Canberra writer Jacob Gallagher has won a black&write! fellowship for a "cosmic horror crime novel" set on his home country in rural NSW.
Gallagher, 34, accepted the $10,000 fellowship this week at a ceremony at the State Library of Queensland.
The fellowships, which are open to writers of Indigenous descent, include manuscript development with the library's editors and a publication opportunity with Hachette Australia.
"The feeling of sharing my writing is a terrifying but rewarding experience, and one I've been chasing since the first time a teacher encouraged me to read out my writing to the class," Jacob said.
Now living in Hawker in the ACT, Jacob was born in Gunnedah and was inspired by his Kamilaroi heritage.
Jacob's manuscript The Doubles follows a demon-hunting detective as she investigates a string of deaths. With bush noir influences, it draws from the Gunnedah-born writer's memories of Werris Creek near Tamworth.
"It began as a 15,000-word novella, but as I wrote more of myself and my experiences into the characters and the setting, it felt more like a sculpture being revealed from a larger block of stone," he said.
"During the expansion of the novella, I began focusing more on the character's connections to country."
He moved to the national capital 11 years ago to study for a bachelor of writing at the University of Canberra and now works as a contractor in the public service. He was still reeling from the recognition at the ceremony this week.
"It's really surreal to be in a room full of writers and publishers who are telling you your work is good," he said.
While he was born in Gunnedah, Jacob grew up in Dubbo, which he found an "isolating experience", being away from his extended family.
"I never felt at home in Dubbo," he said.
"I was not an outdoors person, I had a close group of friends, but I'd stay home with my family and we'd end up just entertaining each other."
That isolated country childhood - which included filming their own James Bond movies - ended up inspiring he and his siblings to pursue creative careers.
"I went to UC to study writing, my next brother went to uni in Wagga to study acting, my other brother went to ANU to study animation and my sister moved to Melbourne to study film-making," Jacob said with a laugh.
"We were always creating."
The black&write! fellowship will allow Jacob to hone his manuscript with the library's editors and hand it over to Hachette Australia in the hope it will be published.
He now feels the "weight of responsibility" to do a good job but has already received encouraging signs from Hachette.
"They have all been really supportive," he said.
It's all an exciting new chapter in his life, which includes settling into his own sense of identity and recognising his heritage.
"I feel my writing and my identity as a Kamilaroi man are being recognised and validated by the community even as I'm still finding my feet in it," he said.
"It feels like the stories I want to tell are worth telling."
