Project Hemisphere is the story of a man struggling to overcome anxiety to find his place in a post-apocalyptic island community. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Several concurrent factors inspired Project Hemisphere. I have two teen neurodiverse sons, both of whom struggle with anxiety. It was important to me to show them that everyone is valuable and has a place in the world. We all struggle with self-doubt, but that doesn’t define who we are. I wanted a “real” hero, someone who was relatable but who showed my boys that everyone has the potential to change the world.

One of the other inspirations was that in Australia, we were evacuated several times with horrendous bushfires. A conversation with a colleague about global warming, environmental degradation, and how young people would do things differently kickstarted this story. I couldn’t shake the idea that the next generation might get things right, and not let politics, religion, or personality dictate how we live. Strangely, I wrote this book before the lockdowns of COVID, so it was bizarre to see some elements of this story play out in real life.

Finally, I am Scots-Australian and have spent a lot of time in both countries, so both cultures feature quite heavily in the series.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

Absolutely! I love to model characters on traits of people in my life. Merlin, the cat in the opening scenes, is one of my cats, and Cam’s mum is modelled on my own. Five-foot nothing, with a heart of gold, adopts people in the supermarket, but you wouldn’t challenge her! Sustainable living is important to me, and I grow a lot of our own produce. But even the careers, travel, and life experiences are sometimes from my own experiences. Cam’s sister Sorcha works in international development, which I did for many years. Illyria, a main character from book three is a character I strongly associate with, and I suspect I resemble quite a lot! In terms of locations, many of them are places in which I have lived or travelled to.

Your cast of characters is in a unique situation. What was your approach to writing the interactions between characters?

I love enneagrams, archetypes, and character profiles, so I develop a clear profile of each character as a rounded person. Their motivations, values, and beliefs, not just their culture and appearance. When I write dialogue, I play the conversations out in my head before I write the interactions. Sometimes I review it later and think, “No, she wouldn’t say that,” and edit the scene. I also knew that this book was the beginning of a series, so giving the characters depth was critical. Many minor characters in Project Hemisphere return in later books, with sub-plots becoming main story arcs, so giving context and providing detail was necessary to establish the foundations for the series. I wanted people to be able to “see” what was going on and visualise the world these characters live in. Research is essential for me, and I spend a lot of time on the detail to ensure it is accurate.

Can you give readers some insight into where the second book in the series will take them? When will it be available?

Book two is quite tumultuous! Poor Cam is hurled into another emotional roller coaster and is reunited with some people from his past. Love and loss feature heavily, and my editor told me she cried when she read this one, (sorry Jen!). Book one is the solo adventure, book two is about family, book three focuses on friendships, book four on the importance of community, and book five on what lengths you would go to save your children.

Books two to five in the Antipodes series are already published, including in hardcover and audiobooks. There is also now a spin-off series, The Latitude Series, beginning with The 45th Parallel. Two books from this series are also published, with a few more on the way.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Amazon