CN: This episode contains very fleeting references to body image, eating disorders and fatphobia. It is the recollections of a teenage girl.

Welcome to a very special episode of the hotline! This week's episode features just me, reading an excerpt from my SO SOON TO BE RELEASED book, How We Love: Notes On A Life!

Remember the insecurity of adolescence? The pain of unrequited love? The school dance, where you hope for it to all come together only to have it spectacularly crash? It's all right here in this chapter, 'The Queen Of Cool'. Come with me as I take you back to 1996 and a little country town just outside of Adelaide, where a caftan-wearing, bargain jazz CD listening Clementine is about to learn some formative lessons about who she is and what she's worth.

If you enjoy audiobooks, you might be pleased to know that the audio version of HOW WE LOVE is being released by Audible Australia. I've read the whole thing (and worked with sound producers who can create a much higher quality than today's podcast, to be fair) and I can't wait for you to listen to it! I don't think it's available for pre-order yet, but as soon as it is I will post the link in these notes.

In the meantime, you can pre-order the print version of HOW WE LOVE from Booktopia!

Normal programming of the hotline will resume next week, but I hope you've enjoyed this excerpt.

Thanks as always to my wonderful supporters at Patreon, and also to my podcast hosts Acast.

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