Holden Sheppard is the award-winning author of Invisible Boys (now a Stan miniseries), The Brink and King of Dirt.
The Western Australian author loves his footy and V8 ute, comes from a working-class background, grew up as country boy – and is gay.
You’ll get a chance to meet Holden and hear about his books at a free event – In Conversation with Holden Sheppard – at the Woodcroft library on Friday 18 July from 6:30pm to 8pm. To attend, register online.
For a sneak preview of what Holden might reveal, read Onkaparinga Now’s brief interview with him.
What started your passion for writing?
From the age of four I was devouring books constantly and then started writing my own Enid Blyton-style boarding school stories from the age of seven. I intended to be a published novelist by the age of eight … but nope, it took a couple decades more than that when my debut novel Invisible Boys was published in 2019.
How far are characters like Charlie, Zeke and Jack reflections of your own experience?
All of my narrators have some element of my personality in them. With Invisible Boys and The Brink, I’d split myself into three teenage characters each book and it was a bit easier to hide myself in those made-up characters. But I really had a hankering to write about myself more honestly: a bloke in his mid-thirties who was attracted to men, who worked as a labourer. So that’s where Jack Brolo in King of Dirt comes from. He’s as close to myself as I’ll ever get in fiction, I think. He even drives the same V8 ute as me!
What are the challenges of writing from your own experience?
I find it cathartic to write from lived experience. The challenge is probably when it comes to promoting and talking about the book: it can feel like people want total vulnerability, but oversharing too much of yourself can really deplete you as a human being. With King of Dirt being my third book, I’ve learned to more carefully set boundaries so I don’t overshare about my own personal life – I try to focus more on talking about the characters.
What are the challenges of writing characters who are NOT like you?
I’ve mostly stuck to characters who are like me, so this hasn’t been too much of an issue. The Brink did have one main female character, Kaiya, so that was a challenge to get right. So, I spoke to lots of female friends, sisters, cousins, even my niece, to try to get the details as right as possible. It led to some enlightening conversations!
How do your characters navigate the collision between sexuality, religion, rural living and the working class?
Growing up as a country boy from a working-class background, there was no ‘gay scene’ in town and very few openly gay men around – and those who were open would cop ridicule or get joked about behind their backs. I hadn’t seen any examples of gay men who were also in conventionally masculine jobs – the only thing on TV was very camp, very one-dimensional stereotypes.
So a lot of creating my characters is driven by the desire to reflect and represent myself and other gay and bisexual men like me who haven’t been widely represented in literature or media. I’ve written about gay punk rockers, gay farm boys, gay migrants, gay footy players, and now with Jack in King of Dirt, bisexual tradies and FIFO workers.
Can you be a bogan and be gay?
Yep. I’m living proof! Lots of us gay blokes in Australia are no different to your garden variety straight bogan except we happen to prefer other blokes – that’s it. I’ve lost track of how many gay bogans I’ve had message saying how much they relate to my books and my characters and they feel seen for the first time.
Jack Brolo in King of Dirt might be the first official gay bogan in literature and I’m proud of that – I’ve put myself and guys like me on the page. I hope it makes it easier for the gay bogans out there to feel like they can be themselves. There’s more than one way to be gay.
What are your books saying about love?
My ambition is to show the realities of being a gay man – no shame, just telling it like it is. A lot of gay men carry shame with us – often even long after coming out – so I try to show characters who are messy and flawed, to show that even with all our perceived defects and insecurities and fears, we are absolutely worthy of love just as we are.
Book your free ticket at Eventbrite.