What inspired you to begin writing?

The only child of a librarian, my childhood was spent surrounded by books and I often spent my spare time writing stories or illustrating my own picture books. As life went on, though, my writing became less creative and more academic, and my creative urges were relegated to the realm of the deep wistful daydream. But, on the eve of my husband’s 50th birthday, a conversation about deathbed regrets had me realising that it was time to finally commit to writing the novel I had been subconsciously plotting for the last twenty years. From that moment on, it has been my priority!

What does it mean to you to have published your debut novel, after winning an ASA / Arts Tasmania Mentorship?

Publishing my debut novel Half Truth, with the support of a talented and experienced publisher like Meredith Curnow from Penguin Random House has been an incredible experience, and not one I take for granted. Having so many people work so hard to bring my story into the world is a huge privilege and I am still somewhat stunned to find myself in this position.  I feel incredibly grateful for all the support I have received, both from the writing community broadly, and from various institutions, such as Arts Tasmania, Queensland Writer Centre and the ASA. Winning an ASA/Arts Tasmania mentorship was a great experience for a couple of reasons – firstly it gave opportunity to work with a mentor that I have long admired in Lee Kofman and secondly the timing of the mentorship meant that the work we did together was able to deeply inform the final rewrites of my novel, improving it greatly. And of course, it is a great confidence booster to me as an aspiring debut novelist to realise that ASA and Arts Tasmania saw something worth supporting in my manuscript.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known at the very start of your career?

I think I have been pleasantly surprised by the supportive nature of the Australian writing community and I think I would have really appreciated knowing how much the accomplished writers I really admire also want debut authors like me to succeed. I wish I knew it was possible to achieve what I dreamed of but also that it would be A LOT of hard work to get there. I now know that writing takes dedication, commitment to craft, and lots of willingness to withstand the inevitable rejection before you get the one ‘yes’ that you dream of!

Which Australian authors or illustrators are influential for you?

I have a huge list of Australian writers who have inspired and influenced me. Heather Rose has long been a writer I admire and an online writing course I took with her during the lockdown of 2020 was absolutely crucial to the development of what became my debut novel. Other writers I admire include Charlotte Wood, Tara June Winch, Alice Pung, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Shankari Chandran, though this is far from an exhaustive list!!

Why are you a member of the ASA? 

I am a member of the ASA because I support the mission of advocating collectively for the rights and conditions of Australian authors and illustrators. Knowing that there is an independent body to consult with when dealing with tricky matters like copyright, contracts and pay rates allows me, as a creative, to focus on my writing, knowing that there is a place to go for advice or help should I need it. Plus, I love accessing the professional development workshops and classes run by the ASA and want to support continued access to these resources for all writers and illustrators, aspiring, emerging, and established.

Find out more about Nadia Mahjouri at nadiamahjouri.com.au or @nadiamahjouri.