Spillover

‘Spillover’ has two meanings for me. I first came across the term during discussions with experts about viruses carried by animals. ‘Spillover’ is the term used when there is an outbreak of a virus that crosses from one animal species to another. So, for me, it was when the Hendra virus spilled over from flying foxes to infect and kill my horse and so became the name of my book Spillover: A Memoir.

The second meaning for me is the spill over of emotion everyone experiences throughout their lives. It is the array of emotions from overwhelming joy through to devasting loss and hopelessness.

Writers not only experience these emotions themselves but endeavour to impart these, and many other emotions, to you through their writing.