Beginner’s Pluck: Eliza Henry-Jones
Author Eliza Henry-Jones
Eliza hated secondary school, and often, faking illness, stayed at home.
“I’d write stories. I had trauma growing up, and I used fiction as a way to understand the world. My art teacher was lovely. She made my stories into a book. I rallied in year 12 and ended up with high marks.”
After university, Eliza worked in rehab with families and children, in cases of substance and sexual abuse.
“I loved running therapy sessions with horses,” she says.
Then at 24, she signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins, and from then on was writing full-time.
“I did some freelance teaching, and now I run a bee-friendly flower farm with my cousin.”
She’s previously published four novels, two for Young Adults.
“The first was the one I wrote for the art project as a teenager.”
, her European debut, is inspired by a spell she spent in the Orkney Islands.
“I was burnt out and dragged my husband over there. It was wild and windy. The historical Witch Trials still resonated. I wrote it as part of my PhD. It took me three-and-a-half years.”
1990/Melbourne, Australia.
Education: Shelford Girls Grammer on a scholarship. Monash University, Melbourne; Psychology and English. “I met my husband in a creative writing class.” Various qualifications in psychology, grief and trauma counselling. Deacon University, Flinders, PhD in Creative Writing.
Yara Valley, Victoria.
Husband Ben. Henry, 4. “And various rescue horses, dogs, and cats.”
Writer and flower farmer.
“I’d love to be an artist.”
Doireann Ní Ghríofa; Sarah Moss; George Saunders; Claire Keegan; Kathleen Jamie Oscar Wilde; Gillian Mears.
“It’s set in a cemetery and is in the early stages.”
“Preserve and cultivate your joy in the writing process. Stay curious and engaged.”
@elizahenryjones.
When Luda arrives on the Scottish island, with her two teenagers, the locals view her warily.
In the wild landscape and weather — with the beached whales, and the foundling boy they call a selkie, reality and myth intertwine.
I adored this novel. It’s both memorable and mesmerising.
