PRESS RELEASE: Remember that summer Nirvana came to town?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. 7 November 2020
Remember that summer Nirvana came to town?
Some of us remember — like it was yesterday. Gold Coast author, Fauun, has released her debut novel, set in 1991, on the Gold Coast, with all the music, surf, drugs and drama you like.
Gold Coast authors are few and far between, so it’s something different to announce there’s a new novel on the scene that gets right to the heart of an era many of us long for. ‘1991’ set on the Gold Coast, turns back the clock almost thirty years to that analogue summer that Nirvana played Fishos, the Ramones hung at the Playroom, and Beach Road nightclub served Dollar Drinks to their bikini-clad patrons while they kept an eye on the door waiting for the next pro-surfer to wander in.
In the mayhem of sex, drugs and grungy rock n’ roll, a few scars have been left behind to tell the tales that are far worse than just a Dollar Drinks hangover. Fauun’s debut novel shines a spotlight on domestic violence through the eyes of a young woman, with a hint of ethereal magic, a twist of romance and a few scrapes along the way.
The author recalls, “That summer Nirvana came to Fishos we were living in a house set for demolition. We jumped the fence, there was no way we could buy tickets, we didn’t even have electricity. We moved around a lot and spent most of the year on Monaca Street in a huge run-down house, near Surfers Paradise. At the time, I was living with my abusive surfer boyfriend and a gang of his mates. I was virtually in prison for the best part of 10 months. When I first met him, I was a swimwear model, and in hindsight, overly confident and naive. Being a young woman, suddenly vulnerable through a personal tragedy, I walked into a lot of trouble. Over time, I promised myself I’d write the story if I survived the violence. So yeah, the book has taken almost 30 years to extract itself from me! It’s been pretty cathartic.”
Ash, the female protagonist, is attracted to the glittering shores of the Gold Coast in a haze of grief following the loss of her twin sister. Working as a swimwear model, and on the brink of homelessness, she goes home with Jay, a local surfer. He lives with a gang of surfers in a dilapidated mansion on Monaco Street, that is haunted by his missing ex-girlfriend, Nebraska.
Ash becomes emotionally trapped in a suffocating relationship with Jay, who has subversively eroded her freedoms, isolating her from the outside world. As Ash’s relationship with Jay peaks in violence, the household Godhead, Tora, returns home after a long absence. Tora is immediately captivated by Ash, and a dangerous love triangle ensues.
Underscoring the most solemn times of the story, the narrator weaves through an exploration of Ash’s transformation, paralleled with Nebraska’s emotional purgatory. Nebraska longs for her living lover, Jay, that cannot see her; and Ash, for her lost family life and the promise of Tora. These revelations lead to the painfully beautiful resolution that ‘Love never dies.’
——-
AUTHOR BIO
Born in 1972 and raised in the freshly carved suburbs of Australia’s Logan City, Fauun grew into a storyteller of all mediums. After a three-decade career as a designer and creative director — living and working in Sydney, Montreal and Paris, Fauun returned to Australia inspired and committed to writing full-time. Her leap of faith cascaded into a series of significant life events. The years to follow saw her endure the seasons of divorce, unemployment, financial ruin and homelessness, which resulted in living in her car while a student of her new path as a writer.
Fauun’s first novel, 1991, is inspired by her own personal story as a young artist, caught in a violent relationship, in the wake of her lifelong friend’s sudden death.
—–
‘1991’ is a novel published in Paperback, Hardcover and Ebook format and is available for purchase through the publisher’s website (www.fauun.com) or through online book retailers such as Fishpond.com.au and Booktopia.com.au. Additional search results here: https://booko.com.au/9780646826639/1991
——-
BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 9780646826639
Classification: Modern & contemporary Fiction, Romance
Format: Paperback / softback (198mm x 129mm x 15mm)
Pages: 258
Imprint: Fauun
Publisher: Fauun
Publish Date: 10-Oct-2020
Published by: Fauun, PO Box 301, Burleigh Heads, QLD 4220 Australia
Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0411 812 277
—–
EXTRA NOTE – MUSIC
The author discusses her process working with music. “There are twenty-two chapters in the 1991 novel. Each has its own song. There is music infused throughout the story… So how could I publish a book without a soundtrack? I had so much fun pulling the playlist together on Spotify early in the creative process and it pulled me through, all the way to the last page. I also made a mix tape for Ash my female protagonist. I built landscapes and characters and emotional cataclysms based on music and artists.”
EXTRA NOTE – FILM
The author discusses her process with story building and how 1991 was initially written as a feature film screenplay. “I originally wrote the story as a feature film, which helped me build the world and plot. After some really constructive film industry feedback, I set to work on expanding the characters. It felt like a natural progression to go the long haul and write a vividly described novel, offering the reader total immersion. It was important to communicate the inner workings of Ash, the female protagonist, which the novel allowed me to do. I’ll now go back and work on the second draft of the 1991 screenplay, introducing the new elements uncovered during the novel writing process.”
—–
