1 April, 2026

I received some big news this week.
My publisher confirmed that the 1,000 fundraising copies of *Unspoken* will be arriving in Tassie the first week of May!
This is a significant milestone so I thought I’d recap how I got to this point and the motivation behind this fundraising initiative.

The story so far

When I was having my initial discussions with my publisher Ventura Press, there was a Q&A that went something like this:

Ventura: What do you want to achieve from being published?

Me: Raise some money for charity and, oh, have a party!

There was an awkward silence, quickly followed by a reality check - for every book sold for the RRP of $32.99, I'd be receiving about $3!

More awkward silence.

Then my reply:

Hmmm, well that doesn't really work for me. The last thing I'm going to do is promise money to a charity and then hand them a cheque for $42.98! That would be embarrassing. So let's leave it. I reckon I could print off a few copies myself, have full control of the finances and make some meaningful money for charity. The only downside is that I would have to rethink the name of my party. "Failure to launch" has a good ring about it.😂😂

Silence.

Then Ventura Press came to the party - not that party ... this party ...

The deal

They would deliver the first 1,000 copies to me.
There would be a renegotiation of my contract given they would be losing 1,000 book sales.
I would bear the full cost of the 1,000 books.
My copies must be sold before the official launch date of 26 May, 2026.

There was no silence.

No hesitation.

I agreed straight away!

Fast forward six months and a 1,000 copies are on their way to my garage! 🥳🫨

The charity

If you're not up to speed with the details of the charity and the life-changing impact Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is making, there's a page dedicated to it on my website: click here

But the Reader's Digest version is that my desire to give back has largely been inspired by my 20-year political career.

It taught me alot about leadership.

What it is.

And what it is not.

And it’s not defined by office or position, but by depth of character.

Mostly it bubbles under the surface and behind the scenes, far from the media spotlight and the 24/7 news cycle - found in the many "givers" that I have had the privilege of meeting.

Givers who see themselves as ordinary, often second-guessing their ability to get the job done, and still they are driven to achieve the extraordinary within their local communities and beyond.

The essence of each of you is woven through the fabric of Unspoken and your generosity has inspired me to take on this project.

To I can say is thank you.

Shop Unspoken

The 1,000 fundraising copies of Unspoken are now on sale via my website.

One copy is $32.99. From the proceeds of each book sold, I will donate the profit - $15 - to charity.

At checkout, you will also have the option to match that $15 donation. This is done via a separate item. If you do, a total of $30 will go to charity.

If you want to purchase multiple copies, or make a donation of more than $15, navigate to the cart after your purchase and add more copies to either item.

The delivery options are local pickup across Tasmania, or $11.50 for Australia Post delivery across Australia and the external territories - btw,big shout out to Annie, John and Eric on Norfolk Island!

Together, let’s spark the joy of reading and ignite a world of endless possibilities.

Your bonus

As a bonus for ordering now, as soon as your order is confirmed, you will received an email containing a link to a flipbook with the prologue and the first three chapters as a taste of what’s coming your way in early May.

Because it includes an external link, keep an eye on in your spam folder for that one.

A final word

I want to recognise Saeed, Amy and Alice - the loves of my life - who are continuously assuring me that the worst case scenario is 1,000 copies of Unspoken in the shed ... and I still get to have a party! 💖💖💖

How did I get here?