Getting 2 Know Rosanne Dingli

Photo: Jill Beaver

Home is where my heart is: I love the house and all its contents because they were largely chosen by my husband and me, together. It is an organic collection of ‘stuff’ in the midst of which we and our children feel almost too comfortable. We like homes that seem to come together over a long period of time, decorated with a mixture of objects that speak of the pastimes, events, milestones and tastes of the occupants of a house. We do not really understand designer homes that seem to have been put together in one afternoon; they seem overly tidy, bare and bland. Everything matches, but nothing rhymes.

I love Australia, which is a home in more than just one sense. An excellent place to bring up and educate children, Perth especially is a city of manageable size that has provided everything we need with less stress perhaps, than other big cities.
I feel extraordinarily comfortable in Venice, Italy – we visit when we can and know it quite well, and since I speak the language and know how to avoid the crowds of tourists, it sometimes seems like a home away from home. I included Venice as a location in According to Luke, and I feel it really worked.

What do you think readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I have been told by some readers that According to Luke is easy to read and that it’s a quick page turner. Readers will perhaps be amazed to find out that it was incredibly difficult to write. I do not find writing either relaxing or easy – it is hard work, and can be very demanding and frustrating at times. I like the research, and I love travelling to the locations that actually give me my stories, but putting it all down in a first draft is the hardest part of the process. I struggle sometimes, and find it difficult to sort chronology and pace in my head, and to include mysterious and thrilling parts that urge the reader onward.

So I feel that easy reading is hard writing for the author: a lot ends up cut out, left out, or struck out in fury and frustration. I am also not a very disciplined writer, so will procrastinate and dither, duck and weave, and avoid writing until the devil is treading on my tail. When the draft is down, however, I turn into a totally different person. I revise and rewrite quite happily, check my facts and polish, polish, polish until I feel the writing fulfils the promise of the story behind it. I am always aware of the reader, but do not always know how to come up with a book that will satisfy and send the reader away content.

Read more about Rosanne Dingli and her novel According to Luke, which includes links to her website, reviews, and more.