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Hard work pays off for writer

Callum HunterSouth Western Times
Bill Swiggs is hoping to get 40 people to the launch of his first book, Blood in the Dust.
Camera IconBill Swiggs is hoping to get 40 people to the launch of his first book, Blood in the Dust. Credit: Callum Hunter

An aspiring Donnybrook writer has finally hit the big time and is set to launch his first published book this week in Bunbury.

Bill Swiggs had been writing for more than 30 years before he won the best unpublished manuscript category of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize last year, a prize that provided him with valuable connections in the publishing world.

“From there I was picked up by publishers in London and they have an association with Allen and Unwin and they’ve put it out in Australia,” Mr Swiggs said.

“I really wanted to have a good hard go at getting a book published and so I got stuck in and this was the end result.”

Blood in the Dust has been on local shelves since the start of July but has not been launched officially, something Mr Swiggs will change on Thursday at an event at Mojo’s.

“It’s just a small celebration of the release of the book, just a month late,” he said.

The plot follows two brothers in the mid 19th century as they seek to restore their family’s fortunes and retributionafter the murder of their parents.

As part of his prize, Mr Swiggs was given a grant of more than $13,000 to put towards the development of his next novel which will be set in Kalgoorlie during the turn of the 20th century.

“I went to Kalgoorlie and stayed there for a while and did the research into the next book,” he said.

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