Book Launch: King of Dirt by Holden Sheppard

Join us at Winnings Kingston as we welcome Holden Sheppard to launch his first novel for adults, King of Dirt, and celebrate the recent television series adaptation of his first novel, Invisible Boys. Holden will be joined by special guest David Blanco of FUSE Magazine. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

King of Dirt is a gritty and heartfelt gay coming-of-age story set in the world of FIFO workers and tradies in Western Australia, from the author of the bestselling Invisible Boys

Giacomo Brolo, aka Jack, is a mess. He works piecemeal construction gigs in remote WA, drinks himself to oblivion and is estranged from his family and friends. He's consumed by a self-loathing all too common for closeted men who have grown up in a world of hate and shame.

But then Jack returns to his regional hometown of Geraldton for a family wedding. He hasn't been back since he fled at the age of eighteen, and his past soon catches up with him.

Turns out Jack's deeply conservative Italian family would prefer he remained in the closet. Then he finds out he may have conceived a son with his teenage girlfriend, and now Jack needs to convince her and her new husband that he's fit to be a father figure. And whatever happened to Xavier, the former schoolmate who Jack was in love with and whose rejection spurred him to leave Geraldton in the first place?

Is Jack doomed to live a dead-end life - or can he open himself up to the possibility of love, found family and connection?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When a young Holden Sheppard realised blokes weren't meant to talk about feelings, he began to write stories instead. Twenty years later, the boy from Geraldton, Western Australia is a multi-award winning author.

Holden's debut novel Invisible Boys achieved both commercial and critical success, winning many accolades including the WA Premier's Prize for an Emerging Writer. Invisible Boys has now been adapted for television as a ten-episode Stan Original Series, which premiered in February 2025 and became the #1 TV show nationally on Stan Australia upon release. Holden's second book The Brink won the Ena Noel Award and the Young Adult category prize at the Indie Book Awards, and was shortlisted for several others.

Holden is currently editing his fourth novel, a sequel to Invisible Boys. He lives in Perth's far north with his husband and his V8 ute.

David Blanco writes for FUSE Magazine, a Canberra-based publication focused on LGBTQIA+ arts, culture, and entertainment. His work includes interviews with renowned comedian Ruben Kaye, recording artist Anthony Callea, and author Holden Sheppard, as well as the creative team behind the acclaimed television adaptation of Sheppard’s award-winning debut novel Invisible Boys.