Welcome, friend! Today, I am chatting with author Brian Sherlock about his comedy novel, White Season, set in Australia.

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Get to know the author: Brian Sherlock

Welcome Brian! Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!

My name is Brian Sherlock, I’m 33 and a born and raised Melbournian – I’ve been getting words down since the age of eight and have been serious about it from the very beginning – as of now I have self published five books (White Season included) and a short horror ebook… partially to help me get through Melbourne’s covid lockdowns.

I hold Diplomas in Professional Writing and Tourism and I was able to merge the two when I blogged for fun – I’m hoping to get a book written about my adventures which have taken me around Australia and to Fiji, Thailand, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland (I’m of Northern Irish descent so I consider it its own nation), Spain, Morocco, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand (in that order).

When I’m not writing or backpacking I enjoy MCU movies, donuts and being an awesome uncle – I also count as one of the worst Australians out there because of my hatred for tinned beetroot.

What inspired you to write this book?

There are three big inspirations for my writing White Season – I enjoy the Australiana genre which is where any person or group of people overcome their obstacles with an Australian backdrop playing a prominent role.

The second inspiration are the winter seasons I worked in alpine Victoria – I spent two at Mount Baw Baw as a member of roadcrew and one at Mount Hotham as a housekeeper and it was at these mountains I experienced a lifestyle very different to what I’d grown up in (prior to this I was a serious winter snob) – the people on those mountains also played a big role in inspiring me.

And the third inspiration is my learning what a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) was – this discovery was the missing piece I needed to write White Season. 

How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?

I started the first draft back in April of this year – said draft took me nearly a month and half to finish. From there I spent the better part of 2022 getting it all to work before commencing the self publishing process.

What makes your story unique?

One thing I’m certain of is that very few Australiana books take place in alpine settings – those books normally are set in the country, outback or on the coast. 

Adding to this, very few people abroad have no idea Australia gets snow and I don’t believe we need to keep that a secret from the rest of the world.

Who would enjoy reading your book? 

White Season includes winter seasonal workers (snow bums to Australians) so I feel this group, which is a global community I’m privileged to have been a part of, would find a lot to enjoy about the book.

Adding to this, the book features characters from the signing (Deaf and CODAs) and queer communities – I’ve had a lot of positive responses from members of these groups so I feel the greater population would enjoy also.

Additionally, anyone who also enjoys an Australian setting and a good laugh.

What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?

That what you’re looking for isn’t always what you need in life and you can overcome anything that’s thrown your way.

Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?

That’s a tricky one – whilst there’s one little part I tried building upon (PS song lyrics can be hard as hell to get permission to use) I’m happy with the whole thing.

What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?

Writing the book is easy, marketing it isn’t.

What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?

Finish your ****ing book!

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Book Excerpt from
White Season

The first flakes of light snow were falling on the darkening Mount Frogmore by 6:30 in the evening.

EJ moved through the lit up village, cigarette between his lips and snug in his black coat. The village lampposts curved at the top left the place looking picturesque at night. 

It was Friday so most people would be at the pub – he made his way to the Lookout Hotel with smoke streaming from his lips. He flicked the butt into a bin before entering the Lookout via its bistro.

The bistro with the sky blue walls was lit up – it had multiple tables and booths an assortment of resort guests and employees occupied and a small fireplace burning in one corner. The bain-marie steamed with deep fried food. EJ bought a bowl of chips and chicken Kiev balls with a side of aioli before noticing the new boy, Toby, sitting alone at one of the booths in a grey winter coat lined with bright red.

That kid had gone shopping at Aldi, he thought, having seen the same winter coat on too many guests.

The new boy quietly ate a chicken parma with a bottle of Pepsi to wash it down.

Really silent, he kept telling himself – Toby gave off first time out of home vibes EJ had seen on so many others. He imagined the boy having a few frozen meals from home and an abundance of two-minute noodles on his kitchen shelf in Banksia lodge. 

They always end up at Froggo, he reminded himself before deciding to be a decent human being.

‘Hey,’ EJ spoke up once he stood at Toby’s booth.

Toby looked up at him, mouthful having been swallowed. ‘Hi.’

‘So, I can say for a certainty that this seat… right in front of you… is the only one in this place that hasn’t been shat or thrown up on – you mind if I use it?’

Toby made a small laugh. ‘Yeah, sure.’

EJ placed his food down before taking a seat. ‘You’re a parma man.’

‘Yeah – my mum loves Italian food so I figured I’d send her a review of what’s up here.’ Toby then looked EJ in the eyes. ‘You said parma.’

‘That I did, son.’

‘I heard a few people in Banksia call it a parmie.’ Toby sounded unimpressed with the word, parmie.

‘Mate, you’re livin in Banksia. That place is wanker central… hence why we call it Wanksia.’

Toby laughed again. ‘Serious?’

‘Wanksia, the Sperm Bank, Skankier, the Skank House,’ EJ continued truthfully and uncaring about the guests seated nearby. ‘Just make sure you don’t touch anything.’

‘Oh… kay.’ Toby continued to eat his dinner. ‘Are you trying to fuck with me?’

