the bookish types

MADELEINE RYAN

Have you always been into writing? I’ve kept journals on and off since I was really young. I still have a picture book I made of The Little Mermaid, including hand-drawn illustrations of Ariel and Flounder. I studied literature and creative writing at school, because those subjects didn’t have exams! Writing has always been part of my life, but I didn’t see myself as a writer until recently. Tell us about your debut novel. A Room Called Earth is an adventure inside the mind of a dynamic, sensual, observant young woman as she prepares for – and attends – a party in Melbourne on Christmas Eve Eve. It takes place over less than 24 hours as she encounters all different kinds of people and has all different kinds of experiences. It’s a celebration of what it means to truly connect with ourselves and each other. How did it feel to write an autistic main character? I was diagnosed as autistic while writing the book. It took me a while to realise she was autistic too, though. I was sitting outside one day with a cup of tea and it occurred to me. I was like, well, if her story is in the first person, and if I’m using the way I process thoughts and feelings to give shape to her reality, then is her reality neurodiverse like mine? Then I felt really special. It was as if she’d chosen me. And