‘You’re right,’ murmurs Lucy.
Above us, the light is trying to push its way into the sky. It is still thick with grey, but it seems higher than it was before. The landscape unfurls on either side of the road, acres and acres of gently undulating scrub, broken only by large clusters of eucalypts. The greens and browns of the vegetation are less vivid than I have seen before and the gumtrees don’t look as strong as they were, as if the colour from their leaves has bled into the sky. But they are still standing, still reaching up. Waiting.
Acknowledgements
Firstly, a gigantic thank you to my husband, Nathan. Thank you for your unfailingly honest feedback, the most valuable thing a writer can have. Thank you for believing that I do have the skills to pay the bills, especially when I was convinced otherwise. Thank you for being a single parent from time to time so I could write.
A big thank you to Associate Professor George Bryan for his help answering my ‘what-ifs’ about all things nuclear winterish, for being a boffin in general and knowing about random things like what is and isn’t possible when it comes to handbrake turns. (Even when I chose to ignore your input re the latter.) Thanks for also being my dad. In fact, thank you to both my parents for your enthusiasm and for never asking when I was going to get a real job. Thank you for teaching me the value of hard work.
Thank you to my dear readers: Marcella Kelshaw, Carla Brown, Lauren McCorquodale and Jo Mason. Thank you for your input and ideas and for offering to read my stuff. Thank you for being top people and the bestest, most loyal friends.
A massive thank you to my agent Sheila Drummond and also the team at UQP for taking a punt on a newbie. Special thanks must go to the ever lovely Kristina Schulz for always being so encouraging and just downright lovely in general. Also to my editorial team: Cathy Vallance, Kristy Bushnell and especially Jody Lee, whose wisdom, very, very early on, helped make this story the book it is today.
Finally, thank you Mr Ghetzzi for teaching me that words on a page can have an extraordinary affect on their readers’ lives. And for making me read
I’LL TELL YOU MINE
Pip Harry
Everything about her – especially her goth make-up and clothes – screams different and the girls at her school keep their distance. Besides, how can Kate be herself,
But then sometimes new friends, and even love, can find you when you least expect it.
So how do you take that first step and reveal yourself when you’re not sure that people want to know the real you?
‘I loved it. It has three of my favourite ingredients: boarding school, great characters, and a lot of heart.’
‘What an angst-ridden, passionate and funny story!’
‘A beautiful debut told in a crisp, clear voice by an author who has expertly captured the struggle to find your identity, fall in love, and survive high school.’
ISBN 978 0 7022 3938 0
About the Author
Claire Zorn lives on the south coast of New South Wales with her husband and two small children. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Post Graduate Diploma in writing. She is a music lover, retro furniture collector and amateur swim-club enthusiast.
Copyright
First published 2013 by University of Queensland Press
PO Box 6042, St Lucia, Queensland 4067 Australia
© Claire Zorn 2013
This book is copyright. Except for private study, research, criticism or reviews, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.
Cover design by Jo Hunt
Cover photographs by iStockphoto and Dreamstime
Typeset in Adobe Garamond 12/16pt by Post Pre-press Group, Brisbane
Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Zorn, Claire, author.
The sky so heavy / Claire Zorn.
ISBN 978 0 7022 4976 1 (pbk)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5140 5 (epdf)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5141 2 (epub)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5142 9 (kindle)
Nuclear winter – Juvenile fiction.
A823.4
University of Queensland Press uses papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
