Dianne Yarwood on finding meaning near death, and the courage to live the life she wanted

Dianne Yarwood was a 40-year-old mother of three when she had a life-changing brush with death.

Seriously ill and fighting for her life, Dianne found herself confronting the very real prospect of her own imminent death.

“In the emergency room, I knew I was dying,” Dianne recalls. “I expected to die… completely accepted that I was going to die within a day or two, but I was incredibly lucky.”

It was the emergency doctor treating Dianne that recognised she was suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder and his swift intervention saved her life.

But surviving this brush with death left Dianne changed, and reawakened her long-neglected teenage dreams of being a writer.

“I went from the position of no life to being brought back to life — and I’ve never forgotten that feeling and that awareness of how precious life is and that’s the feeling I wanted to try and describe and show in novel form,” says Dianne, who recently published debut novel, The Wakes, draws inspiration from this experience.

“It’s a book about the importance of death – that it gives our choices meaning, and that life is finite,” explains Dianne, who is still thrilled to find herself a published author.

“It’s a bit of a dream to actually have it happen — it’s like I’ve woken up in someone else’s life.”

The Wakes, which also looks set to become a future television series, has been selected by Central West Libraries for the One Library One Book community reading program, and  Dianne will be touring the region next week to meet with local readers and discuss the book. 

Dianne’s excited to be coming to the Central West and says there’s lots to discuss regardless of where you’re up to in the book.

“We have some really interesting discussions about books and writing, and life and the experiences I’ve had with life and death – hopefully, in the end, an uplifting discussion,” says Dianne, who reveals that the Colour City also plays a part in the backstory of one of the characters in The Wakes.

“It’s only brief, but it's quite an important part of the book,” says Dianne, who lives in Sydney with her family, but is effusive about her fondness for our region.

“I love Orange, and I’m really excited to come back!”

Hear Dianne Yarwood discuss The Wakes at Orange Library at 5.30pm Tuesday, May 23.

For more information on her tour of Central West Libraries, or to book your place at one of these free events, visit: www.eventbrite.com.au/cc/one-library-one-book-meet-author-dianne-yarwood-2052699