The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in this Wednesday for a great show.

On last week's show

Newly published author Genna de Bont was a guest today on the program, talking about her novel The pepper gate, and about the writing process. Genna has been writing for at least 15 years, and has an earlier novel for young adults tied up in paper and string on top of the wardrobe, and this novel has been 5 years in the writing. Obviously writing is a demanding occupation, but Genna has already begun her next novel, and cannot imagine not writing.

The pepper tree is a many faceted story, giving the first person account of Mallory, thrice married artist who is facing a degenerative disease, and the possibility that he has found the daughter he was parted from more than 20 years before; and also the stories of his third wife Sueyen, his intellectually disabled 5 year old daughter from his second marriage, and Em, who could be his first daughter.

From a complicated mix of memories, dreams and delusions, an evocative and highly readable story is woven, heightened for me by it's setting in and around Melbourne.

There are several copies in our collection, so if you enjoy a character driven novel, this is for you.

Cheers, Maryanne