One Dead Seagull

Now available as an eBook from Macmillan Digital here

One Dead Seagull is a book about life. About making it, even when the odds are shit. About finding love in the strangest places. About mates and fear and being wild.

‘The characters in the story are very believable, the situations are totally credible, and the language realistic and easy to read. It is down-to-earth and very Australian; a refreshingly honest account of life as an Australian teenager. I would recommend it for high school students’ READING TIME Vol 45 No 4

The first draft was written over a three year period. I started thinking about the story when I was doing an apprenticeship in Gardening for the local council, cutting bricks for the paving of Church St, Morwell. I wondered what would happen if the brick saw bit me and the story has been re written four times since then.

‘This is an often hilarious glimpse into a fifteen year old boy’s life – randiness and all. Gardner has the ability to describe very funny events mainly through dialogue. Exchanges are frank and concern matters that engross teenagers.’ Helen Purdie, MAGPIES July 2001

I had heaps of help in the writing of the book, from friends and other writers. John Marsden runs writing workshops for adults and kids a few times a year. I went along with my mate Paul. It changed my writing life. I went home feeling like I could write. I wrote for a year and finished a manuscript. Two days after finishing I received an invitation to attend a new type of conference that John was pulling together. He was getting people from publishing houses to meet with authors. I paid some more money and went to the first Writers' Conference at the Tye Estate - John's haven in Romsey. I met an editor from Penguin, Claire Forster, and she read the manuscript as part of the conference. To get an editor to read your work is a BIG thing. She made some great suggestions, like 'don't kill the main character... write a sequel'.

I took Claire's advice and re-wrote the ending so Wayne, the main character, didn't die. It took about a month and I sent that manuscript off to three publishers - Lothian, Penguin and Pan Macmillan. I got responses from the three of them within six weeks which is a bit unusual. Lothian said 'no thanks'. Penguin sent me a full page letter that said 'it's nice but, no thanks'. Pan Macmillan said 'We want it!'

‘With honesty and realism of voice akin to Phillip Gwynne’s Blacky, Scot Gardner tackles the boyish negotiation of puberty with a fervour and grit that is at once entertaining and heartfelt’ VIEWPOINT Spring 2001

'Course there's always work to be done and pulling the manuscript apart and putting it back together takes time and energy and there's always the possibility that the editor will want to make changes that the author doesn't like. Hear the sound of clashing egos. It didn't happen that way for me. The side effects of the editorial process for me have been a love and respect for Anna and the team and the desire to do it all again.

I had some ideas for the cover and they were taken into consideration. I made up a few covers for the book that never saw the light of day.

There are so many little stories in 'One Dead Seagull'. So many stories from so many people. I work with young men in schools in Gippsland - the so called 'problematic' young blokes that are bored shitless of classroom learning - and they have contributed huge volumes of material. I read stuff to them and they laughed sometimes and other times told me it was shit. I'm thankful for that.

'highly amusing and readable' SUN HERALD

When we shifted to Yinnar South, I was twelve and one of my favourite weekend gigs was going scabbing at the tip. I found a cassette player once that still had batteries in it and still worked. We sometimes found garbage bags full of nudie mags and Pilch found a full bag of marshmallow cones - the ones with hundreds and thousands on them - and ate the lot. Tip tucker. Mmm mmmmmmm.

For me, writing's a lot like that. Rifling through lives to find the treasures. I'm a story scab.

Get the teachers' notes here.