Author: katemccaffrey

I know, I know, I’m terrible on social media. My profuse apologies but, you know, time gets away and the next thing you look back and it’s a year (actually to the day!) since the last post! Madness!

So, behind the scenes I’ve still been working. I’m in the middle of my PhD- a creative component and exegesis. The manuscript is about toxic masculinity and I have completed the first draft, so that has been productive.

In February, this year, I signed a contract with Echo Publishing on my first adult novel- Double Lives. As the title of this post suggests it is about to be released, officially on October 4th. Here is the promotional material..

Double Lives is the first adult novel from established Young Adult author Kate McCaffrey, exploring notions of truth, gender, identity and acceptance in a compelling account of a cold-case podcast.

When Western Australian radio journalist Amy Rhinehart decides to use a crime podcast to explore a gruesome murder, she’s seeking ratings, awards and career glory. Her idea: to use the listeners of the show as its co-creators, with live-time calls and suggestion boards. The case: Jonah Scott, charged and imprisoned for life for the murder of his girlfriend, Casey Williams. Although Jonah went to great lengths to hide the body, when arrested, he confessed immediately and pleaded guilty. Is the case really as open-and-shut as it would seem? Or is something more sinister afoot?

Amy’s investigation plunges her into a world of drugs, sex, gender identity and religious cults … and in her search for the truth, she finds she also has to answer questions within herself.

Threaded through the main narrative, the podcast transcripts represent a story-within-a-story, exploring the characters of Jonah and Casey and the relationship between them, expertly interwoven with Amy’s investigation.

Double Lives is both a sensitive and thoughtful examination of identity – who we are and how we are shaped – and a gripping detective novel. Throughout the book Kate focuses on the concept of truth, highlighting the bias that can be present in some reporting.

Double Lives is a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to live outside society.

So, there is a launch at Open Book in Mosman Park on the 6th October and a whole pile of podcasts and library visits coming up (which I will endeavour to update this blog with!). Book your tickets for the launch here .