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Kelly Doust

Kelly Doust

Category Archives: Art

Merci Beaucoup

11 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by kellydoust in Art, Books & films, Other, Writing

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Chapter sampler, Free download, Illustration, Jessica Guthrie, Precious Things

Precious Things_silk bookstore bannerA little something to say thank you for following the blog. Click here for a free sampler of the prologue and first chapter of Precious Things, and here to pre-order a copy from Booktopia.

Precious Things will be available in all good bookstores across Australia on 1 April.

For more stunning illustrations by Jessica Guthrie and to follow the Colour of Whimsy blog, click here. The design shown above will be made into silk banners displayed in bookstore windows across the country. If you see one near you, do send me a pic – I’d love to see how they’re being presented!

x Kelly

Happy International Women’s Day

08 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by kellydoust in Art, Books & films, Inspirations

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Adele, Advanced Style, Big Magic, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, International Women's Day, Liz Gilbert, Sarah Jane Adams, Tamara de Lempicka

I write about women for women. Marriage, motherhood and career, as well as art and fashion; these are the themes that most intrigue me and are what I want to read about myself. Let’s face it, the only men likely to read Precious Things are either in my group of friends or immediate family so I thought – given that it’s International Women’s Day – I’d share with you some of the women who most inspire me and why:

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Elizabeth Gilbert
I went to see Ms Gilbert at the Seymour Centre for Sydney Writer’s Festival on Friday night, and she was just as warm, engaging and intelligent in person as I expected her to be after reading her work. The Signature of All Things was one of my favourite novels of recent years, but it’s her writing on writing in Big Magic that blows me away. It’s made me look at creativity in a whole new light and inspired me to change my own writing practice.

EBEIl2ol

Adele
I think this British singer is the most talented woman in music today. She’s also willing to be raw but with real dignity – something we’re crying out for. The new album, 25, is all kinds of awesome. I heart it.

frida-one

Frida Kahlo
What a life this woman had. Whenever I’m feeling weak or in pain I think of what she went through with her health and tumultuous marriage, and how she transformed it into thought-provoking and powerful art. Her work is rich, colourful and an enduring symbol of Mexico. Frida was the bomb.

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Tamara de Lempicka
The original glamour woman of the art world, de Limpicka’s works are sumptuous and sensual and, for my money, the best examples of the cubism movement. The most fashionable portrait painter of her generation, she was feted at salons across Europe and didn’t give a fig what people thought about her fluid sexuality. All power to living such a fearless and adventurous existence.

'In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different' - illustration of Coco Chanel by Zoe Sadokierski for my book, A Life in Frocks

‘In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different’ – illustration of Coco Chanel by Zoe Sadokierski for my book, A Life in Frocks

Coco Chanel
Because she emancipated women through the power of fashion. Because she was unapologetic and impeccably stylish. Because she was, no doubt about it, a glorious broad.

Some other women I’m going to fangirl in the name of IWD: Cheryl Strayed, Isabel Allende, Joanne Harris, Kate Morton, Nigella Lawson, Cate Blanchett, the sass & bide duo, Helen Mirren, Sarah Jane Adams and the rest of Ari Seth Cohen’s Advanced Style mob. There are many more examples in books, politics, charity and my own life (of course of course) but these very public women provide a blueprint for creativity, style and chutzpah.

Who are the women who most inspire you, either alive or from history?

Some news

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by kellydoust in Art, Books & films, Writing

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Gregory & Company, HarperCollins, Precious Things

Early artist's impression of the collar / coronet by my dear, talented friend, Jessica Guthrie

Early artist’s impression of one of the characters in Precious Things by my dear, talented friend, Jessica Guthrie

Exciting news, which I can finally share with you lovelies! This was published in today’s Bookseller & Publisher:

Two-Book Deal for Kelly Doust

HarperCollins is thrilled to announce that we have acquired Kelly Doust’s debut novel in a two-book deal for ANZ rights via Gregory and Company, UK.

Precious Things, to be published in May 2016, is a sweeping, absorbing and lush work of commercial fiction, telling the story of a beautiful embroidered collar and its journey through time in the hands of the women who created it, loved it, wore it and lost it—and the modern-day woman who can’t help but be intrigued by its mysterious past.

HarperCollins Publisher Catherine Milne says: ‘Kelly is well-known to booksellers as the author of the Crafty Minx books, and it’s wonderful to see this talented writer move into fiction—which as it turns out is her natural home.’

Kelly says: ‘I am delighted to be publishing my fiction with HarperCollins and thrilled to be working with Catherine Milne and the rest of the HCP team.’

