Автор романа «Раскрашенные сердца» превратила развод и жизнь с родителями в источник вдохновения для бестселлера

Two years ago, Bec George found herself starting over and living with her parents following a break-up. That time in her life became a pivotal moment. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading Writing a novel had been a lifelong dream for Ms George who used the craft as "cheap therapy" to complete her debut romance novel, Painted Hearts. "I was back in my safe place with my parents, and because I knew they had my back, I turned back to all the things that I loved as a child," she said. "My entire life had fallen apart and I really thought that I would never even finish writing it. So for it to actually be out, it's pretty crazy. "I found writing the book very cathartic and very healing. I couldn't afford a therapist, so I decided to write a book." Ms George drew on the inspiration of her time living in Orange to create the picturesque setting in the novel. "There is this bar in Orange, where I used to live, called Washington and Co. It's a little whisky bar, and right next door used to be a paint-and-sip called Pinot and Picasso where I used to work," she said. "The whisky bar plays divorce dad rock and has a very manly vibe, and I'd be next door blasting my pop hits. We were always turning up our music over the top of each other. "I'm a bit of a chaos magnet. I snapped my key off in the lock a million times and they had to come help me." The inspiration behind Everett Ms George also unintentionally based her male protagonist, Everett, on a bartender at Washington and Co who showed up to her book event at Collins Books in Orange. "There's a guy who works there named Jason, and he's 6 foot 7 with a beard, and he looks exactly like Everett," she said. "I don't remember him, but he must have been in my subconscious, which is why I made my character look like that. But he remembers me, apparently." Return of romance Romance novels have had a resurgence in Australia, with the market growing three and a half times larger than it was in 2019. According to Nielsen BookData, post-COVID-19 pandemic romance book sales saw a 49 per cent annual growth rate. The increased interest is partially due to the social media platform TikTok, where the #BookTok trend allows regional authors to easily market their books to a broad audience. The self-publication route Ms George chose is also increasing, according to data from the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), which indicates that more than 50 per cent of Kindle's top 400 bestselling books are by indie or self-published authors. Ms George said she is amazed by how quickly Painted Hearts is flying off the shelves as interest gains traction. "Bookstores can't keep it in stock and the book tour sold out every single day, even though I'm just this little nobody from the Central West. It's pretty crazy," she said. "The bar is ridiculously excited about the book. I went over there after the signing and gave John, the bar owner, a copy of the book. He told me that he has people coming in there daily asking about it." What's next Ms George used her own experiences to shape the core message of the book, which she believes will resonate with many readers. "The core message of the whole book is that it's never too late to start over," she said. According to Ms George, the next novel in the series is already in progress. "The second book is just goofy and fun," she said.