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Seana Smith

Seana Smith

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    • ‘Going Under’: A Memoir Of Family Secrets, Addiction and Escape
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  • About
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    • ‘Going Under’: A Memoir Of Family Secrets, Addiction and Escape
    • The Australian Autism Handbook, Edition 4
    • Wildly Weird But Totally True Australia: Trivia Book
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  • Podcast
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Writing

Quit Lit & Motherhood Memoir Extract: Sausages

Readers of my quit lit book ‘Going Under’ have loved this section of the memoir. As a mother of four kids, I have spent far too long in the kitchen! Are you a mum too? Do you relate? February Orange …

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Shellharbour Swimming Pool: The Fabulous Beverley Whitfield Ocean Pool + an extract from my memoir

The Beverley Whitfield Ocean Pool, best known as Shellharbour swimming pool, is a wonderful outdoor ocean pool, situated right by the beach at lovely Shellharbour. It’s a wonderful place to swim. Here are some photos of this delightful pool. And …

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How Creative Writing + Memoir Can Work As Therapy For Your Sobriety

Hello, I firmly believe that writing, especially a daily writing practice which delves into all the reasons why you drank and all the reasons why you need to stop or have stopped, can be a very powerful tool in sobriety. …

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Welcome, I'm Seana Smith

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Buy Going Under in Australia - best prices

Within Australia, you can buy a signed copy direct from me at the discount price of $25, postage free! Just click below.

Click the cover to read about Going Under.

Buy Going Under

In Australia: Going Under is available in bookshops and online stores in Australia and on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-secrets-addiction-escape/dp/1920727434

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-secrets-addiction-escape/dp/1920727434/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

seanasmith

📚Going Under memoir in shops + on Audible
✍️Writer and proud bookworm
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish- Australian🇦🇺🦘

Current desk setup. Two screens are a minimum, som Current desk setup. Two screens are a minimum, sometimes I use three. 

Maybe it’s an error to have wallpaper of the bay as it makes me want to dash down to the beach and jump into the bay’s clear waters. 

Not much sitting at the desk this Sunday though. Neighbours coming for a BBQ and much tidying and shopping to be done. 

Do you use two screens too??

🖋️🖊️📓📖📕🖊️🌺✒️🖊️💐📓📖📕🍫
#writerslife  #amwriting #reading #author  #books
Poodle in a lifejacket! I saw a dog lifejacket f Poodle in a lifejacket! 

I saw a dog lifejacket for sale and did not need to think twice. 

Maisie joined me for a paddle in the kayak this morning. Ever the good dog, she sat very still on my lap then lay on my legs. 

Maisie didn’t help with the paddling though. 

Neither of us fell in but we had a swim at the end off the beach. All life jackets working well. 

Was a lovely morning for it too. 

#jervisbay #vincentia #kayak #poodle #poodlestyle
Photos from a lovely literary Saturday night in Hu Photos from a lovely literary Saturday night in Huskisson at the incomparable @boobookonowen with @kmildenhall.

I so enjoyed reading Kate’s new book The Hiding Place then thinking up questions to ask her. And she is a great chat, funny and warm and generous. Highly recommend this fresh literary thriller, sharpened by its satire, enlivened by its nature writing. 

Kate’s first book Skylarking is set close to Huskisson, a tale of lighthouses, friendship and misadventure. Essential reading when on holiday at Jervis Bay! 

 🖋️🖊️📓📖📕🖊️🌺✒️🖊️💐📓📖📕🍫
#writing #writer #writersofinstagram  #writingcommunity #love quotes words writerscommunity writers thoughts writersofig  art life instadaily loveyourself storywriterslife instagood amwriting 
reading author wordporn books write bookstagram follow creativewriting book authorsofinstagram selflove
Books read lately. It’s been ages since I last pos Books read lately. It’s been ages since I last posted about the books I’ve been reading, and there are too many to mention them all, so here are my recent top four.

@kmildenhall's new book is The Hiding Place is a taut thriller with unexpected twists and many examples of intrinsically good people behaving badly. I had my head in my hands as I muttered ’Nooooo… don’t do that,’ several times.

On Saturday night, Kate is coming to speak at beloved @boobooksonowen in Huskisson and I will have the pleasure of asking the questions. And I have many! Kate’s first novel, the glorious Skylarking is set close to here and I’m looking to chatting about that book too. 

