» Now that I’ve “Caught” your attention!

Now that I’ve “Caught” your attention!

September 22, 2010

Hi A.B. Gayle here again.

First up, thanks to all the Dreamspinner authors and others who dropped into my pre-release party on the Dreamspinner Press Facebook page on Saturday. It was great to meet you all there.

Today, I’m going to give you some background to me and the book. Following this will be an excerpt then at 9pm I’ll be posting Lightening the Tone – humor and sex. Finally, at 10pm Catching your Eye with the Cover of Caught how the cover came about and a general ramble about the difficulty I faced, having Daniel as my main character.

For those who haven’t “met” me, I’m new to the writing scene. Unlike many authors who’ve been writing since they were “just out of nappies”, I don’t have any manuscripts tucked away in a bottom drawer somewhere. I envy those who have!

Instead, like many Australians, I did the “Grand Tour” as soon as I had earned enough money, flying over to Canada to attend the Montreal Summer Olympics as a spectator. Yes, I’m that old! Look it up in Wikipedia all you young ones and do the math.

Afterwards I bought a rusted out almost unroadworthy Volkswagen Beetle and drove around the United States and Canada for five months, sight-seeing, giving lifts to hitchhikers and staying in Youth Hostels. Ah, the good old days. Later when I was travelling around Europe, I even spent a month hitch-hiking through Germany by myself.

After surviving one cold winter working in London, I high-tailed it back to Australia before the next one and eventually did the usual thing, marriage, kids, work. All the time, stories, places, people whirled around in my head but I never thought I had what it took to be a writer.

I’ve always been an avid reader, but never one for “good” books. If it’s won a literary prize, I run a mile. I used to like reading Georgette Heyer and Regency Romances, but could never get too enthused about other romances, where the story is about the ring, the wedding, and the babies.

Then I discovered M/M romance. I love reading and writing about men, because they can do all the things I would love to do but can’t, simply because I’m female. It’s hard to explain to guys who never have to experience the look you get when you walk into a bar or restaurant alone. The inevitable unspoken questions: “Why is she here? Is she on the look out for a hook up? Will I be trapped into something if I talk to her? Will I be caught?”

Here’s the fantastic cover Mara compiled of a model I found at Shutterstock and a photo I took of the lighthouse which features in the story. Other photos are in an album on my facebook page Ab Gayle

In a way, the story revolves around the word “Caught” in its different connotations.

The setting is Sydney, Australia where I now live. While the thread that weaves throughout is a serious one: a man who teams up with an invalid lady to act as a volunteer suicide watch at a notorious clifftop, the actual tone is not bleak.

Probably all of us have been touched in some way by the death of someone who has given up all hope on happiness. My story in no way diminishes the tragedy, horror and grief, but hopefully it presents it in a way that is easy to read.

My hero, Daniel Ho, lives with his invalid landlady in a house overlooking a notorious Sydney suicide location. They take it on themselves to intervene when they see people they’re concerned about.

Daniel, posing as a tourist chats to the person and lures them away from the danger zone. One day, the man he meets turns out to be a bigger target than he bargained for. Daniel gets emotionally involved and becomes entwined in the man’s problems.

Taylor wasn’t about to jump, but he still needs to come to terms with issues from his past. In an amusing twist, a facet of Daniel’s personality proves to be just the thing to help Taylor. Is it enough for both of them though?

Because I was concerned about including such a serious topic, as a precaution, I sent a synopsis and first chapter to Jeremy Little the Media Relations Advisor for SANE Australia: A national charity working for a better life for Australians affected by mental illness.

He referred me to Guidelines set out by the National Mindframe Media and Performing Arts which provide directors, writers and the media with information as to responsibly portraying suicide and mental health issues and can be accessed at http://www.mindframe-media.info/ . He also requested I place contact details for relevant organisations at the end, which I did.

It was only when I posted a blurb about the story in a message to some Facebook friends that I discovered that there is a form of suicide watch currently being done at my story’s location by Doug Ritchie.

I hadn’t heard about Doug when I wrote “Caught”, and it was only recently that author A.J. Llewellyn sent me these links: Phantoms & Monsters Blog and an article in the Medical Section of the Sydney Morning Herald

I was in two minds whether I should write about suicide and apparently this concern is shared as this excerpt from the latter article shows.

Doug was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his services to suicide prevention but is all too aware that any publicity attracts more depressed and disturbed people.

In the weeks after the Channel 10 newsreader Charmaine Dragun jumped to her death outside his house in November 2007, Mr Ritchie’s wife is adamant six more followed.

‘‘But what do you do? Not talk about it?’’ he asks. ‘‘It’s the truth. It’s what goes on here.’’

It has long been a haunting dichotomy for rescuers, families and media. To speak out in a bid to have the area made safer, risking more people becoming aware of it, or to keep quiet, letting the deaths go on.

But for an anti-suicide campaigner, Dianne Gaddin, whose daughter Tracy jumped from The Gap in 2005, the answer is easy. If the issue is not aired, the problem will never be solved.

She has written four letters in the past month to the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, urging him to act. While her pleas go unanswered, her desperation balloons. She knows Mr Ritchie will not be standing guard forever.

‘‘Sometimes just a smile and a greeting is all it takes to change the mind of the would-be suicider. I don’t believe people want to die, but living is just too hard. To me, Don is a guardian angel.

Hopefully, my story will be a reminder to give that smile and greeting to strangers and to show our concern. No matter where we live.

I’ll include an excerpt in my next post.