Anna Johnston - When Lemons Give You Life: A Recipe for Redemption

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In the spirit of reconciliation, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of
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country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community.
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I pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and extend that respect
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to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Highland peoples today.
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Welcome to Totally Lit, the podcast celebrating reading, writing,
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and creating literature. I'm your host, Kai Garvey. Thank you for listening.
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Anna Johnson, welcome to Totally Lit. Thank you so much for having me.
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I love the title of your latest book, When Lemons Give You Life.
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I feel like I might have lived this book title.
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I've had lemons and I'm loving life at the moment. Would you like to tell me
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a little bit about your latest release?
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Absolutely. So When Lemons Give You Life is about a retired Michelin star chef
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called Griff Barlow, who is now living in a nursing home.
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He's widowed, he's lost his beautiful husband, he's grumpy and depressed and
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ready to depart this earth.
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But being a Michelin star chef, he is determined that his last meal will not
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be the beige slop that they serve at the nursing home.
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So on the night of his planned demise, he breaks into the nursing home kitchen
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to cook himself his final meal, which is a lemon tart.
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The act of cooking stirs this long, dormant joy, and he delays his plans and
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soon begins cooking for other residents who in turn come alive with each bite
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of Griff's delicious creations,
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but he has a secret so big that it could destroy everything he has left to protect.
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Meanwhile, his younger half-sister Lisa is dealing with a midlife ADHD diagnosis,
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the spark of a new romance, and news that may change life as she knows it.
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Despite their very long, fractured sibling relationship, she dutifully visits
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Griff, even though she knows that hope of reconciliation is long gone,
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buried in the silence between them.
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But when soufflés and secrets and second chances collide, they may just discover
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a recipe for redemption.
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Thank you. Oh, my goodness. I cannot wait to get stuck into this.
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It's got so many things that I love.
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I had seen that there are some aged care homes that are all LGBTI and I had
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never realised or thought about that.
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And it makes so much sense as well that you would want to be with your community.
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Very interesting. And the ADHD diagnosis as well, there's a lot of that in the media at the moment.
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Is that something you've had any experience with or is it something you thought
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you wanted to embed in the novel?
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So I was diagnosed with ADHD at 40 and it suddenly made sense of so many contradictions in my life,
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you know, why I could study really hard and get good grades but at the same
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time be floored by the most simple of tidying tasks, you know, how,
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immense creativity and clutter could exist in the same mind,
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you know, empathy and distraction.
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Yeah, and it's been a real journey. And I think it's something that is really
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misunderstood, especially in women.
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And so I wanted to shine a light on that with empathy and humour.
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And I'm hoping that a lot of people feel seen in Lisa or those that don't have
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the condition that they might gain a little perspective on what it's like to
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live inside the mind of a person with ADHD.
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Yeah, it's interesting. I have a lot of friends who've either been diagnosed
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with autism or ADHD midlife.
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And multiple different reactions in terms of some have felt, oh, that explains it.
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And then there's others that have gone, oh, does that mean there is something wrong with me?
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I read an article today in Mamma Mia where there was a woman who'd been diagnosed
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with ADHD and I can't quite recall her name at the moment, but she was talking
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about she felt an element of shame with that diagnosis.
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And I kind of identify with it that when I was young in primary school,
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I had to go to remedial months in about grade three.
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And I remember walking to it and feeling so much, oh, I don't want to tell my mum and dad that.
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I'm not good at this, even though my talent, like I can spell any word you throw
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at me, I'm great at English, but I felt such, yeah, a challenge to share with
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other people that I needed help with something.
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But I do love the way that women are sort of celebrating their diagnosis.
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How have you felt with your diagnosis?
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Have you been sitting okay with it? I have been.
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There's certainly, I think it's really mixed. Like, you know,
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I don't think calling it a superpower is correct.
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But also at the same time you know
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like yeah it's it's
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sort of something that it definitely does affect
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you know how you're able to work and live and function but there are certainly
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positives to it and there are challenges and I think it's about you know embracing
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all of that for me knowledge is power so for me ultimately even though there
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is a little process of grieving as well.
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I think, yeah, knowing that about yourself and how your brain works and why
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you find certain things difficult or other things easy, it's just a really helpful tool to know.
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So I'm very glad that I got the diagnosis and I hope that,
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yeah, as I said, I hope people will read the book and sort of feel,
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you know, there are a lot of women now being diagnosed, not because there are
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more women that have ADHD, but because we understand the condition more and
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how it represents differently.