The Loney by @andrewmichaelhurley is spooky and a magnificent example of writing about place. It’s a masterclass in writing tension and diverse complex characters. There’s a dash of the supernatural too. Set on a desolate coastline in northwestern England, it’s a gothic domestic horror, not my usual genre at all, but I was hooked by the writing and the tension. 

@pipwilliams_author's One Italian Summer had been waiting on my bookshelf for ages, and when I needed a sunnier read, it leapt into my hands. It’s a travel story, the story of a summer spend with her family working on organic farms. Pip’s close observations of Italy made me want to book a flight immediately, I enjoyed the insights into her relatable struggles with work and life.

The List of Suspicious Things, a 2024 breakout debut novel by @jennie.godfrey is a truly impressive read. It’s a coming of age tale, set in Yorkshire in 1979 when the Yorkshire Ripper was still on his murderous rampage. This is a book with many themes, friendship, racism, domestic violence, innocence and guilt. That world was so familiar to me, I was 15 in 1979 myself. I listened to this book, mainly narrated by Joanna Froggat in her fab broad accent. A treat. 

I’d recommend all four of these books very highly. 

🖋️🖊️📓📖📕🖊️🌺✒️🖊️💐📓📖📕🍫
#readingbooks #bookstagram #reading #books #readingtime #booklover #book #read #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #readersofinstagram #readingisfun #booksofinstagram #booknerd #readingaddict
Man, what a treat. Swimming holiday at Great Keppe Man, what a treat. Swimming holiday at Great Keppel Island was watery heaven.

Met some delightful fellow swimmers, many who do serious long distance swims. That was inspiring, and I did longer swims than I have ever done before. 

But there was no pressure. I rested on the boat at times, wore flippers. Seeing a leopard whipray was a highlight!!

🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️🦈🦀🦑🐋
#idreamofkeppel #lovethereef #visitcapricorn #iswimhappy #southerngreatbarrierreef #swimaroundkeppel
#queensland
#wildswimming 
#sharetheswimlove #swimsocial 
#dipoftheday #placesweswim #swimwildandfree #outdoorswimming #swimming #swim #beach #ocean #swimholiday #swimmingholiday 
@swimwildescapewa @iswimhappy
This is Middle Island and we happy band of ocean s This is Middle Island and we happy band of ocean swimmers are about to swim right around it. 

Lovely day here at Great Keppel. Started the morning with yoga stretches and a wee beach swim. 

Now for the main event. Some will swim over to the island, round and back. For me just the swim around will probably be long enough! Off we splash. 💦 

🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️🦈🦀🦑🐋
#idreamofkeppel #lovethereef #visitcapricorn #iswimhappy #southerngreatbarrierreef #swimaroundkeppel
#queensland
#wildswimming 
#sharetheswimlove #swimsocial 
#dipoftheday #placesweswim #swimwildandfree #outdoorswimming  #swimming #swim #beach #ocean #swimholiday #swimmingholiday @swimwildescapewa @iswimhappy
Lovely to meet and interview @josie_mcskimming at Lovely to meet and interview @josie_mcskimming at a @boobookonowen evening, held at the lovely @darlinghousedeli. 

Josie's memoir is Gutsy Girls, Love, poetry and sisterhood. It's a fascinating blend of biography of her sister the poet Dorothy Porter and her own story of emancipation from evangelical Christianity. 

I gobbled the book up, adoring all the poems and the many extracts from Dorothy's diaries. This memoir took many years and a whole lot of sisterly love - and tension!

Highly recommend it. It prompted me to start rereading The Monkey's Mask, Dorothy Poter's groundbreaking versie crime novel - dazzling. 

🖋️🖊️📓📖📕🖊️🌺✒️🖊️💐📓📖📕🍫
#writerslife #amwriting #reading #author #books #write #bookstagram #creativewriting #book #authorsofinstagram
#readingbooks #bookstagram #reading #books #readingtime #booklover #book #read #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #readersofinstagram
Beautiful Esperance!! Was it only two weeks ago?? Beautiful Esperance!!

Was it only two weeks ago?? 

What a joy to finally visit my old school pals from Scotland who farm there. We’re all Aussies now. 

Thank you Caroline for showing me all the best swim spots. The netted baths in town are cool and the beaches are mind-blowingly beautiful. 

The blue ocean, the clarity of the water. 

