Q1. Why did you write this book?

I wrote this book because I really wanted to read a young adult book that focused on an Aboriginal teen coming to terms with their sexuality (particularly someone who wasn't straight) and falling in love for the first time. It was a book I desperately needed when I was a teen and the main motivation for me was to write a story that teenage me would have loved. I was really just following that old writing advice, which is to write the story you want to read. 

Q2. What challenges did you face?

In writing the book, the first draft seemed to flow out of me without any effort at all. The story was so clear to me that all I could do was try to type as fast as the story was forming in my brain. The biggest challenge came in revisions, when I realised the story I was wanting to tell needed to be told from the perspective of another character. I had originally drafted with Tomas as my main character, and my biggest challenge was amending the story to be told from Jackson's point of view.

After months of revisions, I realised I needed to start from scratch with Jackson's version of the story, so that's what I did. The challenge was finding the courage to throw out a years worth of work and start with a new blank document, but as soon as I began that draft, the story came to life in more ways than it ever had before and that draft became The Boy from the Mish.
 
Q3. Why are audiobooks important?

Audiobooks are so important because they allow writers to reach readers in a different medium. Audiobooks allow writers to reach people who have disabilities, difficulties reading, and those who become overwhelmed at the prospect of reading books. Audiobooks allow people to continue immersing themselves in stories while they complete other tasks and allow a more enhanced reading experience. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents reading me stories, and for me, audiobooks remind me of that act of magic - sharing stories and passing stories on to the next person.