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And I'll tell you a secret, Anna, you are the first person I've ever shared
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that remedial maths story with.
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Oh, there you go. I'm like, I haven't talked to that. Public now.
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Yeah, it's funny because my dad was a maths teacher, but it didn't travel to
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me. It tends to happen, yeah.
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How have people been receiving the book? Have you had some reviews and things?
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Have people been enjoying it? Yeah, so it's not out until the 28th of April.
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It's a very emotional book. It's a heavier read than Frederick Fife,
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but it is still full of humour and hope.
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I sort of wanted to explore some deeper issues and some complex characters,
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but yeah, it still has all of my humour and hope throughout.
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And that's your first book, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.
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Is the pressure off now you're in in
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the second book of your career or are you definitely
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feeling like an established author now not really
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I it's funny because I was talking to an author friend the
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other day and we're sort of saying that you don't ever feel I
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don't know that it gets any easier like you know more what
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to expect this time around like with publicity and
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edits and all of those things but certainly the
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writing of book two if anything was harder for me
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than book one and I'm on to book three now and again I'm in that place of you
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know major imposter syndrome which I don't think ever really leaves it might
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leave for a fleeting moment but then when you're back sort of doing some of
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the hard work it yeah it rears its head so but I'm I'm loving the journey.
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Did you initially get your first book published did you go through the slush pile or did you how did,
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you first get started? I do feel a little bit bad about sharing this story because
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it's a total unicorn story and I don't credit it to my own brilliance whatsoever.
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I believe I was in the, you know, right time, right place, right person.
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But I was getting ready to write a query letter,
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but in the meantime, I'd heard about the literary speed
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dating with the Australian Society of Authors and
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so I did that with Penguin Random
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House and my very first pitch was
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a yes and so it was just yeah my
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first book I'm not sure if you've read it but the the main
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character was inspired by my grandfather and best
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friend who was basically the kindest person on earth and I believe you know
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I really credit that book and its success to that his magnetic kindness which
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is impossible not to be drawn to rather than my own writing skills because I
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have many talented writer friends that have been slogging away, you know, for years.
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So I don't think it's necessarily, you know, just about talent.
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It's often just, you know, finding which door opens at the right time and that's,
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it's different for everyone, but I was extremely lucky.
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I have found the Australian Society of Authors amazing.
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I did, I write picture books, so I did a
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picture book matchmaker with them last year then I
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got a call back and ended up with a pitch and
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that was a great experience I didn't actually get
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asked for my manuscript to be sent through after the pitch
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but I found like the whole process like
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they you send through your manuscripts and they have someone judge them and
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then they match you with the right picture book publisher for you and very affordable
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as well because that's one thing I find a bit challenging yes when you're submitting
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everywhere and you're paying for pictures and paying to meet an editor and it costs so much money.
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And then sometimes if you've already burned through your budget for the year,
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like, well, I have to stop now.
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Yes. I want to submit when publishers are open through their portals.
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Yes. So I've found, yeah, I've been very happy so far with my experiences.
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So everybody join the Australian Society of Authors.
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Yes. Because you can get published like Anna has.
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Penguin, which is, that's like one of the dream publishers to be published by as well.
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It's very exciting. Now, your background, medicine, and you also have worked in nursing homes.
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So that's obviously the inspiration for some of your stories.
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Yeah, so I never became a doctor. Like I thought I wanted to be a doctor like
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my wonderful dad my whole life.
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I studied really hard, got into medical school. But when I was about halfway
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through, I began to realise that my passion sort of lay elsewhere.
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And, you know, having enjoyed a really close relationship with all four of my
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grandparents and even my great-grandfather, I was really drawn to working in aged care.
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And I saw so many people who were like really socially isolated and the effect
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that that had not only on their physical health, but their mental health.
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And I kind of wanted to be part of the prevention rather than the treatment.
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So I went into, I changed to do a degree in public health. I did some local
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government work where I developed a cooking program for older widowed men,
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which was part of the inspiration of this school.
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That's a big cohort that older men can get very lonely, especially if their
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wives have passed before. Absolutely.
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It's a challenge to lure them out to connect.
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Yeah. So that program was, was great because it wasn't just about,
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you know, nutrition and nourishment. It was about having a reason to,
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to come out of the house, to go shopping, to make decisions, to have agency.
