The Rising #author Whitney Fitzsimmons

In a town scarred by floodwaters, the past refuses to stay buried.

When a catastrophic flood rips through the rural town of Birradurra, a shocking cold case is discovered. Unearthed from the mud are the skeletal remains of a baby.

Shaken by this and haunted by her traumatic past, journalist Bec Carter is consumed with getting justice for the victim.

But when her friend Harry who vowed to help with the investigation vanishes in violent circumstances, authorities look to Bec for answers.

Now the prime suspect in Harry’s disappearance, Bec must fight to clear her name and uncover the facts before another flood hits.

But nothing is straightforward, and someone will do anything to keep the past from resurfacing.

Twisty, atmospheric and utterly gripping, The Rising is a heart-stopping thriller where every secret comes with a cost — and some truths are better left hidden.

To connect with Whitney ....
https://whitneyfitzsimmons.com/
https://www.instagram.com/whitneyfitzsimmons/
https://www.facebook.com/whitney.fitzsimmons/ 

Transcript

Copy

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Whitney Fitzsimmons, welcome to Yellow Shelf. Thanks, Joe. It's a pleasure to be here. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Honestly, the pleasure is all mine. Congratulations, debut author. And I was just sharing with you, I was in my local Newcastle library. Your book is front and centre on display. Congratulations. The Rising, tell us all about it.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

It's really exciting. I just was like, oh my God. Um, look, The Rising is my debut novel. It's a crime fiction novel. It's set in a rural fictitious town called Madura on the border of New South Wales and Queensland after the second bout of the worst floods in a hundred years have swept through the town. And it reveals a cold case that had been there for 20 years. And it's essentially the bones of a baby were found buried in the shack next to the church in the wall of the shack. And the journalist, the local journalist, Beth Carter, she becomes obsessed with trying to find out what happened to this baby and you know get justice for the victim. And along the way, it also triggers her backstory. So this obsession grows. Now, there's another person in the in the town, Harry, who's the town accountant, he's about the same age, and he really likes her and he wants to try to help her. About a week after they find these bones, he disappears in very violent circumstances, and she becomes the main suspect in his disappearance. So there's this current day situation going on, and then this Cole case. And the question is, are they connected? If they're connected, how are they connected? And that's that's the rising. I didn't see uh it's um it's got a cast of lots of kooky characters in a small town. There's some, you know, uh ill illicit activities going on um with some of the people, and uh yeah, it's and there's you know it's it's kind of there's I believe with crime fiction you can't just have it all um doom and gloom or death and destruction or murder, you know. It's gotta be there's gotta be some sort of light to offset the dark. So there's some so there's some funny moments, some dark humor, and yeah. Yes. It's been fun, it's been really fun.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Yeah, and we like to mix the genres. I mean, I was reading, you know, uh comments like thriller twists, you know, it's definitely got a bit for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Yeah. So I when I came up with the idea, I I had the idea of the main plot, and I love this genre. I read it all the time. And so I'm very used to the tropes and the twists and turns that various authors employ to kind of throw people off. And so, and there's nothing I like more than getting it to the end of a story and thinking, oh my god, I should have seen that. Why didn't I see that? Right. And so what I want to see, I I what I said to myself when I when I got this idea and I was determined to finish a novel was that I wanted to write this for the reader. So I wanted to be in service to the readers who picked up this book. And I wanted to make create an experience so that when they when they turn the pages, they got the payoff, you know. And by the by the end, you know, it I wanted them to, you know, either not put the book down and just have to keep reading, or if they did put the book down in the middle of the night, you know, wake up and go, oh my god, I've got to keep reading that book. What's happening with those characters? Like I used, I've did that with the dry, I've done that with other books. And so I kept thinking about that the whole way through. How do I make sure that this is landing for the reader? And I wanted to, so I when I came up with the first plot line, then I thought, you know what? That's too basic. It's too prosaic for people who read crime fiction. We need another plot line that goes along, runs alongside that plot line that gets tangled in that plot line. And then from that, other plot lines started to spring off from it. And so there's multiple plot lines. And I've had people say to me, I didn't know where this was going, and I didn't think we were gonna tie all these ends up, but you did, and it was a really satisfying ending and a really satisfying experience. So for me, that was that's been really gratifying, and then people haven't been able to guess who the perpetrator is. The other thing that I find really satisfying about the experience is that the the character that I found really difficult to create was the me, the main character, Beck Carter. And I think because I in my head thought she was a bit like me because she's a journalist, and and so subconsciously I was steering away, giving away too much detail about her because I was thinking, oh, this is me and I don't want to put myself on the page. But when my editor and my publisher were like, you've got to actually work on this character because she's a bit of a blank slate, and I was like, Yeah, so I really got in there, and now people she's a great main character. I really enjoy her, I like her voice, I like what she has to say, really likable. Um, you know, some people don't like her, which is fine. And um, so I'm really happy with that from a writing perspective. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Oh, thank you for sharing that. Can I can I just go back? You mentioned your career. So, do you want to tell us a little bit about you? And now as a debut author, yeah, tell us about the journey because uh yeah, I want to hear about that. Tell us about you.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

