How would Australia respond to a shocking terrorist attack that takes out the country’s leaders?
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Is it the work of Muslim extremists, or is something else at play?
Those are the questions author Hugh Watson explores in his self-published debut novel, Home Grown.
Mr Watson spends much of his time at Hall in the ACT, but grew up in the Bega Valley and has a house in Merimbula.
He has worked as a private secretary to a Cabinet minister and was group general manager of the Sydney Olympic Games organising committee.
He is now a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and a director of his own consulting company.
The action in Home Grown for the most part takes place in Canberra amid the political intrigue and fallout of multiple terrorist attacks.
However, Far South Coast readers are in for a real treat with Merimbula and Tathra playing large parts in the storyline, including a climactic confrontation on Dr George Mountain near Bega.
“I grew up here so I’ve drawn on my own memories throughout the novel,” Mr Watson said.
It’s a very topical story, with lots of local stuff all through it.
“The lead character is from Tathra!”
Mr Watson said the process of publishing his first novel was rather involved.
“A good mate of mine is a thriller writer who became a world bestseller – and I thought I could do that,” he said with a grin.
“I wrote four chapters and sent it to him for his thoughts.
“He said ‘you should keep going’.
“I finished the story at the end of last year.
“I’ve had it professionally edited and read by seven people with different backgrounds.
“I got some good feedback so it was a worthwhile process.”
A brief synopsis of Home Grown is a shocking terrorist attack takes out the nation’s leader and other top politicians.
Those who survive enact Draconian laws with an emphasis on Muslim extremism, but the attacks continue, so is everything really as it seems?
“The type of attacks in Home Grown are entirely feasible,” Mr Watson said.
“There’s a lot of politics involved, and none come out looking good – except Eden-Monaro!
“My story’s fanciful of course, but readers might stop and think about how should a government react.
“The rhetoric around terrorism is horrific, but there are underlying tensions and how do you react to it?”
Home Grown was published by Excell Printing in Pambula and is available at Candelo Books, Bega Newsagency, Tathra Newsagency and Booktique in Merimbula.
It is also available as an ebook on Amazon for Kindle.
Booktique is holding a launch with Mr Watson on Wednesday, December 23 at 5pm. All welcome.
