Chatter

1. What was the hardest thing about being left alone for contestants?
2. What would you find the hardest thing about participating in a survival contest?
3. What ten things would you take into the wilderness with you?
4. Should Scott and Skye have made the decision to wait until the storm passed before crossingThe Paddock in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race?
5. Should Seb have been disqualified from the Alone competition?
6. Should the competitors have formed attachments to the animals in their local area?
7. What concerns did Yuri and Anya Orlov have about Yuri’s involvement with the Russian
   government?
8. Do you think that the Thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian Tiger, is still alive?
9. Why has the Tasmanian Tiger captured the imagination of so many people?

I’m often asked what inspires the creation of a character.   For me, my protagonist is typically drawn from several people who I know, who exist only in the literary world or who I might have seen and taken a photo of during my travels. This was the case for Galina-Elizabeta Ivanof.

Stieg Larsson’s detective character, Lisbeth Salander, the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” was apparently inspired by Pippi Longstocking. It came from a work colleague.

Stieg got the idea for the character Lisbeth Salander after a discussion during a break from work. They were talking about how different characters from children’s books would manage and behave if they were alive and grown up. Stieg especially liked the idea about a grown up Pippi Longstocking, a dysfunctional girl, probably with attention deficit disorder who would have had a hard time finding a regular place in the “normal society,” and he used … those characteristics when he created Lisbeth Salander.

Lisbeth Salander has become an iconic and beloved character for several reasons. She is deeply complex with a unique mix of vulnerability and strength. Her personality is shaped by her traumatic past, yet she emerges as a fierce, independent, and intelligent individual.

Lisbeth challenges societal norms, particularly regarding gender roles. She refuses to conform to expectations and maintains her independence at all costs. This makes her a symbol of empowerment, particularly for women who see in her a figure of strength and self-reliance.

Her role in solving complex mysteries, often out of pure curiosity or a sense of justice, makes her a fascinating character in the crime fiction genre.

Her methods are unorthodox, but her results are impressive. And her distinctive appearance, including her tattoos, piercings, and punk fashion, visually symbolizes her rejection of societal expectations. I also like the face that she makes morally ambiguous decisions.

So in case you haven’t guessed, Galina shares some of these qualities but is a softer version of Lisbeth.

This is how Galina introduces herself to the other competitors at the start of the survival competition in Alone with a Tasman Tiger.

‘I’m thirty-six. You are unlikely to remember my name so you can call me Betty. My mother is Estonian, my father was Australian. He died. What are my strengths?’ She spat on the ground. ‘I’ve killed a bear. Does that count? Yes, the bear was protected but my dog was not. I’ve spent many nights in the forest in Estonia. I think that will be useful. There are few things that frighten me. To relax I smoke. When I can’t smoke, I play the drums. I’ve entered this game because, well, why not?’

Later on the story, she reveals her feistiness when a man attempts to pick her up in a bar…

‘Hello gorgeous. Which yacht did you sail in on?’

Galina swivelled around in her chair and looked at the inebriated sailor wearing a shirt identifying him as crew of the Eagle Express. It was obvious from the tone of his question, and the glassy look in his eyes that he was hoping to leverage his team’s recent race success, to success in other areas.

‘I’m not a sailor,’ she replied.

‘Then a model, perhaps?’ he asked. Galina sighed and regarded the man carefully.

‘No. I work at an abattoir. My speciality is disembowelling pigs.’ The man froze, suddenly lost for words.

Intrigued? You can learn about Galina in Alone with a Tasman Tiger. Available from all major online book stores.

References:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is … Pippi Longstocking?

Winning $250,000 in a bush-survival competition in Tasmania would give Sebastian Ward choices. But he’s promised his mate Scott he’ll sail in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 100 days’ time on The Blue Gazelle. Seb’s confident he’ll outlast the other competitors and make it back to Sydney before the starting cannon fires.

At the beginning of the competition, he forms an unlikely relationship with the wild-spirited Galina. This breaks all the rules of the game. When Galina is declared the winner and the organisers tell her that Seb has already left the competition, she suspects foul play.

Meanwhile, Scott and crew have set sail, encountering a phantom yacht during a wild storm. They are blasted by laser, rendering them unable to sail swiftly to the finish as the yacht is damaged and Jason and Scott are ill. When their yacht finally limps into port, few believe their reports of the encounter.

Are they suffering from Havana Syndrome?

Havana Syndrome refers to a set of mysterious and often debilitating symptoms experienced by U.S. diplomats and government personnel, first reported in Havana, Cuba, in 2016.

The symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Cognitive difficulties
• Hearing strange noises or feeling pressure in the ears
• Vision problems
• Sleep disturbances

People affected by these symptoms often describe hearing a sudden, loud noise or feeling intense pressure before the symptoms begin.

