This will just be a short blog, but I just needed to say something…

READY WHEN YOU ARE was released in the U.S on March 1st! READY WHEN YOU ARE was published as THE BOY FROM THE MISH in Australia. How do I feel? It’s really hard to find the words to describe how I feel knowing I have a book published overseas. I feel thrilled. I feel overwhelmed. Mostly, I feel awe.

The other day, I was caught in a moment when I looked away from my monitor and down to the box of published hardcovers. I felt this tremendous sense of accomplishment. I was this Aboriginal kid growing up in Bega, playing footy, getting adults to buy me alcohol and getting drunk with my mates most weekends, burying my emerging gayness away and avoiding having to deal with it. And now, less than 10 years later, I’ve written a young adult novel which has now been published in Australia and internationally - a book about a closeted gay Aboriginal teen who lives in a rural village and feels and struggles with all the things I felt and struggles with when I was his age.

I approached the editing process with editor David Levithan with excitement. Luckily, we didn’t make any major story changes. Apart from the title, nothing significant was changed and David really understood the story I was trying to tell. There were a few word changes and Americanisation’s, but the spirit of the story remains the same.

I’m so excited my little story is now finding a whole new group of readers and I hope they fall in love with Jackson and Tomas like so many readers have here in Australia.

To my American readers, happy reading and I sincerely hope you enjoy my book! For now, I am finalising revisions on my second novel and will provide some more updates on that soon. I aim to blog again before the end of the month, but until then, why not head to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of READY WHEN YOU ARE or THE BOY FROM THE MISH!
Gary