Former journalist Helen Signy will speak about her debut novel Maya’s Dance at the Friends of Kiama Library (FOKL) Author Talk on October 12.

Helen is an Australian writer who grew up in England and spent much of her youth travelling the world before becoming a print journalist at Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post and then the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).

Her first book (about a chipmunk) was written when she was 6, photocopied at work by her mum, stapled together and handed out to family members. She’s been writing ever since.

“During my twenty years as a print journalist, I reported on the genocide in Rwanda and famine in Sudan, worked as an editor on the foreign desk, edited sections across the newspaper, and supported the early transition from print to digital at the SMH,” says Helen.

“I have never lost my passion for telling a good story, whether it’s a breaking news item or an expertly crafted novel. I still love the process of writing; the whole dreamy business of allowing the characters to come alive and create their world, the chipping away at a sentence to find the right word that will make the cadence work.”

Maya’s Dance is Helen’s first foray into fiction and is based on the real-life story of Lucie Pollak-Langford who as a young girl was interned in the Sawin Labour Camp in Poland.

The debut novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old Maya Schulze, who is struggling to survive in a brutal Nazi labour camp. Despite days filled with hunger, fear and despair, she is able to find courage and beauty in dancing – it is only then that she feels free.

Maya falls in love with Jan, one of her Polish guards, and he risks his life helping her to escape. The novel centres on Maya’s search for Jan, with the help of struggling journalist Kate Young, 50 years after the fact.

Maya’s Dance is a book about survival, resilience and enduring love. Helen will talk about her novel on Saturday October 12 at 2pm at the Auditorium Training Rooms under Kiama Library. Afternoon tea will be provided. Tickets are $8 for FOKL members and $10 for guests.

Book online at library.kiama.nsw.gov.au/Events/Adults-events/Helen-Signy-Mayas-Dance