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And there were just, you know, there were beautiful friendships formed and some
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of the men began hosting their families for the Sunday roast again,
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you know, that their wives would have done.
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Yeah. So that was wonderful. But it was when my grandfather,
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Fred, who was my best friend, was diagnosed with dementia, but I switched careers
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and went into the nursing home so we could spend more time together.
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And it was, yeah, it was there that I found, it was there that I found my passion,
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but also what would be, didn't know it at the time, but would become the setting for my first two novels.
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That's incredible. That sounds lovely that you got to spend that special time
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with your grandfather. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very lucky.
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I have been blessed to have beautiful grandparents on both sides,
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but they're all gone now.
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And I'm old enough that my parents
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are now just, they've just ticked over from being older to elderly.
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And so they're needing a lot more support and the challenge I'm finding is how
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do I provide them with that support while I'm still,
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because I have two boys with autism, so I'm still providing my boys with support.
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I'm working for time. I'm doing a podcast and trying to have a writing career.
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And I'm like, oh, I think I'm approaching a time in my life where I'm actually
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going to have to wind everything back because my parents are going to be a priority.
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And as they should be. I love them and I want them to get the best care that
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they can, but it's going to require time for me.
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I think that's such a big issue for so many people that are in my age group
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that they're suddenly torn between, what do they call it, the sandwich generation
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where they're still caring for their children.
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Between motherhood and also then your parents in that older bracket,
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absolutely, and you're sort of burning the candles at both ends.
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And so it's a really, it's a high, high pressure time, particularly if you're
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also working and things like that.
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It's so challenging and it's a battle so many people are facing.
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And it's a really tricky one because in my experience, those that proactively
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choose to move into care tend to have much better outcomes, you know,
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particularly mentally than those who sort of get to the state.
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Maybe they've broken a hip and suddenly they're forced into aged care.
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But trying to, yeah, have those conversations is so tricky because none of us
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want to give up our independence anymore.
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And I wish that nursing homes were more enticing.
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Like my job there was to try and, you know, really provide a quality of life
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and a meaningful life, that life may end in a nursing home that living doesn't
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have to, that there can still be purpose and connection.
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And that's something I really, yeah, I miss working in aged care,
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but I do hope that through my books I can try and shine a light on some of the
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issues that perhaps aren't so great.
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Yes, yeah. be part of the part of the
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change well you can have a really good
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quality of life i i worked for a
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chain of retirement villages which is a
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little bit different in those kind of facilities you
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need to be able to afford to invest
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in those to live there so there is a little an element
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of privilege being able to live somewhere like that as opposed to being in a
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government facility where sometimes the quality is different in terms of it
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wouldn't be the fanciest place to end up.
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But there can be like a really good community though.
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Absolutely. So if you find the right place with the right people,
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life can still be a great life rather than being isolated by yourself.
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And safety is so important.
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That's what I worry about. It's safety.
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Even for myself because I've been hobbling around with my crutches and I've had...
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Crash course and what it's like to have limited mobility, even if it's only
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been three weeks, but oh, my goodness, it's like, oh, everything takes two or three trips.
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Like I can't just grab stuff and run.
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I have to think about everything I do. And I've had a hip replacement.
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And so if I fell at the moment, it could be, I could damage myself quite a bit.
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So keeping an eye on what the floors and there's no carpets or cords to trip over or my little puppy.
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But as I approach being an older person, I'm going to have to think about that,
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like, you have to think about that all the time once you're on crutches all
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the time or in your chair, like, and life changes so much. And I think we forget.
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All of those people, they're older but their minds are still vibrant.
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It's just their bodies aren't letting them do the things they wanted to do before.
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So you're not working in aged care now? Are you a full-time writer these days?
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I'm a full-time writer now, yes. I hadn't worked in aged care for quite some
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time. I was a stay-at-home mum for over a decade before I started writing the book. So, yeah.
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You're living the dream. Full-time writer. And have your kids,
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are they older now or have you still got little ears?
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They're older now. I have one in high school, one at the end of primary, so yeah.
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Because it's a bit different when you're trying to write with babies.
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I couldn't do it. I couldn't have done it. So yeah, I have friends that have
00:17:58.508 --> 00:18:02.068
written with a newborn and I'm just, you know, all hats off to them because
00:18:02.068 --> 00:18:03.608
I don't, I would have done it.