Coming for longer next time. Packing more cossies!

#esperance #westernaustralia #australia #travel #holiday 🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️🦈🦀🦑🐋
#sharetheswimlove #swimsocial 
#dipoftheday #placesweswim #swimwildandfree #outdoorswimming #swimming #swim #beach #ocean #swimoftheweek #swimaustralia #swimswum #wildswimming
South Fremantle Beach, I shall return, I promise! South Fremantle Beach, I shall return, I promise!

The beach is lovely, it’s easy to book an hour in the sauna. Sheer physical pleasure. 

The wee row of shops and cafes at South Freo will also see me again!
Fabulous Fremantle! An all-too-brief trip westward Fabulous Fremantle! An all-too-brief trip westwards to see our second son, just turned 26. We stayed mostly at Fremantle with a wee side trip to Kings Park and Cottesloe. All too brief. 

Next time, I will stay for much longer, and try to see some friends too @lifestylefifty @amandakendle 

Swimming/sauna photos coming next, and a much-anticipated visit to old school pals who now live in Esperance. Pix to come. Why did it take me so long to get there??!!

Am definitely a slow traveller, loved mooching about the markets and all the bookshops and op shops... and lingering at the excellent Common bakery munching on lemon meringue croissants. Oh my!!

#travel #holidays #holiday #fremantle #perth #westernaustralia #WAholidays #croissant #australia #freedom
Swimming with pinniped pals. I had never seen a po Swimming with pinniped pals. I had never seen a pod of sealing lounging around with flippers sticking out of the sea before.

Snorkelling with these fur seals on Monday was the best fun. Being a brief visitor to their world underwater is magnificent treat.

Thanks @woebegone_dive for taking us there and looking after us so well. 

Always lovely to swim with friends!!

#snorkel #newsouthwales #freedive #swimmingwriter #jervisbay #seal #furseal #travel #swim #australia
The past fortnight's reading has been a doozie. The past fortnight's reading has been a doozie. 

The Revisionists by @michellejohnstonauthor is a masterclass in tension, character and writing virtuosity. I was enthralled.

Our Tiny, Useless Hearts and Prettier If She Smiled More made me laugh out loud many times. I really hadn't read anything so very funny for ages. And such endearing characters. Glad I can read more about the Schnabels as I miss them. Thank you @toni_jordan_writer for making me guffaw in glee. 

I've bought Tenderfoot so that's next on my reading list. Today! 

And The Secret History, which I thought I was re-reading, but it turned out I hadn't read it before - shockers! Enjoyed this very much and especially got a lot out of the book club chat about it with @hayley.scrivenor for @southcoastwriters. Double treat.

Hooray for diversity in reading, for splendid novels of all descriptions. And who needs Netflix anyway? Who's got the time with so many fab books out there just waiting to be read. 

#bookcommunity #bookaholic #readingbook #bookblogger #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readinglist #igreads #readingchallenge #readingisfundamental #readmorebooks #bookslover #ilovebooks #bookreader #bookstore #bookstagrampl #instabooks #lovebooks
The fresh air cure is working overtime for me at t The fresh air cure is working overtime for me at the moment, but it is working. 

Thank goodness the rain stopped. 

Life, even normal life, can be gruelling. 

Two walks a day, a swim. Such a help especially for the physical symptoms. 

And on we go, one day at a time. 

#writer #books #parentingishard #amwriting #memoir #author #selfcare #sober #sobriety #aflife #bookstagram
Books, books and more beautiful book!! This weeke Books, books and more beautiful book!!

This weekend, I have the pleasure of reading Melaleuca by @angie_faye_martin I started it last night and am keen to get back to it this afternoon, with a cuppa!

I'm also reading The Book Thief for the first time - overdue. It's a scintillating read for its language, but distressing!

Have recently finished Thanks For Having Me by @emmaldarragh which I enjoyed so much for its exceptional characters. And same same for Lanny by @maxmaxporter. What a story. The people from both books linger long. 

And then... the op shop books, another pile of them after my daughter came home on a uni break and took me to the excellent and massive Salvos store in Nowra.

So many good books in the world!! 

Lucky, I have the luxury of lots of time alone this weekend, so I'm off to get the kettle on and then curl up in the sunshine with a very good book. 

