Jared Thomas

Fact File

The best thing about my job:
As a novelist, I get to travel the world, attending writer’s festivals and meeting with a lot of interesting people. So far, my writing has taken me to Africa, America, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Jamaica and Scotland.

My favourite food:
I love seafood, especially those from the Spencer Gulf, such as prawns and snapper.

My dream car:
Something to go surfing in like a Toyota 4WD or new style VW van would be great.

My worst injury:
I broke my ankle in four places in 2017.

My favourite colours:
Blue, aqua and yellow.

My favourite movie:
The Rocky series. I watched those when I was a kid and as an adult I still find the fictionalised character of Rocky inspirational.

My hero and why:
My hero is a Jamaican writer called Olive Senior who is now in her seventies. Olive has spent her life as a very independent woman who uses her knowledge and skills to write terrific stories about life in Jamaica. I find Olive inspiring as both a writer and a person.

My favourite possessions:
My guitar and gifts made by my daughters.

If I wasn’t doing my current job, I would like to be:
A horticulturalist or farmer.

The most important things in life:
Exercise, healthy food, sleep and time with family and friends.

My Ambassador reading tip:
Just like you can train to be a better sports person, you can train to become a better, stronger reader. The more you read, the easier and more pleasurable it becomes.

Other information

One of my writing highlights so far was writing the “Game Day” series with San Antonio Spurs and Olympian basketballer Patty Mills.