Elizabeth Macarthur – Michelle Scott Tucker

All About Author Talks

I won’t lie – I LOVE doing author talks. Since my book was published in April 2018 I’ve delivered many talks and interviews. Clearly I’m not a proper writer though, because apparently real writers are meant to be all shy and introverted. Sorry, but nope. EM’s story is interesting and important and I’m very happy to tell it over and over again. However. I have been loath to blog about my speaking adventures and I think I know why. Giving an author talk is so much fun that I fear [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2020-02-16T22:29:35+11:00February 16th, 2020|Author Talk, Elizabeth Macarthur|5 Comments

Kate Grenville’s new book

So some of you might know that Kate Grenville has a new book coming out this year. A novel. About Elizabeth Macarthur... Kate Grenville is, like me, one of Text Publishing's stable of authors and I've known for quite a while that this book was coming, and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. The novel will be called A Room Made of Leaves and according to Books+Publishing,"This extraordinary novel takes as its starting point the story of Elizabeth Macarthur in the infant colony of Sydney, but breaks [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2020-01-05T13:52:55+11:00January 5th, 2020|Elizabeth Macarthur, Writing|28 Comments

Speaking at SLNSW

I've been promoted! Apparently I'm now a member of the B-list which, according the blurb at the State Library of NSW is "an exciting, new style of book club hosted by the award-winning author and avid reader, Bri Lee. Each month Bri will be in conversation with a variety of authors previously shortlisted for one of the Library’s prestigious literary awards. After the talk, you will be invited into the our historic Friends Room to continue the conversation with your fellow readers." Bri Lee is the prize-winning author of Eggshell [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2019-11-18T12:04:20+11:00November 18th, 2019|Elizabeth Macarthur, Writing|5 Comments

And now shortlisted – OMG!

In my last post I was thrilled to announce that Elizabeth Macarthur had been longlisted for the 2019 CHASS Australia Book Prize. Now I'm even more delighted to announce that Elizabeth Macarthur is now one of the three books on the shortlist. Wow! I mean - just - wow. The other two titles on the shortlist are: - The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History, by Meredith Lake and published by NewSouth Books - Eggshell Skull, by Bri Lee and published by Allen & Unwin What outstanding company Elizabeth is [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2019-10-10T20:49:16+11:00October 10th, 2019|Elizabeth Macarthur, Writing|5 Comments

Longlisted!

I am absolutely thrilled to find that Elizabeth Macarthur has been longlisted for the 2019 CHASS Australia Book Prize. And she's in some pretty amazing company. The Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) has announced the longlist for its prestigious 2019 Australia Prize for a Book (non-fiction). The Book Prize will be awarded to an Australian citizen or permanent resident whose nonfiction book, published between 1 January and 31 December 2018, contributes most to Australian cultural and intellectual life. The longlisted titles, from an entry field of [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2019-09-26T14:37:14+10:00September 26th, 2019|Elizabeth Macarthur, Writing|2 Comments

Shortlisted!

Surprised - and ludicrously happy - to find that Elizabeth Macarthur has been shortlisted for the Ashurst Business Literature Prize. Some info about the prize, according to the website: Launched in 2004 by Blake Dawson and the State Library of NSW, the $30,000 Ashurst Business Literature Prize is acknowledged as Australia’s most important award for business writing. The prestigious prize was originally established by law firm Ashurst (formerly Blake Dawson) and the State Library of NSW to encourage the highest possible standards of literary commentary on Australian business and financial [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2019-04-12T17:45:23+10:00April 12th, 2019|Elizabeth Macarthur, Life, Writing|7 Comments

New Edition

Ooooh! Look what was just delivered to my place - a beautiful new edition of Elizabeth Macarthur. Just quietly, I think I like this cover better. I fear the previous one was in danger of being dismissed as 'a woman's book'. That's not a joke. I took my daughter into a bookshop recently, one of a large commercial chain. In an effort to embarrass her even more than usual, I took her hunting for a copy of my book. There it was on the Biography shelf. Nice. Then we went [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2019-03-01T21:11:16+11:00March 1st, 2019|Elizabeth Macarthur|7 Comments

Listen up…

Interviews tomorrow with three different radio stations: listen in after 4pm to Radio Northern Beaches (Sydney); after 4:45pm to ABC Broken Hill; or after 5:45 (WA time) to ABC Drive WA. Am also speaking on Thursday morning with Wendy Harmer (yes, Wendy Harmer!!!!) - listen in after 9:00am to the ABC Sydney morning show. And on Friday it's one more interview, with ABC Bendigo (Central Victoria). Listen in after 10:30. If you're really keen, you can also listen online to last week's interviews: 2ser Sydney Breakfast Show. Fast forward to 1.04.10 [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2018-04-08T18:57:53+10:00April 8th, 2018|Author Interviews, Elizabeth Macarthur|2 Comments

And so it begins…

Publication Day is Monday 2 April, although I'm not sure what it actually means, because nothing actually happens on the day. Some bookshops already have Elizabeth Macarthur on their shelves, others will no doubt get it in over the next few weeks. The launch party, a private function for friends and family, will be held a week or so later. My lovely publicist has lined up lots of talks and radio interviews for me but none are scheduled for Monday. Well, one was, with Wendy Harmer on the ABC Sydney [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2018-03-31T16:36:57+11:00March 31st, 2018|Elizabeth Macarthur|8 Comments

Elizabeth Macarthur’s Grave

I took the opportunity, late last year, to visit Elizabeth Macarthur’s grave. The Macarthur family graveyard is on a quiet hill, about a mile away from and opposite the family home at Camden Park House (about 70kms south west of the Sydney CBD). Elizabeth’s son William, passionate about botany, planted the site with exotic palms, which no doubt quickly grew tall enough to be seen from the house, but most of the site is now sheltered by native trees. In all my years of researching, I never did find a [...]

Michelle Scott Tucker2018-04-12T17:12:03+10:00January 23rd, 2018|Colonial History, Elizabeth Macarthur|10 Comments