Toni Grant had never contemplated writing a novel until a nightmare woke her during a trip to Italy in 2010.
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She got out of bed and checked on the safety of her family before having a light bulb moment.
“That would make a great ending to a book,” she thought as daylight dawned on a new career.
Mrs Grant returned to Dubbo with a dream that has become a reality.
Melbourne-based Brolga Publishing is currently distributing Mrs Grant’s debut and fictional crime novel, Serpent Song.
It is described as an action-packed thriller involving love, greed, betrayal and moral conflict.
Set against an organised crime background, it follows Detective Francesca Salucci from Sydney to Western NSW, Rome and the glittering Cinque Terre.
The public will get to hear from the author at the launch of the book at Macquarie Regional Library Dubbo branch on June 1 from 5.30pm to 7pm.
At the library on Tuesday Mrs Grant dismissed the suggestion that her work might have been influenced by the experiences of her husband and state Member for Dubbo Troy Grant, a former police officer and current NSW Police Minister.
“No, not at all.” she said. “I’ve been interested in this genre from quite a young age through Trixie Beldon, The Famous Five and The Phantom. I always wanted to be at the centre of finding out stuff and piecing puzzles together.
“Later, I became more interested in the relationships between the people solving the crime and the workings of criminal organisations themselves.
“I guess, in writing Serpent Song, there’s a nod to the complex relationships within the police team. But in terms of organised crime, and the lengths and depths of my fictional outlaws, there’s no correlation to Troy’s work at all.”
Mrs Grant set aside the opportunity to take her homeware label Boni Maroni into the fashion world to venture into an “even greater unknown” and write her first book. A completed sequel is waiting in the literary wings.
To register for the launch call the library on 68014510.
Serpent Song is available at the Book Connection in Dubbo and will be sold at the launch.
For more information visit tonigrantauthor.com.