S4 Ep 21 Rebellious Rural Writer

Fleur McDonald is one of Australia’s leading authors in rural literature and storytelling. Fleur is a prolific writer and to date has published 16 novels, while still living on a working farm. 

We talk about courageous characters in her novels and find out whether there is a hint of Fleur in any of the rural heroines we read about. We don’t just talk books though. We dive into Fleur cutting her teeth working the land, firstly as a jillaroo, then what it’s like to live in a remote environment and raise a family with children who needed a lot of early health interventions.  We also have an important chat about domestic violence and how it relates to rural living.

Duration: 32 min

We talk about:

·         Life growing up in rural and isolated Australian landscapes

·         Life as a jillaroo and female farmer

·         Raising children with special needs
          Living  in a rural landscape without running water, electricity and basic amenities

·         Anxiety 

·         Access to mental health services in rural Australia

·         Domestic Violence

·         The organisation DV Assist 

·         Courageous female characters in Fleur’s novels

·         Courage to be kind

Contact Fleur

Website: https://www.fleurmcdonald.com/
Fleur’s novels:  Novels – Fleur McDonald
DV assist: https://dvassist.org.au/  (Rural domestic violence assistance)

Social Media Handles
Facebook:@FleurMcDonaldAuthor
Instagram: fleurmcdonald

Interview: Sana Turnock
Produced and edited by: Sana Turnock
Audio mastering: Woods Media Lab
Copyright-free music credits: Apolllo - Patrick Patrikios