I’m editing at the moment – more to follow soon x

Feeding the book

16 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by kellydoust in Art, Inspirations, theatre & culture, Writing

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Carrie Tiffany, Kazuo Ishiguro, Nathalie Lete, Neil Gaiman

Wise owl by Nathalie Lete

Owl by Nathalie Lete

Neil Gaiman calls it his ‘staring at the wall’ phase. Carrie Tiffany hosted a workshop at Faber Academy and described it as being like ‘a car without gas’. Kazuo Ishiguro writes like a madman before experiencing an almighty crash. I call it brain freeze; that time when you’re feeling all dense yet scooped-out inside, and the thaw seems like it could be months or even years away. When I’m like that, it’s probably more precise to say I don’t feel anything – at least, I couldn’t tell you what’s going on inside my head because there’s nothing much going on at all.

I think all writers must go through this process. That time after any period of intense writing where one feels totally and utterly spent. And not just writers; almost anyone after a huge project ends and before a new one begins.

That was a lot of last year for me and I was beginning to wonder whether I’d ever see my way through it. But I’ve realised they were all right; it does end, and all you can do when the car’s empty is fill up – totally gorge yourself on information and circle around, letting the ideas sift and settle, waiting to see which ones stick.

Will you look at this gorgeous woman? Artist Nathalie Lete, looking every bit like one of her paintings.

Will you look at this gorgeous woman? Nathalie Lete, looking every bit as lovely as her paintings.

I’m not quite ready to write yet, not properly. I have a new notebook (a very pretty one from French artist Nathalie Lete, almost half-full already) with a new plot and many more discarded ones and various ideas which will never see the light of day, as well as some that will. Some may feed into the following book, or the one after that.

There’s almost a fated process at work now. Ideas germinate from even the smallest daily encounters and a conversation, news story or non-fiction read comes at just the right time. Sometimes it feels like such a perfect fit for my next book, it’s hard to believe it’s only a coincidence. This can seem like pure magic, if you believe in such things.

Raining ideasWhen I was writing the last book I visited the Art Gallery of NSW to see the Francis Bacon exhibition. I knew I wanted to feature an artist in the book but had all these stale ideas about who the character would be, and how they would fit in. Seeing the works and reading about Bacon’s life, I started to picture her more clearly; where she might have come from, what drove her and how her story was different from anyone else’s. Similarly, I’m now reading a non-fiction book called The Last Curtsey, about the end of the debutantes, and I’m starting to get a clearer idea of who my next character will be. I know her lifestyle and the times that shaped her, so she’ll be more than just a composite of someone I want to write about. This is making her feel real to me, almost as real as people I actually know.

Other seeds of ideas come in conversations with friends or new acquaintances, snippets overheard in cafés, or a look between two people that I witnessed. And they all feed into some of the broader ideas I’ve been mulling over for decades, mostly on a subconscious level. About how to behave, how to treat people, how families work or don’t work and knotty issues such as narcissism, sibling rivalry and infidelity.

Because what is a novel if not a manifesto of sorts? A moral code by which the book is governed? Authors tell you how they think things should be, not necessarily how they are, but there’s a lot of real emotion being poured into their work. Readers can only read between the lines.

I used to have an old boyfriend who wouldn’t touch fiction, saying he didn’t want to read about things that weren’t real (no, it wasn’t a perfect match). The novel might be an amalgamation of clever ideas and gimmicks sometimes – outrageous characters and scenes amped up for dramatic effect – but the book’s soul is a real thing. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t connect with it at all. It’s also hard to see why the writer would bother with such an undertaking in the first place, given the effect on our poor brains following a novel’s completion (please refer to first paragraph)!

A few of my favourite things

31 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by kellydoust in Art, Books & films, Fashion, Food, Inspirations, markets & shopping

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Amy Adams, Big Eyes, Frida Giannini, Gabrielle Zevin, Girls, Gucci, Jemima Kirk, Lena Dunham, The Bakehouse Studio, The Storied Life of AJ FIkry

11057273_1538219093109222_6852092253340208011_nTO READ: THE STORIED LIFE OF AJ FIKRY
Bookish folk, this is for you. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is a perfect novel about a failing bookstore, its cranky owner, a perky sales rep and a precocious foundling. Mostly it’s about love, though – love and books. Mr Fikry, you’re my kind of man.

TO WATCH: BIG EYES
The story of artist Margaret Keane and her domineering cheat of a husband is so extraordinary, it seems hard to believe it hasn’t been told sooner on the big screen. Tim Burton does the tale justice without going over the top on the magic realism and it’s a better film for it, but I loved the small touches that were present in the haunting eyes of Keane’s women and children. Don’t fret, Amy Adams fans… Oscar’s coming for her one day soon. Great 60s fashion and architecture, too for all the die-hard vintage peeps out there.

10305063_1541679779429820_54041439847273506_nTO LUST AFTER: NEW-SEASON GUCCI
Frida Giannini’s nailed it – this is all I want to wear in the coming season. I’m thinking 70s nostalgia is a-ok when I missed it first time round… just. I didn’t miss out on a very fetching bowl cut, though (all photographic evidence destroyed). How amazing is this jacket!?