So, uh in a nutshell, I spent the bulk of my career as a broadcast journalist. So I started in commercial television and then I went to the ABC and I was mainly worked in television, did a bit of radio, but I was a business and finance journalist and I hosted a show in the mornings. I also did bit late life business, the drum, 7 p.m. news, weekend breakfast, that sort of stuff. Um and when I was living in Melbourne reading the international news for the net for the ABC, I started my first novel that I never finished. And it was, and this was in 2005. I didn't know my process, and it started with a singular question, which is usually how I come up with my plots, is like, okay, what if this? And I thought, what if there was a global pandemic that swept across the world, that melted down share markets, and you know, a whole bunch of people died, and it was started by an evil conglomerate that had the vaccine and they wanted to make a lot of money off it. What if that happened, right? And this was in 2005. So we started writing it. I wrote about 40,000 words or something, and I stupidly got ahead of myself and I pitched it to an agent. It was not finished. I mean, it by no stretch of the imagination. And an agent was really interested in it, and I just never was able to deliver it because I just got I kept writing into corners, I kept getting freaked out and stressed, and so that hung on my conscience for like a long time. And I thought, oh my god, you loser! Like you're never gonna get a book done. And so when the rising came to me, years ago years later, in COVID, I did a live Zoom crime writing course. And I thought, okay, I've got to do something, I've got to finish a book, I've got to commit to this. And so I did, like I got the idea for the rising, and I thought, okay, you're just gonna write it, and you are come hell or high water. I don't care what what what happened, you have to finish this book. So, and I did, which I'm really proud of that. Yeah. So the journalism thing and the writing thing, they kind of work in tandem. I use a lot of um news points as jumping off points for the stories that I come up with and you know, inspiration.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Yeah. And with me, you know, I like to research uh before I get you on. And correct me if I'm wrong, you have uh many years ago uh a background in theater and performance. Is that right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

So I I auditioned, I I actually thought I was gonna be an actor. Like as a kid, I was I sing and I, you know, was always I was an attention-seeking missile. And um, and so I auditioned for acting school. Um, I got into Theatre in Opinion, which was like the New South Wales version of NIDA. And I, it's a you know, it was a great course, and I it was professional, and um, you know, lots of really well-known actors have gone there. David Wenham went there, you know, Joel Edgerton went there, like, you know, lots of um, and it was fantastic. But I I got into and and I what happened when I was actually this is the interesting thing about writing, because it's always been there in the back of my mind, but I've never had the confidence really until I got older. Um I remember one night I was at the library with my flatmates and people in my year, we were doing a we were doing essays, and I went off on my own to you know find some books and stuff, and I came across this book, and I'm not kidding, it was the weirdest sensation and the weirdest experience, but I found this book that just by by accident, like accidentally, it was called So You Want to Be a Writer. And I know it's been around for years, right? And and and I I think it's one of those classics anyway, So You Want to Be a Writer. And I went, and I looked at it and I remember feeling this tingling sensation and thinking, yeah, I do actually like I do actually want to be a writer. And then I thought, but I can't like because there were people people in my class in acting school who'd done creative writing, they were the writers, uh, you know, and I didn't feel like I had the space to do it. And then um, and I mean it was my own insecurity, and I took that book and I I remember I found a corner and I made sure nobody was could see me, and I just was reading it, and then I checked it out and I hid it like because I didn't want anyone to know. It's like a dirty secret, it was like porn or something, it was weird. Like I took it home and it and it was and I rechecked it out, and I kept thinking, yes, I do want to be a writer, but I'm scared and all this stuff, and any anyway, and eventually I obviously gave it up to the library. Um but I it always stayed with me, and then I toyed around with like writing theater and writing short films, but I find what I love about fiction, what I absolutely love, and you know, I I'm I wrote The Rising with the intention of it to be adapted to for the screen. I really did, and I'm happy to kind of work on that as a screen like in that team. But uh what I love about fiction is that you are the kind of composer of that world, and you can, you know, with the intention of being, you know, in service to the reader, really creating something special for people to enjoy and to take them into a place where they might not experience that. And that the I just and the detail and the, you know, like for example, like fun stuff, like in this the chapter where there's the big town hall meeting, and you know, everyone there is there from the town, and they're all talking about various issues. Marion Jones, who is like the she, you know, she's in everything, she's like the knitter, she's the CWA, she bakes all this stuff. So she's got these Lamingtons. And I thought, what could make that even more cool? And I happen to, through weird circumstances, like I was watching TV once, and Darren Purchase was the pastry chef who hosts Bake Off. He was a contestant on Dessert Masters. And so I just I just messaged him. I said, you know, I said, well done, you know, blah, blah, blah. And he started following me, I started following him. And then his wife started following me, I started following her. And then we and I was commenting on some stuff that he'd done, he'd done further down the track on the show. And then his mom, Shirley Purchase, started following me in the UK, and I started following hers. We're all following each other, right? And I'm a big fan of both what Darren and Kath do with their business and stuff. And um, and I thought, I wonder if they have a Lamington recipe. And so I just Googled it too, and so I messaged them. I said, Can I can I say that Marion's Lamingtons are your Lamingtons and that you guys, she's a fan, and that like, and they were like, Yeah, like totally random, right? But because it gives it sort of that kind of depth, you know, and um, and kind of playfulness, you know, that fun thing that you know just unexpected, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Whitney, oh my god, that is like the best share about your book. This is why people need to go and buy it. This is why people need to there is so much in this, and Whitney, it actually sounds like there's plenty more writing to come. I mean, I know you need to enjoy this one and it's out now, and it's your debut, but I'm hearing plenty more on offer as an author.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

