Hannah Tunnicliffe is no stranger to crafting compelling narratives that delve into the complexities of relationships and human resilience. Known for her acclaimed novels The Colour of Tea and A French Wedding, as well as her co-created Detective Stanley series for young readers, Hannah’s work spans genres and audiences. Her latest novel, The Pool, is a gripping domestic noir that unravels the dark aftermath of a tragedy.
Set against the backdrop of Melbourne suburbia, The Pool explores the ripple effects of one fateful summer barbecue that fractured lives and friendships. Now, nearly a decade later, Baz King—the enigmatic life of the party—is missing, and everyone who knew him carries secrets and suspicions. With sharp prose and unflinching honesty, Tunnicliffe examines the weight of past events and asks: how far can tragedy push someone?
In today’s blog, we sit down with Hannah to discuss her journey as an author, her inspirations for The Pool, and the deeper themes woven into her writing. Stay tuned for an exclusive Q&A!
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself…
I am a single mother of three daughters and work in recruitment to pay the bills. I am an eating disorder survivor and co-host of the body acceptance podcast, Bod Almighty. I’ve trained as a career coach and volunteer counsellor and once tried to learn how to knit but wanted to stab someone with the needles, unfortunately, so that one didn’t stick. I’m not anti-craft though! Like many writers I am completely nuts about stationery – journals, gel pens, washi tape, ribbons etc.
I love to swim in the ocean, drink tea, discuss psychology, grow things, take photographs and bake. Plus – dance. I really love to dance.
I have been lucky enough to live in many different countries including Macau (China), Canada, England, New Zealand and Australia and work many different jobs. I was the Human Resources Director for a 4,000-employee casino and have been a waitress for a Christmas event dressed (badly) as Santa.
Writing is my favourite job of all, of course.
2. Describe your book in one sentence – it’s tricky, we know!
An ensemble-cast, suburban mystery which explores love and loss; The Pool is domestic noir with heart. It’s been said: “The Slap but with added whodunnit.”
3. What sparked this writing journey?
This is a new genre for me – I previously wrote contemporary women’s fiction with a focus on food, love and travel. I was lucky enough to have my books translated and sold in several different languages and my debut novel, The Colour of Tea, become a Canadian bestseller.
All that said, I’ve been ready to write something new for a while. I just wasn’t sure what that new might be. Then, the events that occur in The Pool happened to me one day at an ordinary summer barbecue. A beautiful sunny day, adults sitting by the pool, kids having a blast. Everything was perfect until it wasn’t. Luckily for me the barbecue didn’t quite end like the one in The Pool does.
But I kept thinking – what if things had turned out differently? These persistent thoughts became the genesis for the book.
4. What does your writing process look like? Do you listen to music? Start with characters or are you plot driven? Do you write in a specific place or during a certain time of day?
My story ideas usually sprout when three things come together – a problem I’ve been mulling over, a character to give that problem to and a third thing which could be a setting, relationship or point of view I haven’t explored before. From there I play. The end result is often something quite different to what I started out with.
In the case of The Pool – I was at a summer barbecue where a child drowned and was, thankfully, resuscitated. The host of the barbecue was a medical professional so we were all incredibly lucky that things turned out like they did. For a long time afterwards, I wondered what would have happened to us all if the outcome had been different. Those wonderings led to The Pool being written.
As for my day-to-day writing process: I like to write in cafes with lots of noise around me, good cake and lots of people to watch.
5. What kind of research do you do and how long do you spend researching before you begin to write?
For The Pool I got the help of Thomas Coyle MNZM who has recently been recognised for his work in forensics. I attended one of his workshops and obtained his advice afterwards with a few key details. I also asked a lot of questions of a police officer and a forensic anthropologist and spent too long researching the coronial systems of Victoria. There were other things I researched heavily but if I divulge it might spoil the book’s ending. Please add to my piece of advice for aspiring writers: make friends with people who have interesting jobs!
6. What is the most important thing you’d like readers to take away from reading your book?
Mostly, I want readers to be entertained. I hope they find The Pool has a bit more depth than a typical summer beach read but is less intense than the latest literary fiction they need to finish for their book club. Something in between and engaging. I hope they think – “ah, she’s nailed that, that’s exactly what that experience feels like!” – and they remember the plot and characters long after they’ve finished the book.
7. Who do you think would play the main characters in a TV/film adaptation of your novel and why?
I have a Pinterest board! It’s secret for now but I did share it with Melanie Vallejo who has voiced the audio book. I won’t spill all my ideas but here are a few: Melanie Lynskey as Paloma because she always nails characters who are both tough and tender, Emma Stone as Birdie and Michael Fassbender as Baz.
8. What’s one piece of advice you would give to aspiring writers?
Get to know yourself. They say “write what you know” but I’d extend that to “write what you know you love to read”, “write what you know you’re deeply curious about” and “write what you know makes your heart sing”. You can’t do any of that without knowing who you are, what you like and what makes you tick.
We would like to thank Ultimo Press for this awesome Q&A with the brilliant Hannah and we can’t wait to hear what our QBD Books Lover community thinks of The Pool.
You can stay up to date with Hannah’s writing journey on her Instagram here:
@hannahtunnicliffe.author
