Holden Sheppard brings national book tour home to Geraldton with raw new novel about masculinity and survival

After a whirlwind four months of book tours, TV premieres and awards nights, Geraldton’s star author is ready to bare his soul and keep himself busy, with the release of his third novel.

Unlike his first two novels — debut book-turned-Stan original series Invisible Boys and The Brink — which both focused on young queer characters and written for young adult audiences, Sheppard says King of Dirt is more mature, and addresses darker themes in a way he previously wasn’t able to.

“King of Dirt tackles themes of masculinity, sexuality and mental illness and trauma in men and what that looks like,” he said.

“It also dives deep into issues of family dysfunction, family estrangement and fatherhood, as well as love and loss and finding hope after losing everything.

“King of Dirt explores what a traumatised, addicted, mentally-unwell Aussie bloke in his 30s looks like, through the main character of Giacomo “Jack” Brolo.”

The novel follows Brolo — a bisexual Italian-Australian tradie — who smokes, gambles and loves footy, but also struggles with depression, loneliness and anger management issues. Jack finds himself back in Geraldton for the first time in 16 years for a family wedding, and has to confront his troubled past and his family.

“I wanted Jack to show the raw and honest realities of how working-class Aussie men feel and think in the 2020s,” Sheppard said.

“Jack struggles with his mental health, with addiction, with coming to terms with his sexuality and with suicidal ideation.

“Unlike Invisible Boys, King of Dirt is more about surviving that suicidal ideation, and realising you want to live, and trying to find a way to recover and heal from trauma and build a life you are proud of.”

Sheppard said Jack was a “sliding doors” version of himself, and his story was born when the author returned to Geraldton to visit the Stan film-set of Invisible Boys.

“While I was home, I drove back to my childhood homes in Spalding and Strathalbyn, and I was hit with this massive, overwhelming sense of homesickness and nostalgia,” he said.

“It was like experiencing grief for the life I could have had if I’d stayed in Gero. I felt it all hit me in that moment: I missed my hometown, I missed my family, I missed my mates, I missed the guy I was once and the guy I could’ve been.”

Sheppard hinted that eagled-eyed readers of his previous novels will spot “easter eggs” throughout King of Dirt — references to Invisible Boys and the Brink — and that there may even be cameos from two of the Invisible Boys themselves.

King of Dirt is set to release on June 3 and will be stocked in Geraldton’s Read A Lot Books.

Sheppard is returning to the city on August 7 for an in-conversation with fellow Mid West author Michael Trant, followed by a meet-and-greet book signing.

“I do get homesick and miss living in the country a lot, so it always feels really special to do a hometown gig,” he said.

“I’m honoured that the Gero community has shown up like this, so I’m keen to share this next story with locals, too.”

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