The person who changed things for me at a crucial time was Peter Bishop. Peter had been director at Varuna the National Writers’ House for many years, and in 2019 I ran into him in a café in Katoomba. He asked me what I was writing and when I mentioned the almost completed manuscript of Night Blue he encouraged me to send it to him.

I remember feeling very nervous and shy about handing it over, but also sensing that something marvellous might occur. He got back to me a couple of hours later to say that he loved it. He also said, “This is a novella. Don’t let any publisher tell you it has to be something else.” This confirmed what I already knew but was possibly timid about admitting to myself.

Having Peter voice it made me feel that I could stand by my work. In my observation, first time authors can be so eager to please a publisher that they agree to changes that ultimately undermine a work. I think it’s because of that conversation with Peter that I’ve always ended up with publishers who recognise and appreciate my work for what it fundamentally is.