Author Interview with Tricia Stringer
Tricia Stringer is a proud South Australian and Yorke Peninsula local, whose storytelling brings to life the beauty and complexities of rural Australia. With her latest book, Head for the Hills, published in October 2024, Tricia continues to explore themes of resilience, family, and community in ways that feel deeply relatable. We're so grateful to Tricia for taking the time to share her journey, from teacher to celebrated author, and for giving us a glimpse into her writing process and inspirations. We hope you enjoy!
What drew you to storytelling in the first place? And why do you think readers connect so deeply with the characters and places in your books?
Most of my life I’ve been a teacher and I also love history. After experiencing my first Kernewek Lowender (Cornish Festival) back in the early 90’s I decided I wanted to write a story that would bring local history alive for the middle primary students I was teaching. I did a children’s writing course and so began the journey. After writing three books for children and many more writing courses I had an idea to write a story for adults that reflected life on the land. I grew up on a farm and have lived most of my life in rural communities and my fascination with small-towns and communities, rural or otherwise, has continued into the family focused and women-centred fiction of my last seven books. I spend a lot of time getting to know the setting and the characters for my stories and creating the many layers that bring them to life in the pages of my books. I think readers enjoy settings and characters
they recognise and can relate to.
Is there a special place where you like to sit down and write—maybe a café, a spot at home, or somewhere on Yorke Peninsula? What makes it the perfect place for you?
My office is always my preferred location when I’m getting the first draft down. We’ve just moved into our new house and I took this photo of my office with marina views not long after moving in. It’s never this tidy! We also like to take trips away when we can so I’ve had offices in many different locations. This outdoor photo was taken at King’s Canyon. It doesn’t really matter where I am as long as there’s a view of some kind. I spend a lot of time gazing into the distance. It doesn’t look like I’m doing anything but I’m cogitating. That’s a big part of the writing process.
Many of your novels touch on themes of resilience, family, and community. Are there particular values or messages you hope readers take away from your books?
People aren’t perfect, life isn’t perfect and I delve into those variances to find out why people might take one direction or another. I like to present both sides of the situation so that even if the reader doesn’t agree with a particular issue they might at least understand why someone else does. A walk a mile in my shoes journey. Above all I want readers to be entertained by my stories. To be able to relax and immerse themselves in a different setting with characters they can relate to and a happy for now ending.
Are there any artists or bands you’ve been enjoying lately? Do you ever find yourself listening to particular music while you’re writing?
I listen to a wide mix of music which I select depending on my mood. I’ve also enjoyed making Spotify playlists for my most recent books as different songs or artists get mentioned in them. A friend recently put me on to Chappell Roan and her Pink Pony Club is a new favourite. I don’t listen to music while I’m writing but I find some songs evoke feelings or reactions or conjure up a character. The Rope That Pulls the Wind by Lee Kernaghan is about a drifter and made me wonder about the man the lyrics portrayed. It helped me develop the character of Coop in one of my early books, Queen of the Road.
Are you currently bingeing a TV show or into a great podcast? If so, tell us more?
I listen to lots of podcasts between audiobooks. My favourite podcast at the moment is Double A Chattery with Amanda Keller and Anita McGregor. They cover all kinds of topics I find interesting and it’s as if I’m sitting at the table joining them for a cuppa and a chat. On audiobook I’ve recently listened to Your Time Starts Now by Julie Goodwin. It’s a candid, deeply moving memoir, full of honesty, humour and heart. And yes I’m bingeing a TV show.
Years ago I gave my son a book series called Silo by Hugh Howey about a community living in a giant underground silo. My son put me on to the TV series on Apple TV+. It’s set in a dystopian future and it’s very addictive.
What does it mean to you to be part of the South Australian and Yorke Peninsula communities as an author?
I’m passionate about this big country we live in. It’s full of intrigue, conundrums and beauty. I’m proud to call myself a South Australian and I love living on Yorke Peninsula. It means a lot to me to be in author in this landscape which often inspires me even if the setting isn’t actually here on the Peninsula. Most of my books are set somewhere in South Australia and readers say they love to read about places they know. On the other hand, people from interstate tell me my stories make them want to visit the location. I think my books are SA
Tourism’s best kept secret. I also love being part of the YP community. This is a photo of a recent gathering of readers at Ardrossan Newsagency. I have a lot of support on YP and I appreciate it very much.
Do you have any upcoming projects or books we should be excited about? What’s next for you on your writing journey?
My latest book, Head for the Hills, was only released last month so I’ve been busy touring and meeting readers both locally and interstate. It’s been a delight to share the background about the book and the Adelaide Hills setting. I write a quarterly online newsletter and that’s due soon so I’m working on that. I like to fill it with lots of ‘behind the scenes’ info for subscribers. I’m also putting the finishing touches to next year’s book ready to sub to my publisher. My writing journey constantly evolves and while I have some goals close to my heart I don’t look too far beyond where the next story is taking me. That keeps me on my toes.
