Ipswich creative Allan Saunderson is preparing to launch his debut novel Snakes Turn Left, a semi-autobiographical work five years in the making that explores youth, identity and mental health through the story of a young man heading north in search of purpose.
Saunderson said the book began as what he thought would be a short 800-word piece inspired by seeing a woman sitting on a bench while he was between shifts working in care. Instead, the story steadily grew into a much larger project, eventually becoming a full-length novel of around 70,000 words.
The story follows a 22-year-old character named John, a fictionalised version of Saunderson, who heads north without much of a plan and begins trying to find himself. Saunderson said the novel draws heavily from his own experiences as a young man, including a period in Bowen and his struggles with mental health at the time.
He described the writing process as deeply cathartic, saying it often brought out strong emotion as he worked through the story. Saunderson said writing helped him process parts of his past and gave shape to experiences that had stayed with him for years.
As well as writing the novel, Saunderson also created the book’s cover artwork himself, drawing on his wider creative background in music, calligraphy and visual design. He said his goal was to make the voice of the novel feel authentic and immediate, stripping back more poetic language so it sounded closer to how people actually think and speak.
The official launch of Snakes Turn Left will be held on Saturday, April 11 at 10am at The Book Bouquet in Brisbane Street, Ipswich. The event will include a conversation about the origins of the story, a Q&A session and book signings.
Saunderson said he hopes readers connect with the book’s honesty and with the universal experience of trying to work out who you are while stepping from youth into adulthood.
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