In the run up to the release of my new novel "Gifts of the Peramangk" I sat down with Jason McNamara of The D-Head Factor radio show out of Canberra, Australia to talk about the novel, the journey I took to publication and what drives me as a writer.
Don't let the name of the show fool you. The D-Head Factor is a weekly radio show that tears down the news of the week in a comical way but it also features many up and coming musicians and bands and artists, giving them an opportunity to show case their work to a wide audience. DOWNLOAD THE INTERVIEW. (Right Click and Choose "Save Link...") Connect with Jason and the team here. Tweet the D-Head Factor here. Facebook the D-Head Factor here. DFA.
MUSIC & RACE: EXPLORING A DARK TIME IN AUSTRALIA’S HISTORY.
Dean Mayes’ landmark new novel, Gifts of the Peramangk, delves into the far reaching effects of the White Australia Policy and the ramifications for one family. Delta, BC – Central Avenue Publishing is extremely pleased to present the second novel by Adelaide author Dean Mayes. Gifts of the Peramangk is both heart wrenching and heart warming - exploring the effects of the White Australia Policy on the generations of one family.
The protagonist of the story is Virginia Crammond, a young girl taken from her happy home at the height of the Policy in the 1950s. Set to work on a remote outback station, she suffers through back-breaking work and abuse. Her only solace is the violin, taught to her by the station owner’s kind hearted wife. But her talent cannot save her from a lifetime of hardship. Decades later, amidst poverty and dysfunction, Virginia’s granddaughter Ruby plays the violin with the same passion that Virginia once possessed, only now, Ruby’s given a unique chance to escape her circumstance.
Set in and amongst several popular Adelaide locales and landmarks, Gifts of the Peramangk is an exploration of race relations and the dysfunction caused by one of the darkest times in Australia’s history. “Dean Mayes has been a pivotal writer for our press,” says Michelle Halket, Creative Director of Central Avenue Publishing. “His first book was one of our early bestsellers. Dean has an uncanny ability to capture the essence of music, blend it with resonant characters and wrap it all up in a unique and ethereal literary style. Readers respond passionately to his writing.”
Gifts of the Peramangk is available in both print and digital editions and is available worldwide today - October 26, 2012. Purchase Gifts of the Peramangk now fromDean from Australia, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble and iTunes. Central Avenue Publishing is also the publisher of the internationally acclaimed and widely followed I WROTE THIS FOR YOU project - a poetry and photography blog with tens of thousands of followers. About Central Avenue Publishing: Central Avenue is an independent press based in Delta, Canada, featuring writers of original fiction, poetry and selected non fiction across several genres. ### If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with either Dean Mayes or Central Avenue Publishing, please contact Michelle Halket at +1 604.765.8194 michelle@centralavenuepublishing.com or Dean Mayes at +61 8 7200 1165 banistersmind@gmail.com DFA.
