Holden Sheppard, author of Invisible Boys, answers some candid everyday questions …
The state of my hair right now is…
Non-existent! I’ve always had a mohawk, but right now I have a shaved head and a scruffy beard. I look like a daddy or a skinhead from Romper Stomper. Someone recently told me, “You look like Pitbull broke bad.” Dunno if that was a compliment!
The state of my heart right now is…
Pumping endorphins through me, cos I just got home from the gym. Chest day, best day!
The state of my underwear draw is…
Overflowing with satin boxers and Tradie-brand trunks. I got a ton of jockstraps too, but they’re mostly reserved for sexy times and or taking thirst trap selfies on the socials. That might be an overshare!
The best accessory I ever bought was…
Pit Viper sunnies. I wear ‘em everywhere I go. Love me Vipers.
The most famous person I’ve met is…
My AFL footy heroes (I barrack for Collingwood) – Nathan Buckley, Dane Swan and Heath Shaw. Also Ella and Jesse Hooper from the band Killing Heidi. But the most famous person was Nigella Lawson. My husband Raphael is a big fan and we saw her at the Perth Concert Hall and met her afterwards. That woman is charisma in human form.
Holden Sheppard
Kylie Minogue is…
A part of gay culture I was resistant to for ages! I’m into rock music, so when I came out, it bugged me how everyone assumed I was now into Kylie. Then I met Raphael who loves Kylie, so I eventually had to get on board, and I’ve now seen her live in concert with my husband – twice! She’s an incredible performer. I’ve written a short story about all that in the new book Spinning Around. Twenty-four Aussie authors wrote a story inspired by a Kylie song and I chose “Your Disco Needs You”. My metalhead character, Tommo, has a big fight with his boyfriend Frederic, who tries to make him come to a Kylie concert. It’s the most autobiographical story I’ve ever written!
Back in high school, I was…
A masturbation enthusiast. I’d like to say I’ve grown out of it, but …
If I could have one superpower, it would be…
Either flying or invisibility. I am a suspicious Sicilian, so invisibility could lead me down a bad road of listening into conversations. I better go with flying!
The best thing about writing fiction is…
That it’s fun and makes me happy. I get to make up stories for a living. My most recent job before this was as a labourer in a timber yard. Being an author is way more cushy!
The worst thing about writing fiction is…
The rejections. They suck balls! And not in the good way.
When alone in my car, I…
Love showing it off and revving it up. I have a V8 ute which is my pride and joy. It’s a slick black 2009 Holden SS. I got some custom mods done to the engine last year and a performance camshaft. Now it has tons of horsepower and rumbles like a beast.
People don’t know that I once…
Fucked a very hot gay porn star.
If you want to make my blood boil, start talking about…
The Carlton Football Club. Or how great you think Artificial Intelligence is!
I feel sad when…
Collingwood loses a game. Or misses the finals, like this year.
The last time I laughed hysterically was…
Last night watching an episode of Modern Family. I’m known for writing dark, serious books, but my favourite genre of TV and movies is comedy. I love sitcoms and old-school parody movies.
My autobiography would be called…
A Man And His Peenus: The Holden Thundercock Sheppard Story.
My secret food indulgence is…
Grabbing a can of whipped cream and spraying it right into my gob. I did a TikTok video of me doing this a few years ago. The gays seemed to enjoy it!
The song that makes me smile and want to dance is…
Break’n a Sweat by Skrillex. I listen to it when I’m working out at the gym and I do a bit of a head-bob and foot shuffle to it between sets. I never dance at clubs – I’m too shit at it.
My all-time favourite TV character is…
Either Chandler Bing or Phoebe Buffay on Friends. I loved Matthew Perry’s witty, sarcastic humour (vale) and I think as a teenager I tried (probably unsuccessfully) to emulate him. Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe is just objectively hilarious and a total loose unit.
The song I can never get out of my head is…
Time Bomb by Godsmack. While I was working on an earlier version of my third novel Two Kings (out next year), the working title was Time Bomb, so I often walked around the house growling to it.
The campest thing in my house is…
Not really camp, but I do have tons of homoerotic stuff. I have a massive A2 poster of gay porn star Rogan Richards in a leather harness on my office wall and signed by the man himself! I have a beefcake calendar, a mesh KING DICK T-shirt I wore to Sydney World Pride and I still have copies of DNA Magazine from when I first came out. I was into the muscly cover models. Hell, I still am. Muscle men are hot!
My straight friends are…
Legends. My two best mates from high school are straight, and me coming out never altered our friendship. We still hang out, drink, watch footy, play video games, and share memes. And we got each other’s backs when the shit hits the fan. Bros for life!
Spinning Around: The Kylie Playlist is available through Fremantle Press
Follow Holden on Instagram @holdensheppard
