This book contains mature themes, strong violence, and strong language. If you are below 15 years of age, we recommend you do not continue reading.
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Within these pages are a scattering of sobbing children, like artworks in a museum. Observe. Feel. But never cry. Love. Grieve. Hold. But never regret. Do not sympathise. Nor do they want you to empathise. These sobbing children have loved. Have you?
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Lita is a 16-year-old author who writes songs and attempts to sing them. She writes about the human mind and why it uses different colours to draw. By the time you read this, Lita will be a very successful person, because she looks for joy instead of someone to blame for her misery.
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Over the course of 2023, a select group of young writers was invited to take part in a year-long writing program at Story Factory. Their goal was to produce a fully realised novella. This is one of the novellas produced in these workshops.
Year of the Novella 2023 was supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
This project was also made possible thanks to the support of a group of generous donors:
Rosebrook Foundation
Shand Foundation
Caroline Beecham & John Lydon
Greg Dean
Bernadette Brennan & Justin Gleeson
Deena Shiff & James Gillespie
Kim E Anderson
This publication would not have been possible without the unstinting support of the editorial and production teams at Penguin Random House. Thanks also to our all-round fantastic Story Factory volunteers. Finally, massive thanks to our typesetters, Midland Typesetters and Post Pre-press, and our printer, Griffin Press.
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