Armidale author Deni McKenzie-Sadleir is launching her newest book tonight- ‘Who the Hell is Phyllis?’, so if you enjoy witty, raw and heart-felt stories this one is for you.
Following life through the eyes of a young Australian woman, navigating through a world when things just don’t go to plan, this books strips back humanity as you explore the twists and turns of Phyllis’ life, which was often foolish but also incredibly brave.
“In the beginning, I thought I was writing a family history, but soon realised it was a mystery.” Said Deni.
But this is no Cinderella story, and it has taken Deni five years of research to get where the book it today.
“This book couldn’t have been written until I was 78 as the missing piece in the puzzle didn’t rear its head until then.” Said Deni.
“It is not a biography, yet it is – however, on the whole, the people involved were not famous enough to have a complete biography done.”
“It is called historical fiction as there is not a genre called faction.”
The plot from the author’s own words
“In 1961, my father asked me to write to an old mate of his when I arrived in London. The chap responded with “You must be Phyllis’s daughter.” I immediately wrote to my parents asking, ‘Who the hell is Phyllis!’”
“They gave me what I deemed a cock and bull story, much the same one they gave me when I got home. Realising that I was not going to get the truth, I shrugged my shoulders and got on with life.”
“In 2016, Vice Admiral Peter Jones with the Royal Australian Navy sent me an email saying ‘Deni, I’ve found your father’s first wife’s second child by her second marriage. I think you’d get on’. He’d cc-in Mornay Bibby. I immediately wrote to her saying should she come to Australia, then I’d love her to come and stay. She wrote back immediately saying she was coming in 2 months time to visit her son in Toowoomba.”
“They both duly arrived. I asked her when her birthday was and it was the same as mine, only she was 3 years older.”
“I’d decided that I would ask her for her side of the story before giving mine. When she started by saying ‘After my aunt Vivienne died…’ my stomach dropped! Poor Phyllis! Only 12 when her rock died … supposedly suicide.”
“Mornay came out again 2 years later. She had written a couple of little self-published family history books, but there was not much for me to go on. However, I thought there might be a book in it.”
“My first stop was The State Archives and there I found all my father’s divorce papers, and I took a photo of the letter Phyllis had responded to and sent it to Mornay.”
“Mornay had never seen her mother’s handwriting.”
Dive into a piece of Australian history tonight and meet the author and find out ‘Who the Hell is Phyllis’.
Launch Details
When: Thursday August 8
Time: 6pm
Where: Boobooks, Armidale
Drinks and nibbles are provided
Read all the way through to the end of the story? So did lots of other people. Advertise with New England Times to reach New England locals who are interested and engaged. Find out more here.