Alli Sinclair’s new book, The Codebreakers, is based on real events and tells the little known story of the young Australian women who worked with Central Bureau in Brisbane, in intelligence services, during the Second World War. It was an exciting read and I had some questions for Alli about what inspired her to write the book and also about her writing habits.

HOW DID THE CODEBREAKERS COME ABOUT? WHAT FIRST SPARKED THE IDEA FOR YOU?

After I’d written Burning Fields, a story set post-WWII, I decided I wanted to set one during the war in Brisbane. I came across a small article written about a lady who was a codebreaker in WWII. I couldn’t believe that we had female codebreakers in Australia and we’d never heard of them. Why hadn’t we?

I went down a huge rabbit hole of research and discovered a group of women had worked for Central Bureau, Australia’s signals intelligence organisation (the pre-curser to the Australian Signals Directorate that we now have). They had all signed the official secrets act and weren’t allowed to talk about what they did until the government gave them permission.

When I found out Central Bureau was located in an affluent suburb of Brisbane and the men worked in the mansion while the women worked in a stuffy garage at the back of the property, I knew I’d found a story I wanted to write.

WHAT SORT OF RESEARCH DID YOU DO FOR THE BOOK?

Every book I write requires a great deal of research because I love to weave in historical details to my stories to make it a more authentic experience for the reader (plus I’m a stickler for accuracy). This book, however, nearly broke me! I spent two years solidly researching the codebreakers, wartime Australia, Qantas’s role during the war (they flew many rescue missions and delivered supply drops to soldiers overseas), as well as learning about the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It was a huge undertaking but the countless hours I spent researching were absolutely worth it.

I didn’t want to write a story about codebreakers unless I could interview them so I started on a six month search to track down the real-life members of Central Bureau. Most are in their nineties now, so unfortunately there aren’t many with us these days. But the ones I did meet were absolutely fascinating to interview. Finding out about their lives while working at Central Bureau and what they did after the war gave me incredible insight and I am grateful for each and every person who took the time to speak with me. It’s only in recent years the members of Central Bureau have been able to talk about their involvement in the war but even now they still can’t discuss everything. Imagine having to keep a secret for nearly 70 years?

DID YOU UNCOVER ANYTHING IN YOUR RESEARCH THAT TOOK YOU BY SURPRISE?

Discovering little-known facts is a historical author’s greatest joy, so of course finding out we had female codebreakers in Australia was an absolute gem! Another piece of research I uncovered was about a secret US air base outside Charleville in outback Queensland. To stop the base being bombed by the Japanese, the US air force covered the real airstrip in mulga branches when it wasn’t being used and a few miles down the road was a fake air base complete with cardboard and wooden planes and sheds to fool the enemy. But how on earth could an entire town keep secret about something so big? This question has caused a lot of conjecture between historians and present-day Charleville locals. Some say the Australian civilians contracted to work on the base signed silence agreements with the US government. Others say the entire township of Charleville was asked by the US government to keep the base secret. Either way, it’s a fascinating part of Australian and American history that still holds an air of mystery.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL WRITING DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

I’m a mum of teenagers so first priority of the day is to get the kids off to school then I settle down at my desk with a coffee. I’m super lucky that I have my own office and can surround myself with research, bookcases with my favourite books (I have all of Belinda Alexandra’s!), and my favourite souvenirs from my travels.

I quickly get emails out of the way (I work with a film producer in LA so often get emails overnight) and then it’s head down and start writing. I do get distracted easily, especially if there’s a scene that’s not working or I need to research something, so I use the Pomodoro Method (more on that below). I try to write at least 2000 words a day. Most days I make that goal easily and sometimes go far past that number while other days it’s a very long slog to get to my minimum word count. Then it’s time to get the kids from school. If I’m under a big deadline I’ll write on my laptop in the car while the kids are doing their afterschool activities or I’ll write at night after everyone has gone to bed. Being able to write at different times and anywhere is definitely a skill I’ve worked on during the years and it helps me to fit in writing between other life events.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST ORGANISATIONAL TIP FOR WRITERS?

Many writers struggle to find the time to write and, when they do, they don’t utilise their time in an efficient way. My tip is to clear your desk of distractions and make a goal for each writing session. Do you have a specific word count you want to achieve? A certain amount of pages? Write the first draft of your synopsis? Whatever it is you want to do, figure out how long it will take then get your Pomodoro timer ready (there are many free ones you can download from the internet onto your computer or apps for your phone). 

The theory behind the Pomodoro Method is the average person can concentrate for twenty-five minutes before they start losing concentration. If you set yourself a task, such as writing, and you remove all distraction, you can get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. When I first heard about the Pomodoro Method I wasn’t sure it would work but wow, it really does. When I use this method to organise my time I find I’m super-efficient. If you’re a writer, give it a try. I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

*Note from Belinda Alexandra – I use a personalised version of the Pomodoro Method. I’ve learned to stretch my concentration out to 50 minutes and then I have a ten minute break of belly-dancing or playing with my cats! Like Alli, I can highly recommend this method if focussing on a task is a challenge for you.

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