A decade ago, Bellarine writers Jacqui Connor, Jenny Macaulay and Pearl Wilson met over lunch to discuss the possibility of writing a book together to have some fun and extend their writing practice.
Last month the trio launched their crime novella Argyle: One Island, Four Voices, at the Midwinter Words writers festival in Portarlington.
The tenth anniversary of the festival, this year’s Midwinter Words was themed around crime writing, and event co-founder Ms Wilson saw the obvious opportunity.
“For the three of us the launch was a great relief,” Ms Wilson said.
“It’s something that we’re proud we achieved together, I suppose, because it was such a long trip.”
The novella centres on a fictional lighthouse off the Victorian coastline, spanning over a century as it follows the stories of lighthouse keepers, their families and visitors to the island.
The three painstakingly researched their chosen historical eras – Ms Connor the 1880s, Ms Wilson the Great Depression and Ms Macaulay the 1950s – tying the different eras together in the present day.
Ms Wilson, who has previously published six other books, said living through lockdowns had helped them better understand what their characters would experience living in a lighthouse on an offshore island.
“There was isolation for all the characters, and I think the experience of the pandemic allowed us to understand that better and tweak the writing,” she said.
The three writers will discuss their collaborative experience at Boronggook Drysdale Library on Wednesday, November 20 and Thursday, November 28 at Marli’s Bar in Portarlington.
