Good Reading for Young Adults caught up with author AMBELIN KWAYMULLINA to discuss her latest novel, LIAR’S TEST, which is a fantasy novel with an unforgettable heroine inspired by the strength and power of Aboriginal women.

What inspired your foray into writing?

Stories have always been part of my life, just as they are part of the lives of all Aboriginal people. They are a source of strength and hope. I have written for many years now and told stories in many forms, from poetry to art to short stories. But I think it is my work for children and teenagers that I will always love the best. They’re certainly the most fun audience – and the most honest!

What sparked the idea for Liar’s Test?

This book was inspired by the generational resistance of Aboriginal women. It is dedicated to the Grandmothers and it is of them that I was thinking when I began the novel, especially the women who lived through the worst excesses of settler-colonialism and the incredible strength it took to walk such hard roads without losing themselves.

What are some of the challenges Bell will face in the Queen’s Test?

The Queens Test involves three challenges. One tests faith and strength, one tests willpower, and the third challenge is essentially one of politics and persuasion. But the challenges she faces outside the Test that will prove far more difficult as she works with her Ancestors, her people and her friends to fight the gods themselves.

How did you approach the worldbuilding in your novel?

The world emerged organically as the book was written. I always feel as if I am finding out about the fantasy worlds I create as my characters experience them, rather than planning them out in detail beforehand.

What are you currently reading?

Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller, for the second time.

What do you hope readers take away from your novel?

I think books are a dialogue between readers and writer, so I don’t have a prescription for what people take away from it. Everyone brings something to every book they read and this influences how they understand the story and which parts of it most speak to them. I hope people find something in the book that is worth the time they took to experience it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ambelin Kwaymullina is an Aboriginal writer and artist who comes from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She tells stories across a range of forms, including picture books, novels, essays and poetry. Her books have won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the Aurealis Award.

Visit Ambelin Kwaymullina’s website