In memory of Nicole Lewanski

On the Road
—do you know it?”
“Yeah, by Kerouac.”
“That’s the one. She was saving up for a big road trip across America, but then
she met Dad. Soon after, she was pregnant with me.”
“So she never went?”
“No, though she still talks about it sometimes. She had this affinity with
Colorado. It used to be a running joke with Dad—the closest she ever got to
Colorado was me.”
I smirked. “Very funny.”
“My dad used to think so, but he was probably the only one.”
“So are you still living at home?”
“No, I moved out a few months back. I just needed a change of scenery. I
couldn’t walk down the street incognito. Everyone I bumped into would give
me that look. You know, that ‘There’s the guy with the dead girlfriend’ look.”
I nodded.

---

“So I got a job stacking shelves at the supermarket and signed a lease for a
shoebox apartment in Paddington.”
“Oh, that’s not too far from me.”
“You moved out too?”
“Kind of. I’m house-sitting with Lucy at her uncle’s place. We’re in Surry
Hills.”
“Really? Hey, that’s great! How’s Lucy?”
“Really good. She’s studying business at Sydney U. Freddy’s there with her—
they’re enrolled in the same course.”
“I have to give Freddy a call. I owe him a beer,” said Rad. “I’ve literally been a
hermit while writing this book. It’s time to come out of hibernation, I suppose.”
“What was that like? Hibernation, I mean. A lot of writers talk about this
creative vacuum when they’re busy working on a project, and I’ve always been
curious about it.”
“You kind of lose perspective after a while. At least, it was that way with me.
You become insular. I barely left my apartment the whole time I was writing
Snowflake
. I kept odd hours. I was stacking shelves at night, so I would sleep in
during the day. There’s a café downstairs, which was handy. Sometimes, if I felt
up to it, I would walk up to Centennial Park, feed the ducks.”
“It sounds perfect, actually.”
“Oddly enough, I did enjoy it, but only because I was working on something I
cared about. I think I’d go crazy if I was just doing time.”
“I can’t believe you talked about doing something and actually accomplished it.
I mean, not only did you write a book but you also got the Elliott Tate
nomination.”
“It was a nice surprise,” he said, with a shrug. “But the biggest thrill was
getting the publishing deal.”
“How did it happen? Take me through it.”
“I didn’t have an end goal in mind when I was writing 
Snowflake
. It was
something I was compelled to do—I felt like I would go mad if I didn’t. Writing
was cathartic for me. Before I knew it, I’d finished the book, and I parked it to
one side for a few weeks. Then, one night I was surfing the web, and I came
across a competition that Geidt & Ekstrom was running. Do you know who they
are?”
“I’ve heard about them. They’ve only been around a few years, but they’ve
published a string of hits.”
“Yeah, they’ve had a good run.”

---

“I wasn’t aware of the competition, though.”
“I don’t think it got any media attention, probably because it was the first year
they ran it.”
“That makes sense. So how did it work?”
“They were on the lookout for a novella. The prize was a publishing deal and a
decent sum of money. Kind of like an advance.”
“My editor, Sam, was telling me that novellas are coming back in vogue.”
“Yeah, there is definitely a trend, which is great. Some of the best classics are
novellas.”
“I know. 
Animal Farm
is one of my favorite books
.
”
“Same.”
“And I’m guessing you won the competition?”
“I did.”
“Amazing,” I said, sitting back in my seat and shaking my head. “So what
happened next?”
“I quit my job as soon as the prize money came in. It’s kind of neat that I can
focus all my attention on writing now. At least for the next year or so. What
about you? How did you get this gig? I know some graduates who are still
struggling to get their foot in the door.”
I told him all about Angie and Sam, my internship, and then my full-time
position.
“Wow, lucky break.”
“I know. Things are going so well for me at the moment.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You deserve it.”
“Thanks. I’m crossing my fingers for the Elliott Tate Award. I think