Cry Ma Ma to the Moon

“When this story of a love triangle was still in manuscript form and in search of a publisher, I sent it to Australian artist Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox. I told her that her painting, Magic Lady (c1996), which my husband had given me, had helped me to develop the character Clare. While the younger characters Bess, Jim and Leila are in the throes of desire, the older Clare goes about her work: dyeing her handspun wool using eucalyptus leaves. Clare brings wisdom and calm to the love triangle unfolding in the small community of Ma Ma Creek.

At the time, both Kathryn and myself were facing the challenge of developing as artists while living in regional Australia. Each of us felt in love with landscape and in love with nurturing our children - passions somewhat at odds with the dominant values of the art world and publishing industry at the time. In more ways than one, an artist in regional Australia can experience an acute sense of isolation. You can imagine my astonishment when Kathryn wrote to say that my words had inspired her to paint over 50 works on paper! In time, Kathryn exhibited her works in an installation called ‘Knitting Time’ in White Box Gallery, Brisbane, and my novel was awarded Winner of the Interactive Publications Fiction Award (2002). Another one of Kathryn’s paintings was chosen for the cover so we resolved to keep Magic Lady in mind for another opportunity.

In time we collaborated to make an illustrated e-edition. We included 22 paintings from the original series to match the chapters and chose Magic Lady for the cover. Since this painting graces the wall of my bedroom, I can honestly say that the central figure radiates extraordinary qualities - and at last I could share her with my readers. Although it is some time since I wrote the original story, the love triangle continues to be one of humanity’s enduring tropes. I hope readers find value in my particular framing of it.” - Lesley Synge

Cry Ma Ma to the Moon is available on the Amazon Kindle bookstore

Excerpt

They sat on a sandstone boulder looking over the valley, passing the joint in silence. When they moved on, Jim was again in the lead and Bess struggling to keep up.
‘What are we looking for?’ he threw over his shoulder.
Bess took out her note, unfolded it and read. ‘Tallowwood, Apple Box, Yellow Box…’ Already he was moving off.
‘There you go,’ he called back.
‘What?’
‘Apple Box. You’re right underneath one.’
Bess swivelled her head, searching. He picked his way deeper into the trees.
‘Do you want to help me or not?’
Jim turned, walked back a few steps and sat down. When he spoke again he pointed, ‘And right here, that’s your Yellow Box, the one with the yellowy-looking bark. If it were summer and the flowers were out you’d smell it; smells like honey. Eucalyptus melliodora. Bees love it.’ Bess came and stood beside him, and rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘You know Bess, you’ve got four generations of this country’s blood running in your veins but you’re still skating on the surface. You’re living out here in the bush, but every year you get further and further from it. Gotta get a dishwasher. A microwave—’
‘I suppose she doesn’t have—’
‘Leave her out of this. I’m talking the truth. About both of us.’

PS “Somewhere on the internet (Australian Women’s Book Review actually) is a ‘reflection’ about the creation of this story. Readers generally intuit that I have firsthand knowledge of love triangles and this is true, but strangely enough, the story came first. (Like, you’re living a ‘dream life’ with children, chooks, organic garden and blahblah, in a small town nestled in green rolling hills etcetera, when your husband decides to trap you in a love triangle. Just as your writing career is getting underway.) It was a fraught time and it probably helped to keep writing as I worked to transcend my personal troubles. There was no ‘magic lady’ in my life at the time and my novella is authentically fictional in every way, but art was the umbrella that gave me shelter from the storm.” - Lesley Synge