Hi, this is Mikala Ash writing from Port Stephens which is a lovely part of the world on the New South Wales coast, an hour north of Newcastle, and three hours north of Sydney, Australia.

It is winter down here right at the minute, so cold mornings and a bit of rain are the norm, though generally winter in my part of the world is mild and easily survivable compared to other places. I live a stone throw from the Pacific Ocean and so I enjoy the sun, surf and sand like the typical Aussie (when I say winter, I’m still having a morning dip? water temp is a few degrees above air temp, so it is the getting out of the surf that poses the challenge, not getting in!).

Trying to figure out how being an Aussie impacts on my writing is a difficult task. I could say the stereotypical Aussie traits of mateship, a fair go, a healthy skepticism and cynicism about politicians and just about anyone else in charge, a laconic sense of humor, etc etc all play a part. I grew up with those stereotypes so it would be strange if they didn’t leak into my characters as well. If you’ve watched Crocodile Dundee then you have a good template of the stereotype and Hugh Jackman is as good an ambassador as you’d find anywhere (I think my good friend Lexxie Couper has a crush on him, but don’t say you heard it from me).

The landscape has had quite an impact on me, though other places in the world have higher mountains, deeper canyons, greener forests etc, there is something unique about the Aussie environment. The striking thing about the landscape, from my early experiences driving around the continent, is that it is huge, empty, and quiet – very, very quiet. I’ve driven six hours along a highway without seeing a town, or even other vehicles, except the massive road trains which are simply humungous! Hurtling along at over a hundred and twenty klicks these behemoths will blow you off the road with the amount of air they displace.

Of a host of memories that come to mind as I write some include trying not to collect kangaroos nibbling the grass shoots on the roadside – they have a tendency to leap out in front of you for no reason at all and avoiding crocodiles in Kakadu – which is a challenge because they will hunt you down if you are not watchful!

Dangers aside, the outback is a truly magical place. The soil in places is a deep rich red and you can easily imagine yourself standing on Mars. I’ve read a map by starlight (no light pollution out there) and I imagine the first colonists on a new world experiencing the same hollow emptiness in the chest as they stand in the middle of the vast expanse of their new home with nothing but the star dusted heavens above.

I’ve managed to set a few Changeling Press stories in the Australian setting ? my political trilogy Lupus Populus and my post apocalyptic RainCatcher ? which helped because I felt I knew the environment my characters were inhabiting. The writing was easier, as opposed to figuring out what the landscape on one of Saturn’s moons would be like as I did in The Pleasure Dome of Titan.

Sydney has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and for Whiskey Creek Press I set my vampire stories there and for Whispers Press I placed a werewolf there as well – what can I say? The nightlife in Sydney can be rather exotic.

I write erotica and I can’t say that being an Australian gives me any unique advantage in that regard except my male characters tend to be Hugh Jackman (sorry Lexxie), Pat Cash and Errol Flynn all rolled up in one! I think you can probably picture my ideal hero as Maxim, Holly Barberossa’s lover in my Spaceport stories for Changeling.

My soon to be released sci-fi BDSM novel (with the working title, ‘Operation Strappado’ – you know how difficult titles can be) with Pink Flamingo Press has, as one of its locations, a military camp somewhere in Australia.

Trying to tease out the influence that my culture has on my character and those of my creations is really, really hard. My sisters have traced our family history and we have a whole cohort of lusty convicts in our blood, First Fleet and all. These were men and women transported against their will from England to an alien land where they fought tooth and nail against a hostile environment to survive. I think this knowledge of my roots, above all else, bestows on me an affinity with my poor characters who, at the whim of their creator, are transported, convict like, to alien worlds where they face powerful foes and must conquer their greatest fears while surrendering to their deepest desires.

Cheers from down under

Mikala Ash

The Cannis Affair from Changeling Press

Operation Strappado (coming soon from Pink Flamingo Press)

The Adana Affair (coming soon from Changeling Press)

2 Responses to “Australian Heat Week 2- Mikala Ash”