It's funny, Joe, because it's in my nature, like being a news junkie and being a journalist, it's like, yeah, that's done next. That's done next. And I am trying to very much enjoy this and go, oh yeah, no, I actually did create this. Um, but I've got so when I was writing The Rising, the intention was that it was a standalone. And then as I got through further into it, I was like, I really like these characters and I really like this town, but I only want to do it if there's something that is really cool or relevant plot-wise. And I came up with an idea and I thought, ooh, I like that. So there is a sequel to The Rising, and that makes me really happy because people who've read it are saying, I want to, I want a sequel, I like these characters, I want to hear more about them.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

And then the other book I've got, which I am so excited about because it's gonna be a really big for me. Like it's gonna be a challenge in terms of like a step up in terms of my writing skills. Um, it's a stand, it's a very high concept standalone thriller set in London in the world of live television broadcasting politics and terrorism. Okay. And it is like a twist. You think it's this, you go, oh yeah, okay. And then it goes, and then it does this twist, and people go, Oh my god. And then it does another twist, and they're like, Oh my god, like I've told people this story, and they're like, and it is, it's just everyone I think about it, I just get tingly, like this tingly sensation. I'm like, this is if I can do it well, yeah, I can tell the story well, people are gonna really love it.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

So well, I'm gonna be super excited when I see the next book and then I message you and say, please come back and share. I mean, I feel like we dived. I wasn't gonna ask you the question about theater and performance, but then I just took took took the leap and look where it took us. We've learned so many wonderful things about you, your journey as an author. Thank you so much for sharing, Whitney. Can I just mention, I'm gonna put in the show notes here. Um, if people are curious anywhere in the world about you, about your book, I know you've got a website, Instagram, Facebook. You point us in the direction of where you'd like people to learn more about you, and I'll I'll share it with the audience.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, so I mean, my website is great, it's easy, it's whitneyfitssimmons.com. Um, and then there's lots of stuff on there. Oh, there's a video of me even talking about the book. Um, and if you want to test, like if you're interested in the book and you want to read the first chapter, you can download it for free. Um, and then I'm most active on Instagram. So my handle is just WhitneyFitsimmons. And um, you know, I love to hear what people think of the book. And, you know, I love to engage with readers and and people who are into books and storytelling. So find me there, Pete.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

Uh look, I'm gonna make it easy for everyone to connect with you. Um, there could be more recipes to share with you.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

I know, right? This is my fantasy. I want to go down to Melbourne and I want to bake Marion's Lamingtons with Darren and Kath and do a whole social series on it. I think that would be brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Anyway, it is gonna I can I can I already know it will happen. It will happen. We mean it has been a delight to to meet you and obviously also to to hear all about the book. Congratulations. Thank you so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

I appreciate it. Thank you for the opportunity. Cheers.