00:18:03.608 --> 00:18:10.448
And I'm still having trouble now getting words on the page when my guys are
00:18:10.448 --> 00:18:15.388
20 and 24, so they're much more independent than they used to be.
00:18:15.568 --> 00:18:17.868
And I'm like, oh, I think it's just mean.
00:18:19.068 --> 00:18:20.328
Procrastinating is the problem.
00:18:23.708 --> 00:18:30.168
So book three is coming. Is that with Penguin as well? Did you have like a three-book contract?
00:18:30.918 --> 00:18:34.038
I had a two-book contract, but I've been offered another two.
00:18:34.338 --> 00:18:38.418
So, yeah, two more on the way. I've just recently started writing this one,
00:18:38.538 --> 00:18:42.158
which is not set in an aged care home, which will be a nice change of setting.
00:18:42.378 --> 00:18:45.638
Yeah, it's about a milkman in rural Tasmania.
00:18:46.798 --> 00:18:50.158
Oh, okay. I'm quite excited about that. A change of area.
00:18:50.998 --> 00:18:55.918
I just went to an event last night with some Tasmanian writers here in Brisbane.
00:18:56.558 --> 00:18:57.158
It's quite interesting.
00:18:57.818 --> 00:19:00.798
Have you been to Tasmania to do some research?
00:19:01.618 --> 00:19:06.038
Not yet, but I plan to over the summer. I'd like to, yeah, go to a dairy farm
00:19:06.038 --> 00:19:08.978
and sort of, you know, do some grassroots research.
00:19:09.318 --> 00:19:15.158
Yeah, if I can have the opportunity. Yeah, amazing. It's such a beautiful place. It's on my bucket list.
00:19:15.278 --> 00:19:18.398
I haven't visited yet, but I would like to go there.
00:19:18.898 --> 00:19:24.038
Now, I've got a few questions just so my listeners and your readers can get
00:19:24.038 --> 00:19:25.318
to know you a little bit better.
00:19:26.118 --> 00:19:33.778
What do you think young Anna, so primary school Anna, would think of your career now as a writer?
00:19:34.178 --> 00:19:39.358
Like, as you said, you were aiming for medicine. Would she be surprised by this outcome?
00:19:39.758 --> 00:19:44.338
I think she'd be surprised and delighted. So primary school,
00:19:44.498 --> 00:19:47.318
Anna, loved to write plays.
00:19:47.538 --> 00:19:50.978
Like, you know, while most kids were playing with Barbies and Legos,
00:19:51.338 --> 00:19:55.318
my best friend and I would write play after play after play and we'd perform
00:19:55.318 --> 00:19:57.538
them for our very patient parents.
00:19:57.538 --> 00:20:02.218
So that love of storytelling has been in me from a very young age.
00:20:02.938 --> 00:20:07.958
And, you know, I think when I sat down to write this novel, I was considering,
00:20:07.978 --> 00:20:10.918
do I write it as a screenplay or do I write a novel?
00:20:11.158 --> 00:20:15.698
I ended up choosing a novel because I had more experience in creative writing
00:20:15.698 --> 00:20:19.538
and also that you can get very deep into the POV of the character.
00:20:20.566 --> 00:20:23.926
In a novel yeah but i think she'd be surprised because
00:20:23.926 --> 00:20:26.806
she would have thought i would have been a doctor but yeah i
00:20:26.806 --> 00:20:29.826
couldn't be i couldn't be happier with where
00:20:29.826 --> 00:20:37.266
i've landed so i feel very grateful amazing and would you be performing if you
00:20:37.266 --> 00:20:41.986
got yourself a netflix contract for one of your books would you say oh i can
00:20:41.986 --> 00:20:48.546
also oh well one of the characters frederick fife has actually been optioned by Netflix.
00:20:49.206 --> 00:20:51.646
Excellent. That's so exciting. Yeah.
00:20:53.451 --> 00:20:56.511
I don't think I'll be starring in it if that was the question,
00:20:56.511 --> 00:21:01.971
but I just, yeah, that was, that for me was the most thrilling thing because
00:21:01.971 --> 00:21:08.111
I had always written it with the number one goal of being accepted for the screen.
00:21:08.271 --> 00:21:12.771
So that was something because I love, honestly, I love film and,
00:21:12.771 --> 00:21:16.251
yeah, screenplay as much as I love books.
