Louise Coree Whitfield of Terrigal has combined insights gained during her career as a family counsellor and her love of fantasy fiction to produce her very first novel.
The Lurkin is a tale highlighting how misunderstandings, suspicions and superstitions lead to mass hysteria in the fantasy townships of Scaysborough and Tremlite.
With a Masters in Social Science and Welfare Studies, Whitfield has worked with children and their families for over 20 years.
“My initial inspiration for the book came years ago when my own children were little,” she said.
“I realised there were so many people blaming others for things in their lives.
“It’s almost like people put problems outside themselves – there are a lot of myths and prejudices involved.
“I thought I’d like to write something about that.
“As a teenager I loved reading Tolkien – being taken into a fantasy Adventureland.
“So the idea came to me to use those fantasy concepts but instil some moral and ethical messages to show people how to look at things differently.”
With those aims in mind, Whitfield wrote the first draft of her book.
“I got led down a few garden paths about publishing and pulled it off the market, deciding to add some more chapters incorporating some of the experiences I had had as a counsellor,” she said.
“I wanted the book to look at families going through adversity.
“For example, one of the characters uses alcohol and the book looks at the effects that has not just on that person, but on his family.
“It evolved into a fantasy story with moral lessons.”
Whitfield decided to introduce some unlikely heroic characters, including a “grumpy old woman” and a nine-year-old boy.
“In the end, the book took me over 10 years to write,” she said.
“It took me a long time to work out how to create a story properly and I had lots of editorial input.
“A few times I stopped for a while wondering where the story should go next.
“And as I continued to add chapters, I went on my own journey of discovery.
“I finally finished it last year and that was a very exciting moment for me.
“I found a great Australian publishing company and editing started in June this year.
“There was a lot of re-reading and re-writing sections with the editor.”
Especially concerned with the mental health of children and young people, Whitfield is hoping youngsters will see something of themselves in the story.
“I’d like young people to realise that despite their journeys they are still heroes,” she said.
“The book is about getting people to see things through different perspective and discover their own inner hero.
“I often see great altruism and heroism coming from adversity – there could be another book in that.”
The Lurkin is published by Shoreline Publishing and is available at www.shawlinepublishing.com.au, good book stores and online book stores (including Amazon).
Terry Collins