Video transcript
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2025 - SWF author interview (primary) - 04. Jared Thomas

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KINGSHUK: Hi. My name is Kingshuk, and I am a student from Caddies Creek Public School. I'm here today on Cammeraygal land at The Chatswood Concourse for the Sydney Writers' Festival Primary School Days.

I'm so excited to interview Jared Thomas for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge. Hi, Jared. How are you today?

JARED THOMAS: Yeah, good. Thank you. Nice to meet you.

KINGSHUK: My first question is based on the series that begins with 'Uncle Xbox'. I learned when preparing for this interview that you are a Nukunu person from the Southern Flinders Range. And in 'Uncle Xbox', the main character, Dusty, starts learning about culture and Country through his uncle. What was the inspiration behind writing 'Uncle Xbox' and its sequel, 'Getting Dusty'?

JARED THOMAS: Great question. One of the inspirations is the way that my uncles have played a major role in my family to help me learn about culture and how to live. And so in the story, Dusty's Uncle Rick, who he later calls Uncle Xbox, teaches him about culture, and gets him out camping, and eventually surfing.

KINGSHUK: And can I also ask, what was it like returning to the character of Dusty and the special bond he has from his uncle in the sequel, as I believe this was your first time writing a sequel?

JARED THOMAS: It's actually my second time writing a sequel. So my first sequel was when I wrote the 'Game Day!' series with Patty Mills, the Olympic basketballer. But, I guess, this book's a little bit different because it's something that I've written from my own imagination, not based on someone else's life.

So with Uncle Xbox, it was incredible to understand that Dusty's story could go on a whole lot of different directions. So there's going to be at least 6 books in the first series, hopefully, 7. But then I can see how it could be a continuing series after.

KINGSHUK: I also learned that before writing these books for primary school students, you have written a lot of books for teenagers. Was it hard making that switch, and which age group do you prefer writing for?

JARED THOMAS: So I did start writing teen fiction because when I first started writing, I was still a teenager, really, or a young adult, so that was my focus. And I'm writing a new teen fiction book at the moment called the 'Four Quarter Fella'. It's about a young, Aboriginal footballer.

And I do love it. But I-- to be truthful, I love writing junior fiction much better. Because what it enables me to do is to think about the most funnest parts of my life, which is when I was little riding BMX bikes, the first time I got to be in the ocean with waves, going camping, going fishing, hanging out with friends. So for me, writing the Uncle Xbox series is so much fun.

KINGSHUK: What sparked your creativity and inspiration behind the young adult book you wrote, 'My Spare Heart'? Were there any personal experiences leading to the creation of this book which inspired you to write it?

JARED THOMAS: With 'My Spare Heart', it's a teen fiction book. And it's got a lot of very complex issues in it. And it deals with the issue of addiction and a parent having a problematic relationship with alcohol.

Unfortunately, I know of lots of people who are either children who have had parents with problematic relationships with alcohol or adults themselves. So I felt it was a very important story to write and very sensitive. But I did a lot of research dealing with people that have, unfortunately, had to live the type of experiences that the character Phoebe in the novel and her mother Bronwyn, and associated family members have lived.

KINGSHUK: You have crafted this story, 'Songs That Sound Like Blood', which I have, unfortunately, not read yet, as one of your largest successes. Where did you derive your inspiration from to write the story, and what sparked your creativity to write it? Was it correlated to any of your past personal experiences, anecdotes or incidents?

JARED THOMAS: When I wrote 'Songs That Sound Like Blood', my daughter, my eldest daughter, Tilly, was still a teenager. And she's a singer/songwriter. And she's had a bit of success. She's had radio play on Triple J.

Last year, she opened for a big, international artist called Macy Grey. And she also opened for Bernard Fanning from-- and Something for Kate, so Bernard Fanning from Powderfinger. So she's 22 now. But at the time, she was a teenager.

And I wanted to write about something that I knew really well. And I also wanted to talk about the issue of young people that are same-sex attracted because I wanted young people in that situation to feel safe and to know how to navigate those experiences.

That experience isn't my own. So, again, I had to do a lot of research with people that are same-sex attracted to make sure the story has integrity. And if you've heard me refer to it previously as one of my greatest successes as a writer is because I've received a lot of positive feedback. And I know that it's made a real difference in the life of young people.