00:21:16.471 --> 00:21:20.391
So they're sort of like really equal loves to me. And so being able to,
00:21:20.431 --> 00:21:23.091
you know, do both would be amazing.
00:21:23.451 --> 00:21:26.571
How did you feel when you got the news? That must have been so exciting.
00:21:27.251 --> 00:21:31.631
Oh, just, yeah, in disbelief, pinching myself. Yeah, just really,
00:21:31.991 --> 00:21:37.151
again, put it down to my grandfather who was just, yeah, his magnetic,
00:21:37.411 --> 00:21:41.171
unconditional kindness just I think appeals to so many people.
00:21:41.351 --> 00:21:47.291
Like I think we're really drawn to qualities like that and particularly older characters as well.
00:21:47.411 --> 00:21:51.551
I think there's a craving for nostalgia and for our grandparents and for simpler
00:21:51.551 --> 00:21:56.471
times. and I think, yeah, that it was the right story at the right time.
00:21:56.731 --> 00:21:59.351
So, yeah, I'm thrilled to see you do that.
00:21:59.651 --> 00:22:03.591
So was that something you, did you have to pitch that to someone or was that
00:22:03.591 --> 00:22:07.971
something, do you have an agent that sort of helped that happen?
00:22:08.611 --> 00:22:13.011
So after I got the publishing deal, I did enlist an agent, which I'm so grateful
00:22:13.011 --> 00:22:20.051
for, and she was able to get me a US agent as well as a screenwrites agent.
00:22:20.051 --> 00:22:22.951
And the screenwrites agent pitched it.
00:22:23.271 --> 00:22:26.671
Two screenwriters picked it up who were wonderful and then they,
00:22:26.671 --> 00:22:31.071
you know, had dinner with an executive from Netflix and they gave him a copy
00:22:31.071 --> 00:22:35.151
of the book and he read it and he was like, yep, let's make a movie.
00:22:35.391 --> 00:22:37.331
So, yeah, incredibly lucky.
00:22:37.871 --> 00:22:43.651
And how much collaboration do you get? Are you able to be involved or you just
00:22:43.651 --> 00:22:45.151
get to see it when it comes out?
00:22:45.692 --> 00:22:49.732
They've been very kind in letting me read the script and sort of give thoughts
00:22:49.732 --> 00:22:53.312
and things like that. I'm not, you know, I don't have a seat on the writing table.
00:22:54.012 --> 00:22:59.252
But, yeah, like it's been nice that I was actually able to go to the US and
00:22:59.252 --> 00:23:01.152
meet them, which was really lovely.
00:23:01.632 --> 00:23:05.372
And so, yeah, I feel that it's in very good hands.
00:23:05.772 --> 00:23:09.712
Yeah, in the future, if there was any opportunity to be involved in screenwriting,
00:23:10.032 --> 00:23:12.452
that would also be a dream come true. Yeah.
00:23:12.992 --> 00:23:15.112
Yeah. How incredible.
00:23:16.212 --> 00:23:20.192
Are they at the point of filming yet or is it still in the works?
00:23:20.192 --> 00:23:21.372
No, it's still sort of been.
00:23:21.492 --> 00:23:25.572
Yeah, it's been written and I think they're sort of looking for a director and
00:23:25.572 --> 00:23:28.612
those sorts of things. So it's a very slow process.
00:23:28.732 --> 00:23:33.312
They sort of, you know, say don't count your chicks before they've hatched kind
00:23:33.312 --> 00:23:37.812
of scenario. There's a lot of puzzle pieces that have to really all fall into place.
00:23:38.092 --> 00:23:43.892
But, you know, so far so good and even just to have that offer was, yeah, just thrilling.
00:23:44.632 --> 00:23:48.512
Oh, my goodness. Yes, listeners, any of you that have signed up for pitches
00:23:48.512 --> 00:23:52.512
with the Australian Society of Authors, look at how far you can go.
00:23:53.452 --> 00:23:59.452
I love that. That's an amazing journey. What tips do you have for an aspiring
00:23:59.452 --> 00:24:05.912
author who has big dreams to have a novel published and maybe get a Netflix contract?
00:24:06.272 --> 00:24:12.252
Have you got any tips that you can share about what you've learned along the way? Yeah, absolutely.
