In this talk, Erin Hortle will discuss the process of writing her two novels, The Octopus and I (2020) and A Catalogue of Love (2025), both of which have strong connections with the Tasman Peninsula. The talk will focus on the inspiration behind both stories, the author’s approach to writing about the Tasmanian land and seascapes, and nonhuman animals, and how the Tasmanian setting shapes her characters’ journeys to self-discovery.

The Octopus and I (Allen & Unwin, 2020) tells the story of Lucy and Jem, who live on the Tasman Peninsula near Eaglehawk Neck. Lucy is recovering from major surgery. As she tries to navigate her new body through the world, she develops a deep fascination with the local octopuses, and in doing so finds herself drawn towards the friendship of an old woman and her son. As the story unfolds, the octopuses come to shape Lucy's body and her sense of self in ways even she can't quite understand.

A Catalogue of Love (Simon and Schuster, 2025) tells the story of Neika, who learned to surf in the sometimes crystal-clear, sometimes opaque green barrels of Cloudy Bay, under the guidance of her father and stepfather. Bruny Island, surfing and the natural world are as much a part of her as her blood and breath. In her twenties now, she has made her way in the world without her mother, who died when Neika was only two. Her path to adulthood was shaped by the love of two adoring fathers, but sitting alongside their love was always a mother-shaped hole. How different would she be if she’d had her mother there to guide her? Would she have dodged the mistakes that seem to define her life? Neika watches the world around her like the scientist she has become, seeking to understand what it means to be a woman in a culture that does not always treat women kindly. In navigating her catalogue of experiences – desire, loss, love and power – she comes to see how each has made her who she is.

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