JOY Weekend Breakfast

30 Aug 2021

Tobias Madden – Anything But Fine

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Tobias Madden joins us to talk about his new book, Anything But Fine.

A heartfelt and hilarious Australian YA debut from a rising star.

Luca is ready to audition for the Australian Ballet School. All it takes to crush his dreams is one missed step . . . and a broken foot. Jordan is the gorgeous rowing star and school captain of Luca’s new school. Everyone says he’s straight – but Luca’s not so sure . . .

As their unlikely bond grows stronger, Luca starts to wonder: who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak?

A queer coming-of-age story that looks at what happens when the career you’ve been planning for your whole life is lost to you in a moment.

‘Anything But Fine is everything wonderful I love in a book: characters so real they breathe, a rollercoaster of a story that made me laugh, cry, and swoon, and vivid, gorgeous writing. Brilliant’.– Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

Originally from Ballarat, Tobias worked for ten years as a dancer, touring Australia and New Zealand with
musicals such as Mary Poppins, CATS, Singin’ in the Rain and Guys and Dolls. He now lives in Sydney
with his husband, Daniel, and their Cavoodle, Ollie.

In 2019, Tobias edited and published Underdog: #LoveOzYA Short Stories, which featured his first published
work, ‘Variation’. He also co-wrote the cabaret show Siblingship, which played to sold-out audiences
in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

Tobias is a passionate member of the #LoveOzYA and LGBTQ+ communities, and he currently works
full time for a major independent publishing company.