KINGSHUK: You are a highly dynamic, decorated and ambitious author and have written tons of middle grade and young adult novels. Do you have any particular novels of your own that you favour above the others, whether it be in aspects of the content, recognition or the writing process?

JARED THOMAS: At the moment, it's definitely 'Uncle Xbox' because the story enables me to bring so many important elements of my life, so my understanding and my practise of culture, and my family life, but also all those fun things. So in the book, we haven't even got to yet Dusty getting into skateboarding. Then, he plays soccer.

And, yeah, there's just so many experiences that he's going to have through this story that I can't wait to write because it allows me to reflect on my memories of being a kid.

KINGSHUK: As a passionate author, you've written about a truckload of characters with varying personalities and characteristics. Have you ever seen you or any real-life human beings within your story that you are able to relate to?

JARED THOMAS: Oh, well, that's a really great question. At the moment, I'm writing the footy novel, the 'Four Quarter Fella'. And when I was a teenager, all I wanted to do was play football for the Port Adelaide Football Club, not the AFL team, but the South Australian team.

And I did get to play for the Port Adelaide Football Club, just for a little while under 7As. But I played with players that went on to play AFL. And I'm writing about that experience.

And it's very tricky because a lot of it is the things that I remember from my time. But I'm also fictionalising the story. Sometimes when you're writing about yourself, it's very difficult. And it's easier when you're writing about fictional characters. So I'm taking my experience, fictionalising them, building a new character, who's a little bit similar to me but quite different.

KINGSHUK: As a child, it would seem you liked a vast range of stories, tales and novels across many genres, which have probably contributed to your talented writing skills and abilities. Which book would you name your most memorable or your most favourite growing up?

JARED THOMAS: OK. So when I was just turning 17, which is a little bit older, but I read a book by an author called-- her name is Olive Senior. She's a Jamaican writer. And the book was called 'Summer Lightning and Other Stories'. And that collection of short stories has been the book that has had most impact on my writing to this day.

KINGSHUK: For writers who have a deep passion and desire for writing, such as me, how do you spark your imagination and creativity for the plot of your novels? How do you escape the writer's block, as they call it, when your ideas are unfilled and burned out or unable to produce?

JARED THOMAS: OK. So one of the things that can stimulate ideas is asking the question, what if? So here we are, sitting in this space having the interview. And we're surrounded by skyrise apartments and buildings.

So if I ask the question, what if one of the buildings started to collapse? And for me, that starts a series of questions. Who was in the building? Who helped save people that might be injured? Why did the building collapse? And from that moment, we start to build a story.

So for me to overcome writer's block, it is, 'What if?', is the key question. And then we start to think about characters. And I ask a few questions with characters.

Who is the character? Who does the character think they are? Because, sometimes, people are different to what they actually think they are. What is the character's secrets? And once I start to ask those questions, I start to flesh out the character so that they become incredibly real.

Now, for me, writing, if I spend a lot of time getting to know the characters, that makes the writing so much easier. Because I just want to find out what adventures they go on within the story.

KINGSHUK: My final question for you is, which you have stated earlier, are you currently writing or planning to write another story any time soon? And if so, would you mind explaining to me a brief insight on the plot line, characters and setting?

JARED THOMAS: OK. So with the 'Uncle Xbox' series, as I've mentioned, I'm working on that at the moment. And that story will-- so 'Getting Dusty' is being released. The third book will be set. It's going to be called 'Hell's Bells'. It's out on Bells Beach, Wadawurrung country in Victoria.

The fourth book will be in Aotearoa, Raglan, New Zealand. The fifth book may be in Tahiti or Indonesia, the sixth in Hawaii. Hopefully, I'll get to write a seventh, which will be in Jamaica.

I am also thinking a little bit about a cricket series, so a story about young Aboriginal cricketers that want to play at the top level. And these kids are in the most remotest community, so they have to come together as this team to play in a carnival. So that's something that I'm thinking about at present.

KINGSHUK: I'll surely be looking forward to read it, as I also have a deep passion for playing cricket.

JARED THOMAS: Excellent. Thank you so much.

KINGSHUK: Thank you for letting me interview you today, Jared. It's been amazing talking with you. I hope everyone watching out there enjoys reading your incredible novels as much as I did while they work to complete the Premier's Reading Challenge.

JARED THOMAS: Thank you so much for your time and the incredible questions.