The 1990s are often looked back at fondly as a largely peaceful time. But for former Australian ambassador to Germany Ian Kemish, the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland featured largely in his job at the time. Now retired, he has chosen to set his debut thriller novel, Two Islands, during this timeframe. In this episode he shares his inspiration for the book, the real life characters and how to capture the nuances of the story and the decade. What do you do after you retire from a celebrated 25-year diplomatic career? Play golf? Take up birdwatching? No, you write your first novel.
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Links mentioned in this episode
- WIN Aubrey Wants to Die by Pip Knight
- Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
- Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer
Writer in residence: Ian Kemish
Ian Kemish is a former senior Australian diplomat with a 25-year career focused on the Asia-Pacific region. Key roles included Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador to Germany, head of the International Division at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and First Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia. He led Australia's consular response to the 2002 Bali bombings, for which he was awarded membership of the Order of Australia (A.M.).
An Honours graduate in Southeast Asian history from the University of Queensland, Kemish began his career teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland.
He now serves on the Executive Committee of Newcrest Mining Limited, overseeing global external relations with a focus on Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. He is also patron of the Kokoda Track Foundation, a board member of the Australia-Indonesia Centre, an Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Queensland, and an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University. He speaks Tok Pisin, Indonesian, and German.
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This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Crime and Thriller Writing.
Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).
