Greg Bastian writes about all the crazy stuff that goes on between the ages of 13 and 18, when you start getting interested in the opposite sex, when you argue with your parents, when you can’t stand living at home, when your friends can’t be trusted. His books are popular in school libraries and have received plenty of praise in newspaper reviews. ‘A very gripping story ... an excellent read’—The Weekend Australian. ‘An outstanding new Australian novel’—The Sydney Morning Herald.
His latest book, Ride the Tiger, is about a boy who defies his parents, leaves his comfortable middle-class upbringing and takes to the road with a gang of runaways. Crime, passion and prejudice drive the story to an exciting ending and the main character learns the hard way that equality and social justice aren’t God-given rights but must be fought for and won. It is a tough book with a wry sense of humour and a lively pace.
Greg started writing in his twenties, travel articles mostly. He has travelled to many countries. He has worked in theatre and television, writing several successful play scripts and comedy sketches. His first novel for young adults was published in 1989. All Greg’s books have been recorded for sight-impaired readers, an experience which has inspired him, with the help of local drama students and community radio, to embark on a full-scale radio play version of one of his books, Lies and Alibis.
With two teenaged boys of his own, there is no trouble finding material for his stories. He loves getting inside the heads of his characters. He’ll interview lots of teenagers before writing a book so that the story sounds real and natural. While preparing his latest book he interviewed juvenile prisoners, accompanied police on their nightly patrols and spoke to welfare officers about runaway children.
Greg also teaches creative writing in schools and likes to do readings in the classroom. The central characters in his books are generally boys so he is particularly enthusiastic about encouraging boys to get into reading and writing. His next book will be a story about a gang of graffiti artists.
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