Promises and Other Lies by SUE WHITING is a gripping middle-grade mystery in which a small coastal town is torn apart by more than just a bushfire. Read on for a Q&A with the author.
What inspired Promises and Other Lies?
This story came about as I grappled with the aftermath of the Australian Black Summer Bushfires in 2019/2020. Over the course of that fateful summer, the fires resulted in 33 deaths, the destruction of 3 000+ homes, 17 million hectares of land burnt, and the tragic loss of an estimated 3 billion animals. The small village I live in was not directly affected, but like so many, we suffered through weeks of choking smoke and ash-filled skies, the anxious trepidation of worrying how our friends and family were faring, and fearing when it was going to be our turn. In the February of 2020, during a trip to Canberra and Jindabyne, I drove through many fire-affected areas and was struck by the utter devastation the fires caused. One question haunted me for the entire journey: How do these communities come back from this? That single question is what inspired Promises and Other Lies.
Is Wangaroo Bay based on a real coastal town?
Wangaroo Bay is fictional. But its community and surrounds are drawn on the landscape and lifestyle of the coastal village in Dharawal Country that I’ve called home for many decades, mixed with the numerous NSW south coast towns and villages I have holidayed in since I was a child. Wangaroo Bay is the best and the worst of all of them. If it existed, it would lie in Yuin Country on the beautiful NSW south coast, somewhere south of Nowra.
Did you draw from any real bush fire stories or people to write this book?
Not specifically. But the countless stories and images of holidayers and locals evacuating and taking shelter on the beach and in boats, not only in locations such as Conjola and Malacoota, but also in Maui and Greece, were certainly in the forefront of my mind when imagining the actual fire. It seemed that whenever I turned on the news, there was another devastating fire happening somewhere in the world, another story of destruction and devastation and tragedy. I very deliberately chose a fictitious setting and fire because I didn’t want my story to be about a specific community and its fire experience as I felt that wasn’t my story to tell.
Your story looks at the aftermath of a devastating bushfire. Why was it important for you to highlight the emotional and personal impact such a tragedy can have on individuals and communities?
It seems to be a fact of the times we live in that the planet has been experiencing more frequent and intense, often record-breaking natural disasters and weather events – massive floods and bushfires, wild storms, cyclones, hurricanes. Our news feed is inundated with stories and images of the actual devastation caused at the time of these natural disasters, but then the affected individuals and communities and their trauma and emotional and material needs are largely forgotten, despite the fact their ordeal is far from over and that for many, the aftermath, the rebuilding, the healing, the emotional trauma takes years to overcome. Survivors are often still living in makeshift dwellings many years after the event. I think we need to be more mindful of this, and so I was determined to shine a spotlight on how a community is impacted one year on, and give voice to their continuing struggles.
Fletch and Immie are central to the story. How did you develop these characters and what do you hope readers will take away from their journey?
In developing the characters of Fletch and Immie, I needed to think in terms of before and after. What were they like before the trauma of the fire and how did the fire event change them and their relationship. Before the fire, Immie was dynamic and passionate, a girl destined to do something dazzling with her life; after the fire she was seen as the sad girl – the girl who no one could look in the eye. Fletch, the kid who was scared of the dark and the enthusiastic accomplice to Immie’s schemes before the fire, needed to dig deep to support Immie and find the courage to face his family’s issues. I wanted readers to be inspired by the courage and resilience and loyal friendship of these two young protagonists and to know that while trauma and tragedy can change you, and the world as you know it may never be the same, there is still a possible route to find happiness and a semblance to your former self.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sue Whiting is an award-winning children’s and YA author, editor and former primary school teacher. Sue writes for many age groups, from picture books through to YA, including the bestselling Missing, the acclaimed The Book of Chance and several CBCA Notable Books. Sue’s latest books are Tilda a historical novel for readers 10+ and the second book in her middle grade fiction series, Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan. As a storyteller and schools’ performer, Sue has informed, inspired and entertained thousands of kids across the country. Sue is passionate about the power of story and is an advocate for reading and writing for pleasure.
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