Di Morrissey from the age of seven wanted to be a writer, but knew even then you had to learn some fundamentals of the trade to be an effective one. At the urging of her uncle, an ABC correspondent, she entered the world of journalism which gave her a solid background in the writing skills that would see her write 20 bestsellers in 20 years. Di started out working for Australian consolidated press and eventually moved to the UK where she found herself working for The Daily Mail on fleet street and later, after marriage and becoming a foreign service wife, in Honolulu as a presenter on a CBS affiliate, eventually returning to Australia, Di took up work as a presenter on ‘Good Morning Australia’ but when the gruelling schedule of early starts impeded her desire to write she left the show and began the next chapter in her life which would of course be the beginning of many chapters…literally!
Di Morrissey is celebrating her 20 years of 20 best sellers with her new novel ‘Opal Desert’. The cover design is done by her fiend, artist John Murray and one of the novels main characters is in fact an artist, but it is the three female characters who provide the central strength of the novel, connected to the ridge and to each other, and proving themselves the opals of the desert.
At a point in the novel one of the characters, Shirley’s father tells her that it takes millions of years to make an opal and this comment reminds us that all of the women in the story although not taking a
million years, take time to be formed into the characters they become at the end of the novel. Through various trials, at the end of the novel are stronger and united and like opals reflect colourful life lines.
The book may be a fictionalised account but as with all great books there are some real characters depicted, an example being broken ridge artist Jack Absalom and like most of Di’s books it is set in
Australia. She can be proud of the fact of being one of the first authors to have novels set in an Australian landscape and meticulously researches a location by living in the region for a period of time. Her novels now also follow the lives of Australians in many places around the world.
Di is such a loved and respected author that many of her fans enjoy travelling to the exotic locations of the books. Aslthough Di’s books have some romance there are also more weighty issues that form the backdrop of the stories including indigenous land rights and reconciliation. Di’s books are enjoyed by female and male readers in equal measure.
Di has a fixed routine to her writing, researching her books September to November and writing from December to July. She works disciplined hours from 6.30am to 6.30pm each day during her assigned writing times. Fans will be pleased to know that in this special anniversary year Di
is looking to the future and planning another 20 years of best sellers and has another book she is working on at the moment that will be set in Burma/Mynamer.
Tassie fans can meet Di at a Literary Afternoon Tea held by Dymocks bookshop, at Hadley’s Hotel Hobart on Saturday November 5th at 3pm. Tickets available from Dymocks 03 6231 6656.
Paula Xiberras
