Selected Writing
I wrote and illustrated the story, my aunt, the only one in our family who owned a typewriter, typed up the manuscript and my father helped me bind and cover the book. The treasured first and only edition still exists.
In the 40 plus years since, I’ve continued writing, fiction and nonfiction, short stories, articles on dogs, travel journals and diaries. I’ve dabbled with novels, radio plays and even penned a stand-up comedy script. I’ve written letters and emails, and tweeted and blogged my observations on life, the universe and … well, perhaps not everything!
Much of my writing is shared on Tall And True, an online showcase and forum for writers, readers and publishers. My book reviews and writing on dogs have also appeared in newspapers and elsewhere online. And in 2020, I published a collection of short stories, Both Sides of the Story (available from Amazon).
Selection of Writing
The following is a selection of my writing, fiction and nonfiction, short and long-form, published and undiscovered “rough gems”. I hope you enjoy reading them.
BOOK REVIEWS
In April 2015 I answered a tweet from Writing NSW (formerly the NSW Writers’ Centre) seeking interest from potential book reviewers. I found I enjoyed the review process because it made me think about a book from different angles.
WRITING ON DOGS
When I first met my dear old dog, Harry, he was 6 months old, the last of his litter, hiding under a kitchen table. When the breeder dragged him out, he flopped his black Labrador head on my leg and looked up at me with his worried, brown eyes.
SHORT STORIES
My early short stories were blatant attempts to be published in lifestyle magazines or to win writing competitions. Yet, despite such riveting titles as, “An Album of Memories” and “Tender Reunion”, magazine editors did not rush to publish my material. And then I discovered the Ian St James Awards.
TRAVEL WRITING
I started “travel writing”, recording journals of my travels when I left Australia in 1987 for two years abroad in England and Europe. I kept writing journals, on my daily life in England and wider travels in the UK, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, until I returned to Australia in 1996.
About RobertFairhead.com
Welcome to the blog posts and selected writing of a middle-aged dad and dog owner. Robert Fairhead is writer and editor at Tall And True, an online showcase and forum for writers, readers and publishers. His book reviews and other writing have appeared in various print and online media. And he has published two collections of short stories, Both Sides of the Story (2020) and Twelve Furious Months (2021).
