Sex, Love and Taboo

Madeleine Cleary (The Butterfly Women) and Rochelle Siemienowicz (Double Happiness) discuss their salacious novels about women defying expectations in relationships.

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MADELEINE CLEARY is from Naarm/Melbourne and lives at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges with her husband. She holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne and an associated honours degree from RMIT University. Oblivious to her history, Madeleine completed her studies a block from her family's tawdry brothel in Romeo Lane. Madeleine served as an Australian diplomat in China. Before joining the Public Service, Madeleine spent five years working in bookshops where she met her husband. When not working or writing, Madeleine is reading, bush walking, eating, travelling, or spending time with her family and friends.

ROCHELLE SIEMIENOWICZ is a writer, editor and arts journalist. Her first book was Fallen (Affirm Press, 2015), a memoir about sex, religion and marrying too young. Her work has been published widely, including in The Age, SBS, Kill Your Darlings, The Big Issue, Metro and ArtsHub. She has a PhD in Australian cinema and was for many years a film and TV critic and columnist. She lives in Melbourne with her two partners, her son and a beloved but incontinent rescue dog. Double Happiness (MidnightSun, September 2024) is her first novel.