When Di Morrissey published her first novel in 1991 at the age of 48, it was the culmination of years of dreaming that began when she was growing up on the banks of Pittwater, NSW, in the late 1940s and ’50s. Seven-year-old Di had strayed into the overgrown garden of Dorothea Mackellar and announced boldly, when asked what she was doing, that she was hunting for fairies. An amused Dorothea invited Di in for a glass of milk.
“She was quite imperious,” Di recalls of the writer best known for her sweeping poem that begins I love a sunburnt country.
Di told Dorothea that she loved to read and would make up her own stories, because money was tight and new books were rare treats. Dorothea said Di must write her stories down so other people can read them. “I came home and said, ‘I’m going to write books!’ … My mother said, ‘Go and shell the peas for dinner.’” Di laughs.
How did Di Morrissey get her start?
Before she made her way to the bestseller list, Di spent time as an eager copy girl and later cadet at The Australian Women’s Weekly. A stint in London, years of globetrotting and motherhood kept Di busy. But she always harboured a desire to be a novelist.
Once she started writing, Di found it impossible to stop. Her second book was published the year after Heart of the Dreaming. She followed quickly with a third.
Twenty-nine books and millions of sales later, she is showing no signs of slowing down.
What is Di Morrissey’s new book?
Her latest work, River Song, opens in the peaceful country town of Fig Tree River, where the arrival of a New York composer causes a stir among the local musical theatre troupe. Then a lottery ticket, bought together on impulse, changes everything.
Despite having produced 30 novels, Di shows no sign of slowing down.
“When you love what you do, you just don’t turn that off one day,” Di says. She’s channeling her energy into new projects, including writing a stage show – not unlike the characters of her newest release River Song.
“I want to do other things, but the books always come first,” Di says.
River Song is available through Pan Macmillan on October 8.
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