By Jim Fagan
Before he retired, Sunshine Coast workplace assessor Ian Laver was already assessing a new career for himself; writing fiction. He will launch his first novel, ‘Crucial Step’, an adventure mystery set in Malaysia, at Wallace House on 31 July.
He has a second novel and two collections of short stories awaiting publication as well as already having short stories in several anthologies. Along the way he has received numerous writing awards, including two emerging writer awards from the Henry Lawson Society– and has found time to start a Japanese poetry haiku group with the Noosa Arts and Crafts Association.
Noosa Today spoke to him last week about his new book and why he wrote it.
“I visited Malaysia in the late 1990s and started writing some short stories that linked together but the stories expanded and the idea grew into a book.
“‘Crucial Step’ explores the journey of young Australian, Theo Perry, who travels to Malaysia in search of answers about his estranged father, Vince, following his recent suicide. His father returned from the Vietnam War and, unable to settle back into suburban life in Australia, abandoned his family to return to Asia.
“The book takes the reader on a journey from Kuala Lumpur to Penang as Theo discovers as much about himself as he does about his father.
“It’s a backpacking journey of adventure and mystery aimed at baby boomers and also many younger readers wishing to explore the heady days of the hippy backpacking trails through Asia when the world was a different place.
“I feel that people who travelled through Asia in the ’60s and ’70s will relate strongly to the content of the book.
“I think many young people will also be interested in this colourful bygone era of far-off places where policing and laws were different to today and their counterparts took all sorts of risks as well as enjoying freedoms they had never experienced at home.
“It would sit comfortably alongside ‘Shantaram’ by GD Roberts and has parallels with the movie, ‘Midnight Express’.
“There is a strong Australian point of view throughout this novel.”
Ian has lived on the Coast since 1974 and his connection to Wallace House and the Noosa Arts and Crafts Association stems from his introducing a Japanese haiku poetry group to the association three years ago.
“I am not a rampant poetry person but when I hear a good poem that really nails it, no matter what the format, I really love it.
“Haiku does that for me because it is a form of poetry that, at its best, is short, punchy and conveys a thought-provoking meaning to the reader within arguable rules. A bit like the short story – not putting in words that don’t need to be there.
“So, with the support of Jan Bentley, who was president of the NACA at time, we started up a haiku writing group. That was three years ago and we are still going strong.”
The launch of “Crucial Step” by Ian Laver is by invitation only and will be held at Wallace House at 3.30pm on 31 July.