EJ shook his head. ‘Place gets messy – the tip jar down at the bar goes towards a bulk buy of condoms Liza picks up in Moe when they’re needed.’

‘Wow – you ever use ‘em?’

‘Nup – I buy my own. I like quality gracing my member.’ EJ ate a few chips dipped in aioli before reasoning a productive dialogue could take place between the two of them. ‘Okay… so, I’m a cunt.’

Toby looked up at him. ‘Right.’

‘I’m a cunty son of a bitch and I’m good at it,’ he continued with a smile. ‘It comes out a lot when the sun is shining.’

‘Okay – the American girl Stacy said you and Liza were happy with me.’

‘The Macaroni Maiden tell you that?’

‘She didn’t mean anything bad-’

EJ laughed. ‘Mate, it’s fine – I’m not surprised you heard. There’s no secrets on this mountain.’

‘Ah – I didn’t come here to be on roadcrew. I snowboard so I applied to be a liftie but they said all of those positions were taken.’

‘Those jobs fill up quick. A lot of people come to Froggo wanting a certain gig but get dumped somewhere else – HR isn’t the best here. Some of us call him the Invisible Man and think he’s a myth.’

‘I spoke to him on the phone when I was applying.’

‘Don’t expect any follow ups.’

Toby nodded.

‘But yeah, I was happy with you by the end of business… mostly because you were making an effort to do shit which I thought was an impossibility with just the Knuckleheads around.’

‘I don’t like them.’

‘They dicked their way onto this mountain – again, the Invisible Man in HR isn’t the best,’ EJ continued. ‘But Patchy and I were relieved when you helped us out with those deaf guests.’

Toby nodded. ‘You’re the first person for a while to like that I’m bimodal.’

‘Bimodal?’

‘It’s the word that gets used when someone can speak and sign.’

‘Ah, well, we had a girl in F and B last season who signed for us when we needed it but she’s taken off to Portugal.’ EJ swallowed a bit of a chicken Kiev ball. ‘So… a few weeks ago me and the elders were asking ourselves what’re we gonna do because we get plenty of people coming here with no hearing – I guess we’ve got ourselves a solution… if you’re open to it?’

Toby looked up. ‘I’m okay with it – if Patchy wants me to sign he has to ask nicely.’

‘Patchy’s a good guy – he’s got his own language but he’s someone you want on your side. We didn’t get along when I started but I grew on him the moment I told him to fuck off.’

Fond memories, he considered.

‘So… how did you end up knowing Auslan?’

‘I’m a CODA.’

‘A what?’ EJ asked, thinking it was something out of a sci-fi.

Toby looked up. ‘My parents are both deaf – children of deaf adults are called CODAs.’

‘Okay then – I never heard that term before.’

‘Me and my sister are both bimodal – some CODAs use bilingual but we’re us and they’re them.’

‘You know another language – that’s not bad. I tried learning German but couldn’t remember anything beyond scheiße and ficken.’

Toby smiled. ‘Auslan wasn’t hard for me to get my head around when I was little… I think. Was that girl in F and B last season a CODA?’

EJ thought about it for a second. ‘Oh, I did ask and Chloé said she liked this deaf girl and that the best way to learn a language is to shag a native.’

Toby laughed. ‘Gays are fucking funny.’

‘Thank you.’

Toby raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you gay?’

‘Half gay – dictionary has me listed as a bisexual.’ EJ ate another chip. ‘I also go by cunt hunter and cock hopper.’

EJ didn’t care about the unimpressed expressions being made by the guests seated nearby.

‘That… sounds like decent terminology.’

‘Cheers – you’re not bad when your mouth is working.’

Toby appeared happy to have heard that – he finished off his dinner, just as EJ heard the bistro door open again.

‘DANAHER!’ two male voices boomed at once.

EJ turned to find two large men moving towards the booth – the Swagdaddies, Shacks and Whammo.

The Swagdaddies were young, broad and solid lifties who both wore the dark work hoodies they’d bought the previous season – they had hacked up haircuts that perfectly illustrated their fondness for using electric clippers whilst downing a cold one all at the same time.

‘Evenin my sons,’ EJ replied, happy to see them. ‘Settin the right example, yeah?’

‘Always settin that example mate,’ Whammo, with the mutton chops, answered first.

‘We wrote the book on that shit,’ Shacks, with the bowl cut, added.

‘You two met Toby yet?’ EJ asked them.

Shacks and Whammo turned to the now quiet Toby, grinning.

‘I saw you two at Banksia,’ Toby spoke up.

‘Yeah, they keep dumpin us there,’ Whammo replied.

‘Into our second season and they won’t give us the private room we’re oh so deserving of – unacceptable that,’ said Shacks.

‘They’re now pretending they’re gay so they can get that room,’ EJ explained to Toby. ‘Whammo is also the most cultured guy up here and Shacks holds a PHD in phat, hevy an’ dope.’

‘I wrote the book on that shit,’ Shacks said, still looking at Toby. ‘Call me if you need a biography shat out – I also do recipes.’

‘Oi,’ Whammo continued whilst turning to EJ, ‘you hittin the stage later?’

