That includes outsourcing some military operations, imposing specific agricultural practices on farmers, and accepting nuclear waste for storage/dumping. The novel is set 10-15 years down the track, in an Australia where the government has had to turn to alternative investment opportunities to generate revenue. In The Undercurrent, I speculate what Australia might look like in the near future if the current economic decline continues. I also tend to write about characters who feel they don’t belong – and how they learn to be okay with that. With the Rephaim series, I’ve given that theme a twist by having a narrative character dealing with the consequences of actions she doesn’t remember. Like many writers, I like to explore how people deal with the consequences of their actions. What themes are recurring in your stories? I have worked with the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, and led communication and stakeholder support for an innovative initiative called Logan: City of Choice, which involved all three levels of government, as well as community and non-government organisations. This involved writing speeches for the Mayor, as well as managing media relations and writing corporate publications.

During that time I was also book, film and TV reviewer.įrom newspapers, I moved into government communications and headed up media and marketing teams at Logan City Council and Redland City Council.

I was a print journalist for 13 years, covering rounds from police and courts to human interest and politics. Before I turned 19, I packed up my HQ Holden and headed to Brisbane to continue my cadet journalism career – I’ve been here ever since. I was born in Port Pirie, South Australia, and spent my teen years in the Flinders Ranges. She has been writing fiction for many years, finding her niche penning gritty young adult speculative thrillers with an Australian flavour in The Rephaim series and The Undercurrent. Paula has worked as a print journalist and government communication specialist, and is now one half of a writer-designer consultancy.

Shimmer by Paula Weston