With the stressful busyness of moving countries, homes and ongoing pandemic lockdowns, I haven’t had a chance to formally introduce my newest book baby - Are You There, Buddha?
It’s a contemporary verse novel for pre-teens and young adults - the sweet spot being girls around 9-14. Set in Crescent Bay, a fictionalised town on the NSW Central Coast, it’s about a 12-year-old girl called Bee, who’s just started high school and is wondering where she fits in. Her mum has left the family to live in India, and Bee hasn’t quite accepted her well-meaning stepmum Kath, or the fact that she’s growing up so fast. She says: “why can’t my body slow down for a second, so I can catch my breath?”
This is another verse novel, although I think it’s a hybrid model; verse stanzas mixed with narrative dialogue. I wrote quite a lot of this book during my May Gibbs fellowship in Brisbane in September 2019, before the world changed so much I hardly recognise it sometimes. It had my complete attention for nearly a month, and without that time, I’m not sure it would’ve ended up the same story.
In some ways I wrote this book as a tribute to the Judy Blume classic, Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret? but it’s very Australian and modern, with reflections on climate change and social media. I wrote my thoughts on writing an updated puberty and period book for The Guardian.
This is a book about what it’s like to get your period for the first time, but it’s also about courage, standing up for yourself, choosing the right tribe, and going after your dreams. It’s about love and blended families and how messy life can be sometimes. I’ve been blown away by the response so far from readers, teachers, parents and reviewers. I’ve even heard it’s already been added to some study guides for year 7.
My publishers at Hachette have been wonderful to work with on Buddha, and it looks like we’re embarking on another children’s book together. More on that soon, but I can say it’s middle grade, and about two very special kids and the power of friendship. I probably should go and work on it right now…x