Puzzling things begin at home for author Lorena Carrington

What do the big banana, the Sydney Opera House and the Castlemaine Library have in common?

We think Lorena Carrington might get a kick out of us starting this story with a riddle.

But before we reveal all, meet Lorena – a locally-based fine artist, children’s book illustrator, author and avid cruciverbalist. (AKA, a crossword lover.)

“My partner James and I do the cryptic crossword at lunchtime every day,” Lorena says, adding that for years, she’s also been writing them “on the side”.

 “A girl’s gotta have a hobby,” she laughs.

Lorena is perhaps best known for her photographic art; montages of found objects and fairy tale scenes, which have featured in many books for children and adults.

She’s collaborated with the likes of authors Carmel Bird, Sophie Mason and Kate Forsyth, and has exhibited widely.

One series was based around the remnants of early settlers, namely the whimsical blue-and-white china Willow pattern shards, found in her Castlemaine backyard and in the bush beyond.

Lorena was placing the fragments in the landscape, the birds in the sky. Fitting disparate things together in new and imaginative ways.

Next, came the fairytale works.

“I was reading lots of fairytales to my girls, and trying to find stories where women had more agency, and weren’t just hanging around in towers waiting for a prince to turn up on a white horse to rescue them,” she says.

Lorena found a kindred spirit in this quest with author Kate Forsyth, which led to a book series of re-imagined fairytales.

All of this may make Lorena’s newest title something of a conundrum; how did she go from producing ethereal art to a cold case, peppered with puzzles?

Lorena’s logical, technical, enquiring mind has always informed her work; from devising her own chemical mixes in the university darkroom, to combining story and puzzles in her junior fiction book, Leaf Letters. (Christmas Press, 2024.)

A Puzzling Pursuit, published by Penguin, is an overarching mystery, with ten cases, 100 illustrated puzzles and a romp around Australia.

All the Aussie icons are in the book – the aforementioned banana, the opera house and the library among them (it’s at least iconic to us). Turns out, Lorena’s story actually starts in Castlemaine.

“I wrote it so that it could be interpreted as being anyone’s town, but if you live in Castlemaine, or Bendigo, you may just recognise some of the people and places,” she says.

The Wendys, of Bookish, are in there, in a chapter of the same name as the Bendigo bookshop. The Castlemaine train station is there, and so is our own librarian David, in situ.

Lorena was nestled in one of the booth seats by the arched library windows with her writing group when the idea struck.

“We were here, doing our writing, and David was doing storytime with the kids, so I wrote that into the scene,” she says. “So, he’s in the book, playing his ukulele and singing Galumph went the little green frog.”

Another local connection played a vital role in the book’s creation. When Lorena learnt one of her crossword heroes had moved to town a couple of years ago, she made contact.

Liam Runnalls writes cryptic crosswords for The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Saturday Paper. In a tribute to his work, Lorena had dropped his name, along with David Astle’s, into Leaf Letters.

“I emailed Liam to say hey, I’ve briefly mentioned you in my book, would you like a copy?” Lorena says.

The pair swiftly became friends, and Liam later asked Lorena to proofread the puzzles in his own Penguin release.

The publisher thanked her for the contribution, and a vital connection was made.

“I basically kept harassing them,” Lorena laughs.

Recognising her multiple talents, Penguin invited Lorena to work on a book combining them all, and A Puzzling Pursuit is the result.

When Lorena catches up with Goldfields Libraries, she’s on the cusp of taking a national tour of her own to promote the title.

“But because the story starts here in Castlemaine, I’m having the first event here, then I’ll go off exploring the country,” she says.

Riding the wave of popular puzzle books like Liam Runnall’s Birdle and G. T Karber’s Murdle, there’s been talk of interviews, book signings and TV appearances.

Lorena’s not scared. In fact, the only thing that really rattles her is also closer to home; the 100 per cent Wordle rating in her pocket.

“I wake up and do the Wordle first thing, and then my day’s all set from there,” she says.

“I’m terrified of losing my winning streak…”

A Puzzling Pursuit will be launched locally at Castlemaine Library, Thursday 27 August from 5.30pm, hosted by none other than David. Book your place via Eventbrite.

– LAUREN MITCHELL