00:24:13.012 --> 00:24:18.212
One is that I would definitely get a writing group. So I did some courses through
00:24:18.212 --> 00:24:22.092
the Australian Writers' Centre, which I highly, highly recommend.
00:24:22.652 --> 00:24:27.492
They are fabulous. They're, you know, easy to follow, engaging courses,
00:24:27.972 --> 00:24:30.812
amazing tutors from the publishing industry. Yeah.
00:24:31.423 --> 00:24:35.203
And, yeah, not only did you learn what you needed to learn about,
00:24:35.203 --> 00:24:40.063
like, structuring a novel, but then it also put you in touch with aspiring authors.
00:24:40.143 --> 00:24:43.043
And that was sort of like this amazing thing.
00:24:43.143 --> 00:24:46.003
It's kind of like, I mean, I haven't been to the gym in, like,
00:24:46.603 --> 00:24:50.963
over 30 years. But they say if you do go to the gym, you're much more likely
00:24:50.963 --> 00:24:54.503
to go if you've got a friend going, if you've got an accountability partner.
00:24:54.823 --> 00:25:00.303
And writing is the same. Having that group to share feedback with was amazing.
00:25:00.303 --> 00:25:05.243
And reading other people's work and providing, you know, feedback on that helps
00:25:05.243 --> 00:25:06.343
you with your own writing.
00:25:06.863 --> 00:25:12.063
And then the other piece of advice is that you just have to write the first
00:25:12.063 --> 00:25:14.103
draft and don't look back.
00:25:14.243 --> 00:25:19.783
Don't stop to polish prose and grammar because that is like icing your cake batter.
00:25:21.423 --> 00:25:26.743
Amazing. Now another question for you is can you tell me something about yourself
00:25:26.743 --> 00:25:29.543
that your readers and my listeners would find surprising?
00:25:31.283 --> 00:25:36.603
Such a tricky one I guess one interesting thing that kind of,
00:25:37.410 --> 00:25:42.790
vaguely relates to the book is that I am a self-taught cake maker.
00:25:43.130 --> 00:25:48.890
So it started when my children were born and I wanted to make them themed cakes.
00:25:49.110 --> 00:25:54.110
And so what kind of started as something quite simple ended up being quite,
00:25:54.390 --> 00:25:57.210
you know, like I learned how to use fondant and modeling chocolate.
00:25:57.590 --> 00:26:03.550
And I ended up making my brother-in-law's wedding cake with all of these sugar
00:26:03.550 --> 00:26:08.430
flowers and I've made like my daughter a disco cake that sort of span around
00:26:08.430 --> 00:26:13.390
and a jack-and-the-beanstalk cake that went up into the clouds for the theatre.
00:26:13.950 --> 00:26:19.690
So you've gone beyond the Women's Weekly. I went beyond the Women's Weekly. You've gone next level.
00:26:20.150 --> 00:26:24.670
But I don't actually do it so much anymore. So like now that I'm writing,
00:26:24.670 --> 00:26:28.490
that's kind of more my creative outlet and what I focus on. But,
00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:34.750
yeah, that was a really fun thing to be able to do and to be able to do for other people.
00:26:35.590 --> 00:26:42.030
I have no creative talent when it comes to anything with aesthetics or anything
00:26:42.030 --> 00:26:44.050
that I have to create with my hands.
00:26:44.150 --> 00:26:47.170
So I can't sew, I can't paint, I can't draw.
00:26:47.470 --> 00:26:50.970
I can bake cakes, but they're nearly always flat.
00:26:51.950 --> 00:26:56.750
And they do look like I made them when I was about five years old as opposed
00:26:56.750 --> 00:26:59.370
to... Yeah, a mid-40s person.
00:27:00.070 --> 00:27:03.470
Well, I also can't sew. I can't sew. I can't draw.
00:27:03.870 --> 00:27:09.730
I can't do any fine art things. But for some reason, when it's to do with food, I can do it.
00:27:09.810 --> 00:27:12.230
Maybe there's motivation to taste it at the end.
00:27:12.350 --> 00:27:15.190
But, yes, sewing, I can't sew to save my life.
00:27:16.330 --> 00:27:20.770
Everything I create is created with love, though. And the cakes always taste
00:27:20.770 --> 00:27:22.710
good. They just never look good. It's the most important.
00:27:23.830 --> 00:27:28.450
Yeah, taste is always the most important. And the love is even more important.
