By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Recently, Hometown Weekly Editor Julia Beauregard had the pleasure of interviewing local, Walpole author, Tim Sweeney. Last Summer, Sweeney published his first book; a humor travel guide, titled “Yank Down Under: A Drink and A Look Around Australia,” offering a unique and playful perspective on life down under.
What is your background?
I grew up in Walpole and graduated from Walpole High School. I got my first real writing experience locally at the former Daily Transcript newspaper, covering local sports when I was still playing high school sports and also during summers home from college. I knew from my high school days that I wanted to write. It helps that I received some great mentorship at Walpole High, where a few teachers really encouraged me to write.
What is the book about?
Yank Down Under: A Drink and A Look Around Australia is essentially a travelogue filled with humorous stories about the people I met and the places I visited in my three years living in Australia. I moved there for work and started writing short stories on my website that eventually became the book. It’s the type of travel book I always wanted to write since I first did some traveling during my college years, studying abroad in London.
What will people find in the book?
It's first-hand stories from adventures to the Great Barrier Reef, hiking in the outback of the Northern Territory, the wine country of Western Australia and, of course, Sydney and Melbourne, where I lived. Tone-wise, people tell me the writing style is like Anthony Bourdain meets Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs meets a witty comedian.
What books influenced you as a travel writer?
I read a few books by Pete McCarthy (English) and Bill Bryson (an American who has been in the UK for years), who both authored humorous travelogues about road tripping through Europe, Ireland and other locales. I loved reading them as a young man and they made me want to go and see the world. I also have a similar East Coast/Massachusetts dry, witty sense of humor and this made me realize I could express this tone in this way. Some of the reviews of my book on Amazon compare my writing style to Bryson, which is a really complimentary thing to say. Into the Wild was another book I loved.
Why did you start writing this book?
While living in Australia, I began to write some short stories on an old website I had because I figured I would want to remember the places I visited someday. I received some highly positive feedback from people back in the US reading those posts, who encouraged me to be a full time blogger or write a book. They loved the funny, exotic stories about seeing crocodiles in the outback or scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. But writing on my website meant I had to keep the stories short so, a few years ago, I started taking the blog posts that were roughly 1k words and turning those into book chapters. I have a full time job working in marketing communications for a ski/outdoor brand, so I just worked on it at night or on weekends when I had time.
What are some of your favorite reviews from readers?
“The uniqueness of Australian culture and the beauty of the natural landscape, as well as the struggles and hilarity of solo travel, told in a conversational style that is both hilarious and inspirational,” one reader shared.”
“Laughs aplenty...Sweeney takes advantage of life’s opportunities and promise in a way that few of us do and brings us into his curious and comedic takes on all things,” another reader commented.
If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of “Yank Down Under: A Drink and A Look Around Australia,” it is available on Amazon.
