Siew Siang Tay

Short bio

I was born in Malacca, Malaysia, to second-generation Chinese parents. After working for 11 years in the petroleum industry in Malaysia, I left the corporate world and emigrated to Australia in 1992 with my daughter. I currently work at the University of South Australia. My short stories have been published in literary magazines including Meanjin and Dimsum. I live in Adelaide. In 2007 I won the Varuna-HarperCollins Manuscript Development Award which led to the publication of Handpicked, my first novel.

Long bio

The written word has always been a part of my life. As a child Enid Blyton and Mills and Boon were my staple. At school I used to sneak read behind my teachers' backs, immersing myself in the world of tall, bronze-armed heroes and shy, virginal heroines.

From Standard Two (equivalent to Year 3 in Australia) I started winning book prizes for English and having my essays read in class. But it was only at university where I studied journalism that I discovered I loved to write. I cringe as I say that because it took me so long to give reign to that passion. But life took over – I became a single working mum, then the move to Australia with my little girl which was tough but which looking back now was probably the best thing for my writing career.

While most of my working life involved some form of writing – news releases, corporate brochures, magazine features, news stories, PR stuff – I didn’t start writing fiction until 1999. I started with short stories after teaching myself the craft of writing through books, articles, classes and Zoetrope, an online writing and reviewing workshop.

My first break

After several knock-backs, my first break came in 2000 when my short story was accepted for publication in an obscure online literary magazine that subsequently folded. Over time a number of short stories got published including one in Meanjin.

Then it was time to join the hundreds of writers with bios tagged with the line, he/she is writing his/her first novel. I wrote Handpicked over two gruelling years; it was my second book. The first was rejected but was a big learning.

I haven't written short stories in a while as all my energy is now put into writing novels.

Varuna

In 2006, I won a Masterclass at Varuna, The Writers' House, sponsored by the Macquarie Foundation, which enabled me to progress Handpicked. It was the turning point in my writing career. The following year, I won another Varuna award, the HarperCollins Manuscript Development Award, which led to the publication of Handpicked.

I’m writing my current novel which has redemption as its core message.

My experience participating in the Varuna programs warrants a website on its own but suffice to say Varuna was the best thing that happened to me and I am eternally grateful to them, particularly to Varuna Director Peter Bishop whose energy, support and commitment is remarkable.

About me

I enjoy simple things in life like listening to the Chinese pipa, catching the shimmer of sunlight on the sea, breathing in the scent of eucalyptus leaves and having Belle my cat sit near my feet while I write. I love/find beauty in all things – films, books, music, home décor, clothes, antiques, visual art, architecture, animals, nature. My list of favourite authors runs a mile long but suffice to mention Richard Ford, Haniff Kureishi, Anne Tyler, Yukio Mishima, Kenzaburo Oe, Milan Kundera, Marguerite Duras, Tim Winton, Peter Cowan, Luke Davies and Khaled Hosseini.

I live in a quiet suburb about seven minutes from Adelaide and a stone’s throw from the River Torrens linear park, my haven for de-stressing, re-charging and keeping fit. I'm a keen tennis fan and follow the ATP circuit closely.

If you are still with me at this point, thanks so much for reading about me and I hope my writing can touch you in some way because that’s why I write – to share with you my world, painted through tales bursting forth from inside me.