‘I keep telling you I’m shit at karaoke,’ EJ answered with frustration. ‘What’re you cunts singing tonight?’

‘We’ll let ya know,’ Shacks answered.

The Swagdaddies moved on to the Lookout’s pub – some noise already came from that part of the hotel. EJ turned back to Toby.

‘Those two are interesting,’ Toby spoke up.

‘Their mountain mother from last season didn’t come back so I got stuck with ‘em – there was a third one but he stayed in Ocean Grove to complete his chippy apprenticeship,’ EJ explained, ‘so I’ve been left to assume the mountain might still be standing once the white season has ended.’

‘When do you think that will be?’

‘Maybe October… if we’re lucky – it was a good opening weekend so boss Dez is anticipating a shit season all up. He’s got a few favourite superstitions about alpine.’

EJ looked to the bistro windows – snow continued falling outside in the dark as he turned back to Toby.

‘You want to join us downstairs later?’

‘Ah… I don’t drink,’ Toby answered.

‘That’s fine – I’ll introduce you to Zadie behind the bar. She’ll give ya free Pepsi.’

Toby appeared to consider that.

EJ liked this kid more and more.

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The pub had a very old look about it.

Varnished wood made up the surfaces and tread upon floorboards – a few antique skis, snowboards and even a deer head decorated the walls whilst two old pool tables occupied a far corner. An electric fireplace kept the space warm.

The people occupying said space couldn’t be more different.

‘So, you’re the Macaroni Maiden?’ Toby asked Stacy, deciding to make some conversation over the music playing.

‘He told you that?!’ Stacy snapped before turning to EJ at the pub table they all occupied. ‘I told you I don’t like nicknames!’

‘It’s one of my nicknames,’ EJ spoke up, Carlton Dry pint in hand.

‘It’s shit – I don’t like it!’ Stacy snapped further.

‘Shit names are my thing.’ EJ made an evil expression whilst he drank his beer.

‘How’d you settle on Macaroni Maiden?’ the Asian Canadian girl, Amelia, asked.

‘Because my last name is Marconi – very New Jersey sound, right?’ Stacy explained.

EJ and Amelia laughed – Toby made a little laughter as well.

A surreal feeling ran through him, he’d decided, as he sat at the pub table with people he barely knew. It was enough to settle the nerves he’d had.

Being in that pub… let alone anywhere… felt strange altogether – months ago it had struck him as an impossibility. All of this just hadn’t seemed possible in the before.

But EJ had done a lot to get him into the pub with all the movement and noise in effect.

The noise, though…

Toby had been talking with more people than he had in the last year – Stacy, the ski instructor Amelia, the Swagdaddies Shacks and Whammo and plenty of others. People were just being friendly towards him.

It felt almost foreign.

He hadn’t come from an environment like this.

‘Can I get you something?’ Amelia offered to Toby.

‘Oh.’ He looked at the half finished pint of Pepsi in his hand. ‘I’m good.’

Toby liked how the dark blue jumper Amelia wore had DO FUN SHIT printed across the sleeves and chest in miniscule letters. Amelia was about to leave for the bar before EJ stopped her.

‘We haven’t done this yet,’ EJ explained, pulling his phone out of his coat pocket and turning the camera on. He and Amelia both made psychotic faces before a selfie got taken.

‘Send that to me,’ Amelia told him – she then walked over to the bar and spoke to the bartender, Zadie.

EJ pocketed his phone before looking in Toby’s direction. ‘How you going?’

How was he going? It was a good question.

‘I’m okay,’ he answered.

‘That’s good,’ added Stacy. ‘People will have your back in no time.’

‘Hey, a question,’ said EJ as he raised his middle finger. ‘You’d do this if you wanted to tell a Deaf guy to fuck off, right?’

‘Pretty much.’ Toby had a sip of his Pepsi whilst EJ and Stacy shared a grin.

‘You’ll be fine up here,’ EJ told him.

‘It’s happening!’ Amelia chirped as she returned with a drink.

Toby heard the music change – everyone in the pub turned to face the stage by the back window where the Swagdaddies, Shacks and Whammo, each stood with microphones in hand and karaoke their agenda.

They started singing I Touch Myself by the Divinyls… whilst touching themselves… slowly and provocatively… and the entire crowd loved it.

Very in your face kind of boys.

‘You adopted those two?’ he asked EJ.

‘Mostly to keep ‘em out of prison and to ensure they end up in there – it really depends on the day of the week.’

These people are fucking crazy, Toby believed as he took the scene in.

‘You should see this place during Pride Weekend,’ EJ spoke up when he wasn’t focused on Shacks and Whammo’s performance.

The Swagdaddies moved on to a big finish and the crowd only got louder – one guy pulled off his top and shouted out to them to fuck him.

These people really are crazy, Toby decided – he applauded Shacks and Whammo when they were done touching themselves.

It was noisy – really noisy.

But it was a different kind of noise.

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Interested?

Find White Season on Goodreads and Amazon.

Thank you for hanging out with us today! Connect with Brain on Instagram, his website, Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

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Cover Photo by Filip Bunkens on Unsplash