accountant. Nonetheless, she makes it work, not least by hiring women to drive the tow-trucks. Thus a book that seems snugly to fit into the cosier end of chick-lit does contain a message of empowerment. Nearly all the women in the story improve their lives, and not necessarily with a dream man. It reads at times as slightly too easy, or slick, but the ending is quite unusual.
SUNDAY AGE
REVIEW: Geelong Advertiser
TWO FOR THE ROAD By Amanda Hampson Penguin $32.95
From the book: They made an odd procession heading out to the chapel. The black funeral limousine bearing Al’s polished timber casket took the lead. Cassie and Josie followed in the pink Cadillac with Kingi behind in his truck followed by the three other drivers in theirs: Eddie, Rod and Dean. It all felt surreal.
We say: Cassie Munro has reason to complain. Her old man’s just died from injuries sustained in a tow-truck drivers’ war. She was away at the time, in London where she’d been living for years, breaking up with her cheating husband. Back home in small- town, northern NSW again, a past loaded with heartbreak and pain comes rushing back in a torrent. And with a determination to throw herself into the old man’s suffering towie business where life’s only going to get tougher. Good thing mighty Maori Kingi’s on hand. By turns, humorous and saddening, punishing, joyful and redemptive.
GEELONG ADVERTISER
On the Road
Had an insane week promoting the new book. Managed to do 25+ interviews and 7 flights in one week. Felt that the feedback was very positive - it’s kinda stressful waiting to see what the reception will be for something you’ve spent three years working on but so far, so good.
Anyway, the crazy week culminated in a trip to NZ to have a massive scripting session with the producer and director of The Olive Sisters ‘movie-to-be’ (Bonnie & Don Burgess, pictured above) we had a brilliant time and hopefully the work we put in has progressed the script to another level - only just finished writing the revisions today.
Have one more publicity commitment and then I’m taking myself off for an actual holiday - phew, I’m soooo ready for that!
Book Launch
