When Raw Blue was published I was on radio and in the major papers a lot because the media loved the idea of someone throwing in their career job to go surfing. It’s the reason I left my career as an economist, and it’s because of that I started writing. Probably the defining thing about my life is that I’m a surfer. I am passionate about more recognition and understanding being given to the issues facing regional Australia. Likewise, I feel that neither men nor boys benefit from rigid definitions of masculinity.

I want women’s stories and roles, in all their diversity, to be given greater respect and representation in our culture. I strongly believe in the work that White Ribbon are doing to address violence against women. What are you passionate about?Īccess to education and opportunity – I am state-schooled and relied on Austudy and part-time work to get through university.įeminism. Where have your works been published?Īustralia and the UK. It’s generating discussion, and that is a good thing when there is so much sexual content available online and people’s lives are increasingly becoming a performance thanks to social media. The response to Summer Skin! I took risks with the story that wouldn’t have been possible before, but I feel are necessary now. Even better, the emails I have received from readers about that book. My debut novel, Raw Blue, winning the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adult fiction. What have been the highlights of your career? What themes are recurring in your work?įemale sexuality, Australian masculinity, the call of the natural environment, the distortive impact of social media, and family situations that aren’t perfect – I have tremendous respect for teens who are navigating complicated home arrangements they should be congratulated, but so rarely get positive feedback. I also gained qualifications and worked as a personal trainer for a period.

After that I worked in kitchens while completing a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at TAFE. I graduated with a Masters in Economics and worked at the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Bank of England trading bonds. I left home at seventeen to attend uni in Brisbane, and have also lived in Sydney, Canberra, Perth, and London, among other places. I was born in Mackay, Queensland, and spent most of my childhood in regional Capricornia, raised by my mother and grandmother. She believes storytelling is a life skill, and her author talks and workshops are structured using tenets of performance psychology to ensure they are distilled, sequenced and practical. Kirsty Eagar is the award-winning author of the Young Adult novels: Summer Skin, Raw Blue, Night Beach and Saltwater Vampires.

Raw blue by kirsty eagar