One Mad Year: An Aussie Bloke’s Tale follows a father from Australia as he experiences his mundane life and the quirks of modern parenthood. What inspired the setup of your story?

A few people who have read my book One Mad Year have said how surprised they were that everyday life could be written to be so funny, absurd, and dramatic. Sure, there are no submarines or helicopters in the novel, but it can be no less dramatic in its impact on the reader. Irony and humour can be found, I’m sure, in most people’s lives once they tell their story. It’s never mundane as there are frights, delights, and challenges that present in unexpected ways. It’s the quirks, idiosyncrasies, and vulnerabilities of a man who was once someone’s mate at school, who then co-created a family, where he now has a role as husband and father and yet he retains his mateships. He finds himself with young children who have their own identities and opinions and a wife who may not always agree with the way he thinks or acts. Throw in some male naivete, some typical male pride, and the expectations of him from his wife and there’s plenty of story available in his and most people’s lives. His love for his wife and family underpins all his efforts whether they succeed or not. Sure, some of the things that happened to Steve Smith are crazy, but they are certainly not unique to his story. It’s even more entertaining when those situations he finds himself in are often of his own making.

Steve Smith is a man that many people will be able to relate to. Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?

Yes, many. I’m a husband and father of two girls (now in their ‘30s). Like most Australian men, I have ‘old mates’ and ‘new mates.’ The ‘old mates’ are those who I went to school or university with. Those men know me best and remain an influence on me and my family relationships. They offer an opportunity to revert in age when I meet up with them, and those who have read the book will identify with that statement. There are many more influences from my own life in the book. Of course, some husbands have experienced the incredulity that one of his most excellent ideas is met with rejection and even ridicule by his wife. His vision of how things should be done may even go through a review and approval process by his wife and sometimes his children. Yes, that’s somewhat familiar to the author.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

One of the key themes (and it belongs to the main character in the book), is that, inside a marriage and a family, best intentions by the dad or husband are no guarantee of favourable outcomes. Further, while the husband-and-wife, partners, or parents in a family form a well-defined unit, interactions with neighbours, friends, workmates, and a myriad of other people, bring complexity, unpredictability, and even absurdity and hilarity. When two people come together to create a family, their pasts can present in strange and unexpected ways. Men and women can also see things differently and when they are husband-and-wife, friction is a probable eventuality. I wanted to bring through the book an authenticity about Australian family life and the impact the Australian environment has on our people; how they behave and the risks we take in daily life.
I also wanted to authentically depict mateship as we know it in Australia. I hope my readers will deem that delivered.
I fervently wanted to avoid Australian cliche in my book, and I am delighted that the Literary Titan reviewer noted my effort in that.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

My Editor encouraged me to start on the next book as the second of a series, and I’m well into it. It will be a fictionalised story about me and my (Aussie) family’s assignment in the United States. It may be another year before the first draft is complete.

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