Prnewsnow Reach the World NOW

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Baz Luhrmann Australia Fans Flock to Novel



On November 26, the public will finally be able to see the movie Oprah Winfrey (http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081023_tows_australia/) has raved about. And hot on its heels comes an award-winning novel of loss, Aboriginal lives and suspense set in today'ss Australian outback.





While Australia (http://www.australiamovie.com/) is a historic story of an English aristocrat who falls in love with a stockman during World War II, Message Stick (http://MessageStickBook.com) is a modern tale of brothers lost and found. In the novel, a biracial Aborigine named Gabriel Branch returns to the outback for the first time in forty years to search for his best friend. The murderer, a Pitjantjatjara shaman, begins stalking Gabe. Suspense builds as Gabe gets closer to the truth about his friend and about the heritage he lost after being adopted by a white family.



Australia'ss top stars have already rallied around the movie'ss young Aboriginal star. Thirteen-year-old Brandon Walters faced leukemia at the age of six and now faces possible exploitation as his fame grows. Nicole Kidman (http://www.people.com/people/nicole_kidman) has said she feels very protective of the child star. David Gulpilil, an Aboriginal star who plays a shaman in the film, has complained about having been paid only $10,000 for his role in the box-office hit Crocodile Dundee. With the protection of stars on American and Australian soil, Walters should fare well.



Movie fans who enjoy the Aboriginal touches in Australia will find similar elements in Message Stick. Since the main characters were both products of the government'ss assimilation policy, a program that removed biracial and light-skinned Aboriginal children from their biological families, the wrenching exploitation of each man is front and center. The mystical elements of the shaman'ss knowledge are woven throughout the book along with traditional Dreamtime tales.


The book has already won two national-level awards. The first was the James Jones Literary Society Award with a cash prize of $6,000. The Hackney Literary Award also selected Message Stick for their first prize of $5,000. Creation of the novel was supported by two grants from the Jerome Foundation and residencies at the New York Mills Cultural Center and the Cornucopia Arts Center.



A portion of the book was excerpted in Provincetown Arts magazine. Garrison Somers, Editor-in-Chief of The Blotter literary magazine, said, Ms. Cunningham shows an Australia beautiful and brutal. As praise continues to pour in, an endorsement from Oprah is sure to follow.



For more on this book, visit the author'ss website (http://www.LaineCunningham.com). Read an interview with the author, view an excerpt from the novel, and learn about how Aboriginal beliefs live on today. The electronic book is available as a free download for a limited time.


Laine Cunningham spent six months camping alone in the Australian outback. She hiked the rugged terrain, cooked over an open fire, and learned to play the didgeridoo. The spirits of the land spoke to her as she met Australians from every walk of life. Each of her novels weaves the beliefs and cultural norms of different peoples into modern plotlines. Her next book, 'sSeven Sisters's, is due out in February of 2009. 'sSeven Sisters's details the ancient lessons Dreamtime tales offer modern people from every nation.



For author appearances, contact Laine at 336-267-6572. The print version of the book will be released in December. It will be available at her website and through Amazon.






Prnewsnow Reach the World NOW

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

This article has been robotically scanned and tagged by Prnewsnow with the following search tags. No human manipulation of these tags take place.
| " | " Message | 039 seven sisters& |




Last 1000 Articles Submitted XML FEEDS FOR ORGANIZED NEWS