Brooke Blurton: I wrote this novel for a younger version of myself

From reality TV trailblazer to author, Brooke Blurton wants to make a difference. Having just released her first novel, what’s next? Kids, uni and Parliament, possibly.

COULD Brooke Blurton be headed from The Bachelor Mansion to Parliament House?

The popular reality TV star and podcaster, who is passionate about social issues, has revealed she is increasingly interested in policymaking and politics – and it might be a logical future step.

For now, however, Blurton is focused on making a difference with her first novel, A Good Kind of Trouble.

A firm believer that you can’t be what you can’t see (or read), Blurton’s book is an extension of the pioneering work she began as the first Indigenous and bisexual lead in The Bachelor franchise in 2021.

‘I take a lot of pride in that’ ... Brooke Blurton. Picture: Maddi Bazzocco

“It’s so scary to be the first to do anything, really,” she said. “But that’s been a very common thing in my life. I’ve been the first in my family to graduate high school. The first one to go to university. The first to be on TV and write a book. I take a lot of pride in that.”

Blurton has already penned her memoir, Big Love. As novel, she said A Good Kind of Trouble let her tap into her imagination and draw on the work she does with young people.

Co-authored by Melanie Saward, A Good Kind of Trouble is aimed at readers aged 10 to 15, and features a central character who, like Blurton, is First Nations and bisexual.

“I think I would have come into my identity so much faster if I had a book like this growing up and wouldn’t have had this confliction and this uneasiness with my identity,” she said.

Growing up in poverty, Blurton didn’t have access to a vast array of reading materials – let alone books which featured characters from diverse backgrounds.

But she drew inspiration from the pages of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. Like the orphaned Harry, Brooke lost her mum at a young age and, after going to live with her white father, also struggled to fit in.

Trailblazer ... Brooke Blurton on reality TV hit The Bachelor in 2021.

Inspiration ... Harry Potter, as portrayed in the 2001 movie by Daniel Radcliffe.

“It sounds so strange, because why would a First Nations woman identify to a straight, white guy who is a wizard?” she laughs. “But that is the reality for young children in community, they don’t have access to a lot of resources and books.”

Emphasising that A Good Kind of Trouble is for kids from all walks of life, Blurton hopes it will become part of the school curriculum and maybe even adapted for TV.

“It gives a really good base knowledge for non-Indigenous kids about history and then also maybe some of the experiences that their First Nations friends and peers are going through that they may not know,” she said.

“It’s important to develop empathy for other kids, to see other people’s experiences.”

Blurton believes there are still many misconceptions about Aboriginal culture and wishes more people would take the time to visit communities.

“Once your eyes are open, you cannot close them,” she says.

‘It’s important to see other people’s experiences’ ... Brooke Blurton's new novel aimed at younger readers.

“And I hope that when people open their eyes to First Nations culture and love, they won’t be able to turn a blind eye. You will understand it. I feel like that’s the little mission that I’m on, to get people to understand that we’re not what people make us out to be.”

But Blurton is buoyed to see better representation on screen and in the media, noting the increase in First Nations actors nominated for AACTA Awards this year. And eager to remain a positive voice for change, she is open to a tilt at politics in the future – and is also considering heading to university, possibly to study law.

“Give me 10 years,” Blurton said. “I’ve only just hit 30. Give me my law degree, time and a little buffer to have my own children, maybe, then yeah. I would love to see a shift in politics.”

A Good Kind Of Trouble, by Brooke Blurton and Melanie Saward, is out now, published by HarperCollins.

Find like-minded book lovers at The Sunday Book Club group on Facebook.

Originally published as Brooke Blurton: I wrote this novel for a younger version of myself