From Sport to Court: an evening with Eve Thomson author of Smother

Join us at the Coventry Library, Stirling for an exciting author talk with South Australian author Eve Thomson in conversation with screenwriter and feature film producer Sandy Cameron.

A defamation lawyer by trade, Eve's latest novel Smother, is a contemporary, original, and clever, legal thriller.

Bruce College, a private school in a leafy Melbourne suburb, is a place for winners. Affectionately known as Bruisers, its boys' football program has a reputation for pumping out superstars. But when its girls' team pushes for glory, sixteen-year-old Grace Dooley is left with a catastrophic brain injury, and her parents want someone held accountable. The school points the finger at the coach, Brick Hannaford, a former professional player who is struggling with the legacy of his lauded, 300-game career. Brick says he was coaching the kids exactly as the parents and school demanded: hard.

In a rut, questioning her single-minded pursuit of a career at the expense of her personal life, lawyer Romola Cross takes on Brick's case. She soon finds herself caught up in the complex and disturbing fallout of school sport turned toxic. As Romola investigates the reasons Grace played that day, she begins to understand the pressures bearing down on the girl - from peers, teachers, coach and parents. But who should take responsibility? What will the Court's judgment be? And, once the case is over, will Romola find what she's been searching for?

Smother is a novel about chasing dreams, and how the quest for victory can risk losses far beyond those on the scoreboard. It's a story about the forces of love, ambition and fear, and finding the right balance before it all comes undone.

Don't miss the chance to hear Eve speak about Smother and all things writing at this intimate meet the author event.

This event is proudly part of LibrariesSA’s Firstival. Learn more at firstival.com.au.

This event is part of the Adelaide Hills Council Winter Words Program.

About the author: Eve Thomson is a partner at a leading Australian law firm, where she's a litigator, working on everything from class actions and media law to consumer protection. Her debut novel, She Too (Echo Publishing, 2023), dealt with law and celebrity, drawing from Eve's experience advising some of the country's biggest publishers on defamation matters. Eve is also a mum of two, and for her second novel, Smother, she has combined courtroom expertise with her experiences on the sidelines of kids' sports - both worlds as cut-throat and full of drama as each other. Eve grew up in the Adelaide Hills, and now lives at the beach in South Australia with her family.

About the interviewer: Sandy Cameron is an Australian Writers' Guild award winning screenwriter and feature film producer. His work has screened in official selection at Sundance, Toronto, Venice and South By Southwest film festivals, streamed on Netflix, Stan and Binge and been remade internationally. He has been nominated for an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award and a company he co-founded has been nominated for Production Company of the Year by Screen Producers Australia. He has also worked extensively in screen funding agency roles, as well as a freelance film journalist. He currently teaches the Graduate Certificate of Film and Television at UniSA, an industry collaboration with NBCUniveral International Studio owned production company Matchbox Pictures.

Please note:
Events on Fire Danger Days

When a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating is declared for the Mt Lofty Ranges, all Adelaide Hills Council Library branches will be closed, and all events and programs will be cancelled without notice.

When an Extreme 2 (75+) Fire Danger Rating is declared for the Mt Lofty Ranges, the Gumeracha Library will be closed and all events and programs will be cancelled without notice.

Events at all library branches may be subject to review on Fire Danger Days and may also be cancelled without notice.

Any monies paid will either be reimbursed or the event will be rescheduled for a later date.

Current fire danger ratings can be checked here: http://www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/fire-danger-ratings.shtml