Cirrus@Austlit

'Show Your Working is a regular column exploring how some of our favourite writers get things done. In this instalment, we take a peek into the writing routine of author John Morrissey. His debut collection of short stories, Firelight, is out now.' (Introduction) 

'An imprisoned man with strange visions writes letters to his sister.

'A controversial business tycoon leaves his daughter a mysterious inheritance.

'A child is haunted by a green man with a message about the origins of their planet.

'In this striking collection of stories, the award-winning John Morrissey investigates colonialism and identity without ever losing sight of his characters’ humanity. Brilliantly imagined and masterfully observed, Firelight marks the debut of a writer we will be reading for decades to come.'(Publication summary)

'Tommy Norli was born on Murchison Station to a black mother and a white father. His father waited until two days after the birth to come and visit mother and child. By way of making up for his delay-or maybe for the pregnancy itself-he brought Tommy a rattle he had made from a dry gourd and a lamb's knuckle...' (Introduction)