00:27:29.010 --> 00:27:33.810
I can make a mean cheesecake, but it does take a lot of time and effort.
00:27:33.810 --> 00:27:39.650
So they only get done on special occasions and the rest of the time.
00:27:40.354 --> 00:27:45.794
I don't bake at all, but I'm not winning mum of the year this year.
00:27:46.394 --> 00:27:49.954
It sounds like you've got enough on your plate, though. It sounds like you're
00:27:49.954 --> 00:27:51.974
doing an amazing job balancing it all.
00:27:52.494 --> 00:27:59.814
My boys are both still alive, but I'm like, well, I've survived 20-odd years. They're tall.
00:28:00.134 --> 00:28:02.994
They're healthy. They're still alive.
00:28:04.274 --> 00:28:10.754
That's the goal. and they do things like hold a door open for someone.
00:28:11.454 --> 00:28:15.734
If they get to a door of a shop or something, they will stand back and let someone
00:28:15.734 --> 00:28:19.574
through it. I'm like, oh, I must have got something right. They're always very polite to people.
00:28:20.274 --> 00:28:28.634
That's huge. Yeah. So they are a bit like, oh, my, oh, my, don't tell people about it.
00:28:28.834 --> 00:28:32.614
Don't tell them, like, because nearly every word that comes out that I'm out
00:28:32.614 --> 00:28:35.614
of my mouth is, oh, on my podcast or I heard a podcast.
00:28:36.894 --> 00:28:38.174
Stop it.
00:28:40.174 --> 00:28:45.154
Peak mum energy if you can make your kids cringe. Yeah.
00:28:46.794 --> 00:28:51.494
Teenagers. So when can we expect your next books to be coming out?
00:28:52.014 --> 00:28:54.514
Are they still mid being written?
00:28:55.074 --> 00:29:00.994
Yes. So it'll be a book every two years. So this next one, When Lemons Give
00:29:00.994 --> 00:29:07.754
You Life, is out April 28. and then the following will be, sorry, 2020, what am I saying?
00:29:08.174 --> 00:29:13.334
Yeah, it's April 28 of this year and then the next one will be two years after that.
00:29:14.049 --> 00:29:17.309
Wow, so you've got a solid career ahead of you. That's amazing.
00:29:17.549 --> 00:29:22.969
And do you still have like a traditional launch now you're a famous author?
00:29:23.349 --> 00:29:27.429
Like do you still go to a bookshop and do a book signing? Yeah,
00:29:27.549 --> 00:29:28.809
no, I still have a launch.
00:29:29.029 --> 00:29:33.109
So I've got, yeah, I've got a Melbourne launch coming up. I've got a mini book tour.
00:29:33.129 --> 00:29:37.589
I'm actually going to New South Wales and Queensland this time around,
00:29:37.769 --> 00:29:38.869
which is really exciting.
00:29:39.209 --> 00:29:43.789
Yeah, so I'm really looking forward to that. I have to make sure I come along
00:29:43.789 --> 00:29:48.129
and say hello when you're a Brisbane-based author.
00:29:48.369 --> 00:29:50.789
I have a Brisbane event. Oh, incredible.
00:29:51.189 --> 00:29:54.689
That will be wonderful to meet you face-to-face. Yeah, lovely.
00:29:55.209 --> 00:29:59.709
Well, thank you so much for joining me, Anna. I appreciate the chat and I've
00:29:59.709 --> 00:30:06.549
loved hearing about you and your book and your upcoming Netflix TV show, maybe, movie.
00:30:06.769 --> 00:30:12.129
I wonder if they'll pick to play the characters, but oh, I'll have to calm down about your next story.
00:30:12.669 --> 00:30:16.369
Yeah, don't worry. I already have like a full cast in my head and all of it.
00:30:16.469 --> 00:30:20.389
You know, I mean, even when I was writing it, I already had that all set out.
00:30:20.529 --> 00:30:24.269
But yeah, you have to let go of it a bit too because it sort of becomes,
00:30:24.349 --> 00:30:26.809
you know, this other thing.
00:30:27.529 --> 00:30:31.009
I would be beside myself if something that big ever happened.
00:30:33.829 --> 00:30:37.209
Yeah, it's very good. Well, thank you so much for joining me,
00:30:37.209 --> 00:30:39.989
Anna. It's a pleasure. Lovely to chat. Thank you for having me.
00:30:44.333 --> 00:30:48.533
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