Local Author Spotlight ON PRESENTATION OF THIS AD. OFFERS ENDS 29/2/24 R.R.P $39.95
Cassy Polimeni
B
ayside children’s author Cassy Polimeni doesn’t need an excuse to visit Mornington Peninsula, but the region has taken on new significance for her in recent years.
‘Generations of my family have lived on the peninsula so it’s always been a second home, but I’m spending even more time here these days. I’ve met so many wonderful local authors and illustrators and we catch up regularly to compare notes and support each other. I always visit Farrells Bookshop when I’m in Mornington, and this year got to sign copies of my own book there which was pretty special. Antipodes in Sorrento is wonderful too.’ Cassy dreamed of being an author from an early age, although she took a roundabout route to get there. ‘I used to sneak off when my parents had visitors to read up a tree, so the introvert urge was strong! I remember telling people I wanted to be an author from about the age of seven, and I’ve had a lot of bookish jobs, but it wasn’t until I was 40 that my first book was published.’ Cassy worked as a bookseller, then an assistant at Penguin Books before turning her hand to magazines where she worked for over a decade, including a stint as editor of Destinations Australia. ‘It’s a cliche, but maternity leave allowed me to dip back into writing for fun, rather than avoiding it because I’d already spent all day on a computer. For me this time coincided with the pandemic and the magazine I worked for shutting down, so all of a sudden I had all this time on my hands and all these ideas.’ The inspiration for her debut picture book The Garden at the End of the World came from seeing Adam Liaw visit the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, for an episode of Destination Flavour on SBS. 32 Peninsula Kids –Summer 2023/24