AND SOME ACE TV: GIRLS SEASON 4
Lena Dunham’s comedy about four twenty-something women in New York just gets better and better, and this season was the pinnacle for me. Jemima Kirk’s Jessa is a joy to behold but man, she’s a piece of work!

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ALSO – VISIT: YOUR LOCAL ARTIST’S STUDIO
I recently made a trip to The Bakehouse Studio, workspace of Marrickville artist Lisa Holzl. I’m writing a clay sculptor into the next novel and got such a great feel for her character and life in this magical space.

Riding the changes

26 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by kellydoust in Art, Books & films, Inspirations, theatre & culture, Writing

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De-cluttering, Meditation, Sydney Dance Company

Lucy Culliton still life, currently showing at the Mosman Art Gallery

Lucy Culliton still life, currently showing at the Mosman Art Gallery

I was talking to a neighbour the other day whose close friend is a novelist. She was saying that her friend’s now given up writing because she feels so demoralised by all the rejection. I understand this. I have the same feeling sometimes, too. Until I remember – five minutes or a few weeks later – that when I’m not writing, I don’t feel like myself. It’s so strong that when I consider doing something else or try going against my nature, a voice in my head whispers: wrong, wrong, wrong.

What are some ways to alleviate the fear? I’ve found that meditation really helps. I usually do twenty minutes a day but sometimes manage to squeeze in a bit more. If nothing else, it’s a great time for reminding myself to breathe deeply and simply enjoy that brief time on my own before the world crowds in and I get caught up in the day. But at its best, it’s a time to focus on gratitude and trust, and finding peace with the unknown. I’ve only been doing it for about a year now – since the September before last – but I do feel in that time it’s helped me deal with things more calmly and helped in other areas of my life as well.

Get out of the house, and surround yourself in beauty: taken on a recent run from Bronte to Bondi beaches and back

Bondi Icebergs on my run from Bronte to Bondi earlier this week

Another idea – and this isn’t original either, I think it’s one of the major principles of The Artist’s Way – is to go for walks. Similar to meditation, it helps me think about things in a new way and gets me out of my head (and home… very important when I work here and achieve most things through self-motivation). Even ten minutes seems to help when I’m feeling flat or low. That’s just a walk around the block. Twenty minutes is better, and an hour seems best to really improve my outlook. Lots of ideas seem to flow when I’m doing a circular bay walk, and I usually take a pen and notebook so I can write them down. I felt silly the time I tried doing dictation on my smartphone, so settle on sending myself texts at a pinch.

I’m reading Gretchen Rubin’s 2009 book The Happiness Project at the moment and one thing she mentions from her research is that writers tend to focus on more wordy mediums for inspiration or entertainment (reading, theatre, films, TV). She suggests finding more ‘wordless’ mediums to indulge in eg dance, painting, music, and probably certain sports. I really relate to this.

And there's always Work Avoidance Behaviour (WAB): de-cluttering Gretchen Rubin-style in The Happiness Project

Typical Work Avoidance Behaviour: de-cluttering Gretchen Rubin-style. Space outside, space within?

The one performance style I always seem to come back to and adore is contemporary dance; there’s something about it that just exhilarates me and seems to spark creativity. I particularly love anything choreographed or chosen by Rafael Bonachela (the Creative Director of the Sydney Dance Company). I’ve been an SDC season ticket holder for the last couple of years now and recently bought tickets for all the performances coming up in 2015. Just knowing they’re set in the calendar reassures me… something to look forward to is always good.

I guess the point is, it’s all about finding those things which work best work for you and at keeping you creative rather than worrying about outcomes. A new art exhibition – especially portraits – always starts me thinking what’s your story? and before I know it, I’m off.

That’s all you need. How do you stay firm and positive through all the ups and downs?

Kelly Doust

Lifestyle Publisher by day, novelist by night. Author of Dressing the Dearloves and Precious Things. Also A Life In Frocks, Minxy Vintage and The Crafty Minx series of craft books

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This book and this woman... #bodyimagewarrior was a special book from the get go, and @chelseabonner is such a tour de force, championing change in the way we portray women’s bodies in the media. So thrilled to see Chelsea out and about promoting it this week, despite being hospitalised just last Friday - she really is a warrior goddess 🙌🏻 #chelseabonner #murdochbooks @murdochbooks
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RECENT POSTS

  • Interview with Theresa Smith September 7, 2018
  • Fictional women September 4, 2018
  • Booktopia Podcast August 22, 2018
  • Abstinence of a promiscuous reader August 19, 2018
  • And the new novel is… Dressing the Dearloves May 23, 2018

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Next book publishedSeptember 1st, 2018
Dressing the Dearloves is out now with HarperCollins

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