Possible Causes

Several theories have emerged to explain Havana Syndrome, but none have been definitively proven. Some of the key hypotheses include:

1. Microwave or Sonic Weapons: The leading theory initially focused on the possibility of directed microwave or sonic energy attacks, intentionally targeting diplomats. A National Academy of Sciences report in 2020 suggested that “directed, pulsed radio frequency energy” was the most plausible cause.
2. Mass Psychogenic Illness (MPI): Some experts have proposed that the syndrome could be psychological in nature, akin to a mass psychogenic illness, where stress and anxiety trigger real symptoms. This theory gained traction due to the absence of clear physical causes in many cases.
3. Environmental Factors: Other explanations have considered environmental causes, such as pesticides, sonic interference, or other toxic exposures in the affected locations.

Is Havana Syndrome Real?

The reality of Havana Syndrome is complex. The symptoms are undeniably real for those who experience them, but the underlying cause remains highly controversial.

• U.S. Government Response: The U.S. government has treated the incidents seriously, providing medical support to affected personnel and even referring to the symptoms as “anomalous health incidents.” The CIA and FBI have investigated the possibility of foreign attacks but have not reached a definitive conclusion.
• Skepticism: Some medical experts and researchers remain sceptical of the idea of deliberate attacks, especially given the lack of concrete evidence. A CIA report in 2022 indicated that the majority of cases did not appear to be the result of hostile foreign activity, though a small number of cases remain unexplained.

Alone with a Tasman Tiger provides another perspective.

Why are Australians intrigued by, (what happened to), the thylacine, more commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger?   The thylacine which is also known as Tasmanian wolf, is (most likely), an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The animal has a lot of fans.

If you’re not from Australia, you’ve probably never heard of the Tasman Tiger that was last seen alive in captivity in1936. Since then, there have been reported sightings with multiple groups sharing theories and photos, ever hopeful that it still exists.

There’s symbolism, mythology and heartache around the Tasman Tiger? Why is this so?  

Firstly, the thylacine’s extinction is often viewed as a tragic symbol of human impact on the natural environment. We must do better to preserve life.

Secondly, the thylacine was an iconic species in Tasmania and in the broader Australian consciousness. Its extinction left a lasting mark on the national psyche and serves as a reminder of the fragility of Australia’s unique wildlife.

Thirdly, it’s a symbol of hope. Despite being declared extinct, there have been numerous unverified sightings and reports of the thylacine over the decades. These reports keep the mystery alive and fuel speculation that small populations might still exist in remote areas. The possibility of rediscovering a species thought to be extinct is thrilling. It offers a sense of hope and a potential scientific breakthrough that captivates both the public and researchers.

There’s also a great deal of scientific interest in the animal with its extinction providing valuable lessons for conservation efforts. Understanding what led to its extinction can help in protecting other endangered species. Additionally, advances in genetics have led to discussions about the potential for “de-extinction”, i.e. bringing back the thylacine through cloning or other methods. This scientific possibility fascinates many and adds to the intrigue.

The thylacine continues to appear in books, (like my latest novel, Alone with a Tasman Tiger), documentaries, and films, which helps keep the story alive. Its enigmatic status makes it a compelling subject for storytelling.

Taken together, the mystery, scientific curiosity, and desire to right a historical wrong, makes the thylacine a topic of enduring interest. I hope they find the Tasman Tiger and that my novel piques the interest of a new generation.

I love beautiful fabrics and I delight in seeing them transformed into gorgeous gowns. It was why my protagonist Charlotte Wyatt, became a fashion designer because like other writers, I like to live vicariously. You can read about Charlotte’s journey from fashion design student, to model and then body double, in Substitute Child.

While most of the characters in my soon to be released novel, Alone with a Tasman Tiger, spend their time in the bush wearing military disposables or kit from Patagonia, my two leading ladies have the opportunity to don their most dazzling gowns at a fashion catwalk held at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania. The event is called Kaleidoscope on the Catwalk, and it becomes a pivotol location in the closing scenes of Alone with a Tasman Tiger.

I recently attended a staggeringly beautiful fashion display by Iris Van Herpen at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. The gowns were wonderfully whimsical and definitely not in the wearable category. But they would have been at home on the catwalk at the MONA,

Prologue

Miranda’s screams were peeling paint from the walls of the birthing suite at St Christophers in London, or so Mason thought, while Scott’s cries to hold tight could barely be heard above the thunder and lightning, as the yacht dipped and tilted in the ever-growing maelstrom in the stretch of water that separates Tasmania from mainland Australian. But it was the Tasmanian devil’s manic screeches, in the deep bush of Western Tasmania, that were the most chilling of all, sounding like someone crying out from the dead.

Curious? An Australian mystery. Live on Amazon, Kobo Barnes and Noble and Apple on Friday, September 27, 2024