Featured Interview With Gillian Wills
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in London. I'm a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and I play classical piano and guitar. When I left the UK for Australia I became the Dean of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. Now, I'm an arts writer and an author. I love animals and especially horses. My memoir Elvis and Me: howa world-weary musician and a broken racehorse rescued each other, Find was published in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and the UK. My debut novel Big Music, Hawkeye Publishing was published in October, 2024.
As an arts journalist I have published with The Australian, Courier Mail, Townsville Bulletin, Limelight, Griffith Review, Australian Book Review, Australian Arts Review, ClassikON, InDaily, Artist Profile, Good Reading and Australian Stage Online.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started journalism in my fifties. I have always wanted to write creatively. Elvis and Me was published when I was 64!
The first publisher I approached wrote back an hour later and told me they loved the book could I please send the manuscript.
Trouble was I hadn't yet written one.
Big Music took longer to get into print because publishers thought not many would want to read about the music industry.
But you know it's a fascinating setting for the human condition such colourful, larger-than-life, turbulent characters and tough politics and curly scenarios. I'm finding general readers and musicians are loving Big Music.
It did take a while to write I definitely was a victim of second book syndrome for sure. Hate to say it but it took six years!
I got to love the musicians especially Winton the trumpeter, Elvira, the pianist and Georgy a brilliant student pianist except she will only play in bare feet.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy memoir, mystery, crime, ghost stories, adventure and travel narratives, novels set in small towns, novels with performing arts themes and speculative fiction.
Kristina Olsson, Camille Booker, Jennifer Scoullar, Rachel Johns, Willie Vlautin, Jessica Tu, Jane Harper, Karen Viggers, Blanche d'Alpuget, Pamela Cook, Penelope Janu, Anna Funder, Gail Jones, Fiona McDonald, Alice Hoffman
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Melody, mayhem and mystery drives this character driven, triumph-over-adversity contemporary fiction brushed with romance and Beethoven's ghost and set in a music college which trains music performers.
Beatrice, Beat is the heroine in this coming of age story. Suddenly at the age of 35 she is appointed director of a rundown music college. She is determined to restore its reputation despite squabbling rock and classical musicians, poor facilities, a nightmare supervisor, lack of space and a predatory university. Despite all the positive achievements, no-one praises her and she gets into strife with authority figures. Her husband is not supportive and she finds herself between a rock and a hard place. Her comfort stems from her two horses Bolt and Storm and the wildlife on her acreage property on the edge of Brisbane, Queensland. About to give up help comes from an unexpected quarter.
There's a playlist called Big Music available on Spotify.
Big Music was featured as a notable book in the Weekend Australian in December, 2024.
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