Living and writing in Australia

Hello, followers of Nocturnal Nights. I’m Nicole Murphy, and I’ll be blogging here on the eighteenth of each month.

I’m a writer of fantasy, science fiction and romance (and varying combinations of them all) from Australia. Living and writing in Australia and trying to develop a sound career is an interesting task. There are writers that sell enough books within Australia itself to make good money but for most, earning a liveable wage means selling overseas.

The internet has made the world seem a very small place, but there’s things that just can’t be avoided. For example, New York’s business hours start just when we’re going to be over here – if you have a NY agent or publisher, you’re looking at losing sleep to talk to them.

Then there’s the fact it’s easier to connect with people in your own country than in others. You can see them, physically. You can meet booksellers, attend conventions, do booksignings. Social media can make us feel that we’re very interconnected, but it works best when it can be complemented by actual physical appearances and conversations. And it’s easier to chat on Twitter or Facebook with people who are actually awake when you are.

Publishing is an industry that’s all about relationships. Sometimes, here in Australia, hearing about all the cool things going on in America, you can feel a bit left out.

So how do Australians make it overseas? How do folks like Keri Arthur, Karen Miller and Trudi Canavan become international superstars?

I know that they all make sacrifices to travel overseas and attend conventions, but the main thing they do is write really good books. Compelling, entertaining, fantabulous books.

At the end of the day, it’s still the case that the BEST thing you can do for your writing career is to write really good books. That’s what I aim to do, and I hope I have achieved with my Dream of Asarlai trilogy.

In the meantime, if I ever have insomnia – I know America is awake and we can have a chat.

Nicole Murphy has been a primary school teacher, bookstore owner, journalist and checkout chick. She grew up reading Tolkien, Lewis and Le Guin; spent her twenties discovering Quick, Lindsey and Deveraux and lives her love of science fiction and fantasy through her involvement with the Conflux science fiction conventions. Her urban fantasy trilogy Dream of Asarlai is published in Australia/NZ by HarperVoyager. She lives with her husband in Queanbeyan, NSW. Visit her website http://nicolermurphy.com