#bookcommunity #bookaholic #readingbook #bookblogger #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readinglist readingisfundamental #readmorebooks #bookslover #ilovebooks #bookreader #bookstore #bookstagrampl #instabooks #lovebooks #readingcorner #currentlyreading #readinglife #love #bookoftheday #readingcommunity #bookishlove #readingismagic #bookclub #bookpost #booktime #library
Hello Sunday Morning! It’s a warm sunny one and I’ Hello Sunday Morning! It’s a warm sunny one and I’m at Huskisson beach with the wonderful Wobbegongs. 

And spring starts tomorrow! 

#amswimming #amwriting #swim #winterswimming #beach #writer #swimmingwriter #memoir #quitlit #newsouthwales #reading
What a creative treat to enjoy a silver ring makin What a creative treat to enjoy a silver ring making workshop with @appleyehandmade in lovely Berry. 

Naomi was the master and we were the apprenticeships. So relaxing and freeing to hammer, bend, apply fire, file and then sand - and come home with a beautiful new ring. 

Doing new things is good for the soul. A lovely session for a Sunday, lots of flow, learning so much. 

Recommended! 

#silver #silverring #ring #creativity #making #jewellery #making
Books read lately, and I can't recommend these two Books read lately, and I can't recommend these two highly enough. 

The Immigrants is a masterclass in evoking emotion in the reader. Laughter, tears, dread, horror and more laughter. I also learned so much about the rich culture of Italy and of post-war immigrants from there, and about growing tobacco! This is a story of boyhood too, rich in detail and tenderness. It will stay with me.

Another historical novel based on a family story is The Occupation by @chloeadams3000. I'm sure it's not just me who reads a book more closely, feels the emotions more deeply, when I know it's based on a real person, the author's grandmother. 

I knew absolutely nothing about post war Japan and found the facts rendered very vividly; it was enthralling. And all the time we are there, close to Hiroshima, the reader knows an emotional bomb is coming. Tension!

Hooray for historical fiction told well. What a pleasure to immerse myself, to travel far away and back in time with these authors. Thank you!

 
#bookcommunity #bookaholic #readingbook #bookblogger #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readinglist #igreads #bookslover #ilovebooks #bookreader #bookstore #bookstagrampl #instabooks #lovebooks #readingcorner #currentlyreading #readinglife #love #bookoftheday
No, I definitely do not write that fast. I wish! No, I definitely do not write that fast. I wish! 

That’s the end of the writing week. I’m going to have a family first weekend, gardening and shifting furniture. 

Thanks so much @katherinecollettewriter for the thought-provoking and at times very amusing writing prompts. I still feel all over the place, but what’s new?

The main thing is enjoying that writing time, looking forward to sitting down and doing it. 

Safe and happy weekend to all!
These two books have totally captivated me recentl These two books have totally captivated me recently.

The Ruins by Amy Taylor @amy_ester_ is very new, a twisty tale of a love triangle, set in Athens one very hot summer. The moral complexities were thought-provoking, the main character's dilemma around motherhood too. For me, this was a page turner which I know I read too fast and should read again more slowly - but I couldn't stop!

Then The Household Guide To Dying, by Debra Adelaide, first published in 2009. Why have I never read it before? A very different tale of motherhood, with a deeply delightful main character. 

Loved the writing and all the domestic details. How did such a tragic story manage to have so much humour?

Now, what next?

#writer #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #love #quotes #words #writerscommunity #writers #bookcommunity #bookaholic #readingbook #bookblogger #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readinglist #igreads #readingchallenge
Hello Sunday Morning! Winter swimming races are s Hello Sunday Morning!

Winter swimming races are such a laugh. We Wobbegongs were hosted by the Stanwell Park Sea Eels at Coalcliff this morning. 

Such a friendly gang of swimmers, and the soup and other food afterwards was a delight. 

All this fun and hilarity on a rainy winter day. Got to love winter swimmers. Also hangover-free mornings! 

Honestly, it’s the best way to get a buzz. Sunday morning social connections and a few short bursts of intense exercise. After which I have lazed about all day!! 

#Swimming #winterswimming #seaswimming swimming #writer #author #sober #aflife #soberrebel
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© 2025 Seana Smith
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • ‘Going Under’: A Memoir Of Family Secrets, Addiction and Escape
    • The Australian Autism Handbook, Edition 4
    • Wildly Weird But Totally True Australia: Trivia Book
  • Swim
  • Podcast
  • Sober
  • Mentoring
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