Meet the winner of the 2013 Queensland Literary Awards – Best Emerging Author category.

Gap – a novel that combines a gripping crime thriller with a style evocative of Dorothy Porter’s cult classic, The Monkey’s Mask.

When you’re at the end of the line with nowhere to turn – how far would you go to protect the one you love?

A man is found dead in an inner-city suburb, a police officer walks the blurry line between duty and loyalty, and a young woman from the wrong side of the tracks is on the run. Ana soon becomes a suspect in the murder investigation, and as sole carer for her younger sister is desperately trying to stay ahead of the law. In a surprising twist, the detective in charge of the case is no stranger and Ana is forced to face her past and the things she has left behind. Unsure of who she can trust and isolated by her crime, Ana is drawn into a passionate affair that breaks all the rules.

Rebecca Jessen, from Queensland, thank you for letting me park my rig on your…

Cottage lawn?

(Hmm, this could be interesting.)

What’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’?

Look, I’m going to be kind of predictable and say ‘Welcome Home’. I love our little cottage so much, and every time I roll up in the car out the front and see the house I feel a little bit happier for it. It’s a gorgeous house that my partner and I have made our home.

If I looked in your refrigerator right now, what would I find?

In the fridge right now you would find half a jar of homemade lemon curd, some fresh figs and some (sneaky) early Easter eggs.

Downsizing my life into a 24 ft caravan meant leaving lots of things behind in boxes. What (or who!!) would you have trouble leaving behind if you took off in a caravan?

The herb garden and the stacks and stacks of books in our house!

(Could not agree more. So miss my fresh herbs.)

Whose home would you like to visit in your van and why?

Because I’m currently reading the collection of letters between her and Virginia Woolf, I would love to have visited Vita Sackville-West in her home at Sissinghurst Castle.

Country curiosities…

My latest novel, Season of Shadow and Light, has a strong horse theme. (I love what horses can teach us). If you were an animal what would you be?

Hmm this is tough! I am known for my love of cute baby animals! But if I were to be an animal myself, perhaps I would be a hawk. Hawks are beautiful, strong creatures, and check out that view! 

You’re cooking and your food going up against the best cooks from the CWA (Country Women’s Association). What would be your winning dish?

It would be a three-ginger cake that I make using buttermilk and fresh ginger. The first time I made it, my partner and I fell in love with the fluffy lightness of the cake (thanks to the buttermilk) and the sharp ginger kick!

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Motivation and procrastination are my biggest obstacles. I often think if I had less time to write, I would approach it with less resistance. It’s a strange approach to doing the thing you love, but it’s something I’m working on!

 If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

Hurricane: the troubled and turbulent life of Rebecca Jessen.

 What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Hmm that’s a tough one! I have been asked some great questions by people who’ve really engaged with my book. I guess I haven’t been asked much about my other writing pursuits though, so perhaps the question would be:

‘So Bec, what else do you write?’

To which I would reply:

My most natural inclination when writing is towards memoir. I don’t know exactly why this is, but it is the voice that often comes to me with the least amount of resistance. I draw a lot of inspiration from my life, and my childhood, and this I think, feeds into many recurring themes throughout my work. Before Gap was published, the only writing I had published was short pieces of memoir. I’m currently (however slowly) working on a memoir collection about my time growing up in Western Sydney. It’s a challenging, but rewarding process. I also have the beginnings of a novel floating around in my head (and sometimes on the page) and some pieces of poetry popping up every now and then!

Favourite Four

Favourite place in Australia: I haven’t travelled nearly enough yet to say definitively, but I do absolutely love the lighthouse at Byron Bay. I love when you get to the top and you look out over the cliffs and get that immense feeling of endlessness.

Favourite holiday destination (anywhere): Oh, this would have to be a toss up between Paris and San Francisco

Favourite movie: Into The Wild. From the music to the cinematography, everything about it is incredibly beautiful and haunting.

Favourite quote: I found this quote while studying an art history subject at uni and it has stayed with me. I used to have it stuck up above my desk. It’s by Andre Breton who penned the Surrealist Manifesto.

‘Keep reminding yourself that literature is one of the saddest roads that leads to everything.’

It’s a beautiful, melancholy quote and really sums up my approach to writing.

 If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?

I would most likely challenge you to a game of Bananagrams. I’m relatively new to it, so you would even have a chance of beating me. Maybe.

(Um, you would probably win as I have no idea what Bananagrams is – and I live in the land of the Big Banana!)

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With Bec’s award and with my House for all Seasons coming in at #5 Top Selling Debut novel, we both had a bumper 2013.

Here’s what people are saying about Gap:

‘Jessen does an extraordinary job not only of evoking a grim urban landscape but also of sketching tangled loyalties and conflicting loves, as well as the turbulent emotions of guilt, fear and escape.’

Sydney Morning Herald ‘Spectrum’

‘It certainly packs a punch. It’s amazing how few words can tell such a deep and emotional story.’

The Big Book Club

WIN!

Rebecca has a signed (print) copy of Gap to a ‘lucky’ comment 🙂

You have two weeks. Just leave a comment.

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