[adrotate group=”2″]
By CAITLIN CROWLEY
REFLECTING on her country upbringing and “golden age” partying at B&S balls with boarding school mates, Clare Fletcher had no shortage of inspiration for her debut novel “Five Bush Weddings”, launching in Toowoomba next month.
“When I sat down to write the book, it was sort of instinctive to go back to those areas where I grew up,” she said.
“They’re the parties I remember and I felt like I hadn’t seen much of that world in the books I was reading, and I hope I’ve done it justice.”
Considering how the romantic comedy begins it’s fair to say, Clare captured the cheeky spirit of the bush beautifully.
“The opening scene is at a wedding and Eagle Rock starts to play and everyone drops their pants,” Fletcher said.
“I really wondered if the publishers would let it through because it’s not a universal thing!”
But publishing powerhouse Penguin backed Fletcher and her story, centred around a country wedding photographer looking for love.
Fletcher said while she loves the process of writing, her expectations of actually getting published were “very low”.
“I studied journalism and you spend your entire journalism degree being told you won’t get jobs and writing is the same – you get told you’ll get rejected,” she said.
“I fully recognise I’ve been unusually lucky and I feel incredibly lucky my book is being published.
“It’s been the biggest dream of my life and it’s been a very strange period of my life, that it’s about to come true.”
[adrotate group=”2″]
Fletcher now lives in Sydney but hails from St George and spent her high school years boarding at Toowoomba’s St Ursula’s College.
It was a stint back in her home town in her late 20s which reconnected the avid traveller with her country roots, working for an agronomist and waitressing in town.
“People living on the land have such a precarious life and so much is out of their control,” Fletcher said.
“I have so much respect for people working in agriculture – and when they do get the chance to party, they go hard.
“The best country weddings that I’ve been to – it really brings the community together.”
The book’s official launch is being hosted by Ann Hewitt from The Book Tree in Toowoomba, who was approached by Penguin with the rare opportunity.
“Obviously we said yes, but we didn’t realise we’d be the actual launch of the book,” Hewitt said.
“We thought we’d have to slot in with whatever other events happened to be organised around that.
“We’re really excited about it. It will be great to get back into the author events after covid, it’s really our first organised event for almost two years.”
Thanks to Fletcher’s strong ties to Toowoomba, Hewitt thinks the August 2nd event will have a reunion feel to it.
“She knows quite a lot of people and they’re really quite excited to see what the book is going to be like and whether they can identify any people in the book, even though of course, it is strictly fiction,” Hewitt laughed.
When asked if some readers will be able to recognise certain scenes in the book, Fletcher said she “certainly hopes so”.
Ann Hewitt said while hosting the evening was a little nerve wracking, she had enjoyed preparing her questions.
“We’re just going to be in conversation with Clare and find out a bit more about the book, about her writing process. It’s her first book so that’s a real feather in her cap as well, to actually land a contract with Penguin because it’s so competitive at the moment.
“I have started to read the book and I must say I’m right into it, I’m really enjoying it. It’s lighthearted but it’s still got a heart and you really love the characters in that story.”
For more information and to book tickets for the official launch, head to The Book Tree Toowoomba Facebook page.
St George residents will also have the chance to meet Clare at a special event at St George library on Friday August 5th.