Afghani – Book Tour and Giveaway

The Journey of a Self-Taught Author: From Afghanistan to Australia

I’ve officially entered a quieter period of my life.

The long winter, I’ll call it.

Gone are the all-night pub crawls, partying, and general shenanigans, because now I like to go in search of peace, calm, and uninterrupted privacy.

To me, this means yoga mats, sips of good coffee, and even a dash of single malt whiskey, once the sun goes down.

But I do find myself reflecting on the wild and unpredictable path that led me to become an author, too.

It’s a journey that spans several lifetimes (because it feels as if I have lived as many), from the quiet unsuspecting town of Beaudesert, Queensland, and all the way to the war torn dashts of Afghanistan… then right back to where my story began.

Finding My Voice in a World of Words

Born in rural Queensland, and only a short drive west of the Gold Coast hinterland, I grew up with the stories of ANZAC in my blood, and how my great grandfather caught a bullet in the head—somewhere on the Western front—only to survive until he was 90 years of age.

I thought my family were pretty tough, too. Most Queensland kids are. We have to be. And although I’m of Irish/German descent, there’s an Afghani segment to my family that has profoundly shaped my perspective and my writing, because they all proved to be about as tough as they came!

But I didn’t know too much about that side of my heritage, which is what lured me into creative writing—the path of self discovery and understanding!

On writing. I’m completely self-taught, and I often tell people when they ask about my literary education that: I don’t really have any.

Instead, I’ve relied upon reading other people’s books to teach myself how to write.

There’s something beautifully organic about learning the craft this way which enables you to absorb the rhythms and techniques of great writers. And it’s in these spaces where one begins to discover and nurture their own unique voice.

Here, you are not forced down by the rules, and I view my lack of writing education as a boon—

On voice. Mine tends toward the sparse and minimalist, and although I write with a degree of spontaneity, I do like to keep things interesting.

When I write, it’s like I’m hearing music.

But sometimes the music just isn’t there, so I often find myself shooting for my Spotify cruxes in Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk or Mahler.

Their rhythm and beat loosens up my brain. It gets the words moving forward… at just the right cadence while also serving to block out most distractions.

From Afghanistan to AFGHANI

One of the oddest experiences of my life occurred half a world away from where I was born.

And it was never really a bucket list item, but more so an off-chance opportunity which presented itself, in the middle of a war zone.

A notification reached my inbox, declaring that a half-marathon was going to be staged around the Tarin Kowt airfield.

That alone isn’t such a strange experience—if you’ve ever been around the military for a while—I had just never entertained such an idea before.

But living and working in war zones can be quite a suffocating time that’s often sleep-deprived, devoid of any semblance of a social life, and can often feel like you’re living inside a prison camp.

So, to escape all the humdrum I ran this half marathon, in the heart of Afghanistan.

I ran extremely well on the day, too, despite the altitude and the crippling dust and the almighty heat, but the experience aptly captures the complexity of my time in Afghanistan, where the biggest fight proved to be in keeping my own sanity.

These experiences… of sacrificing my best years for a cause I no longer agree with was eventually crystallised into my debut novel: AFGHANI.

[Afghani is the collective name given to the early cameleer pioneers who helped shape early Australia]

The end of the Afghanistan war and the immediate Taliban takeover was also a catalyst for this book, but I could never see myself crafting such a novel without mentioning the cameleers, and my own Afghan heritage.

What I did not predict is that side of the story taking over much of the novel.

AFGHANI explores what war is truly about, and that’s a question which is becoming increasingly relevant in our current global climate. But to me it’s all a little bit of history repeating itself. So… the cameleers took centre stage.

The novel follows a dual timeline and features a main character loosely based on myself (or at least inspired by my own experiences), and all of my stories are very much character-led, because I like to dig deep inside and see what makes them tick.

Looking Toward the Horizon

My current work-in-progress is a coming-of-age novel about a boy who runs away in pursuit of his dream. It will be titled: Beneath a Southern Cross.

After that, I plan to write a novel that I can adapt into a screenplay, but that idea is still up in the air and won’t see any further exploration until the current WIP is complete.

The main character in my upcoming book is based on my grandfather, who during World War Two skipped school for a 60-mile journey through the Australian bush to witness a famous plane landing in Brisbane.

These connections to family history make the writing process especially meaningful and fuels my passion for developing potentially exceptional stories.

The Future of Storytelling

When it comes to the publishing industry, I’m in the self-publishing camp, and I believe it’s the way of the future because the democratisation of publishing has opened doors for unique voices that might otherwise have gone unheard. The traditional gatekeepers are being pushed aside.

What makes a good story: In my view, it’s a strong lead character and a deep thematic resonance. I think readers connect with those two things more than anything, especially if they can relate that back to their own lives.

My writing Kryptonite: Over-complicating the narrative.

Sometimes, the simplest stories cut-through the deepest.

Final Thoughts from the Journey

If my book AFGHANI had a scent, it would be lavender.

It’s a calming contrast to the turbulent themes it explores, and although the book has previously been described as masculine, there is a softer side to the novel, and it smells like lavender.

The cover, designed by Coven Press in Ballarat Victoria, visually captures this tension between beauty and struggle, but is also minimalist in design, much like my own prose, and I think the team there performed an exceptional job.

As I sit here, balancing yoga and whiskey, writing and reading (currently The Nightingale by Laura Elvery—another local Brisbane based writer), I’m grateful for this path I’ve chosen.

It’s been a journey of continuous learning and growth.

And finally… if I were to become a world ruler: I would be one who only made accurate measurements.

I am Brendon Patrick, the author of AFGHANI