Blog Posts on Tall And True

Blogging is to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud. ~ Andrew Sullivan

Tall And True showcases the writing — fiction, nonfiction, reviews and blog posts — of writer and podcaster Robert Fairhead. Guest Writers are also invited to share and showcase their writing on the website. 

Tall And True microfiction on Twitter

We Need to Talk Microfiction

To celebrate the introduction of 280-character Tweets by Twitter, Meanjin Quarterly ran a microfiction competition. The rules were simple: tweet a 280-character story and include the hashtag #meanjin280. The top ten stories were published on the Meanjin Blog, and the authors paid one dollar a word.

Their Finest by Lissa Evans

Their Finest by Lissa Evans

It was a warm, lazy Sunday afternoon, and I took advantage of the day to sprawl and finish Their Finest by Lissa Evans. I was inspired to read the book after watching the film version — a British period comedy-drama about making propaganda films and life on the home front in London during The Blitz.

Ben Elton - Stark

Signed Stark by Ben Elton

In October 2017, I attended a premiere screening of Three Summers. After the film, there was a Q&A session with the writer/director, Ben Elton. I have loved his writing since reading Stark in 1989. So it was a great privilege to meet Ben in person after the Q&A and for him to sign my yellowed copy of Stark!

Nevil Shute - On The Beach

Nevil Shute by Richard Thorn

I commented on Facebook recently that with all the bleak news on North Korea and brinksmanship by Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, I thought I'd dust off and re-read my old second-hand bookshop copy of Nevil Shute's On the Beach ... to prepare for the worst, just in case! 

Red Mailbox

Days of Gentle Rejections

In these days of instant gratification, it's hard to believe once upon a time, wanna-be writers would type and print their manuscripts, post them to publishers with a reply-paid, self-addressed envelope. And then wait and wait and wait, for an offer to publish or, more likely, a feared rejection letter.

Books reading in September

What Books Are You Reading?

The Writer’s Circle recently posed a question for book lovers on Facebook: What book are you currently reading? In my case, the answer is not singular but plural. I’m currently reading three books — along with a few more on my bedside table I’ll probably need to take with me to my grave to finish!

Sooty's Annual 1963

My First Book

To celebrate International Literacy Day 2017, Penguin Books Australia asked on Facebook: What is the first book you remember reading? While I don't recall reading my first book, it must have been a Sooty or Joe 90 Annual. I still have a worn copy of Sooty, but sadly the boy spy Joe 90 went AWOL long ago.

Their Finest (The Film)

Their Finest (The Film)

The other night, I watched Their Finest, based on the 2009 novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans. It's a British period comedy-drama about making propaganda films and life on the home front during The Blitz in London. But it also has a modern take on the role of women in society and the war effort.

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

A pleasant memory from 2013 popped up in my Facebook timeline the other day. It was a comment I’d made in response to a post by the Sydney Writers' Festival on a “fantastic find” in Sappho Books (Glebe), a treasured secondhand copy of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox.

Penguin Books - What was the last book that made you cry?

The Last Book That Made You Cry

Penguin Books Australia posted a question on Facebook in August 2017: What is the last book that made you cry? The books could evoke tears of joy or sadness, and I immediately thought of three books, all for the latter category. My top tear-jerkers are Tuesdays with Morrie, Marley and Me, and The Book Thief.

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