I spoke to extraordinary GP, author and runner Jo Skinner, about her most recent novel A World of Silence.
Why did you write A World of Silence?
It was a very organic book that I wrote over a couple of years. Initially, it was more about female friendships and the how being open and honest with each other can be incredibly supportive, but the issue of family and intimate partner violence crept into later drafts and became an integral part of the evolving story. As a GP I see many women in relationships where they experience coercive control which has only recently been deemed a criminal offence in Queensland – May 2025. I wanted to give these women a voice and fiction is more palatable medium to use.
Briefly, what is the storyline?
Kate, Tori, and Shelley were friends at university, and they all have dark secrets in their past they want to leave behind. Kate is a psychologist juggling work, family and her ailing relationship to Ryan. She is nostalgic about her first love, Daryl and imagines what might have been.
Tori is a single mother who runs a successful second-hand furniture and clothing store. She is determined her son, Leo will never meet his father.
When Shelley, now married to Kate’s first love, moves into the suburb, uncomfortable truths emerge. Will the three women confront their past? What are the consequences of speaking out? Of keeping silent?
Is there a message you’d like your reader to receive after reading the book?
Our female friendships are incredibly powerful if we make ourselves vulnerable and stand up for each other. Treasure these friendships and nurture them.
What is your approach to writing a novel? Are you systemised with the plot laid out before you begin to write?
I would love to be able to plan my novels out and be systematic about my writing. I am very organised in other areas of my life, but my novels are invariably very organic. I do try to plan them out to start with, but they sprout in all sorts of unexpected directions when I start writing. It involves lots of editing and makes the process quite complicated but also a lot more fun.
How long did it take for you to write this?
It was very organic. It took a couple of years and then two weeks after I finished a messy first draft, Hannah Clarke and her children were murdered two streets away from the practice where I work. It felt like the wrong time to publish a book about coercive control, so I shelved it and wrote another book – The Truth about My Daughter, which was published first.
As a busy GP when do you write? Are you an early riser or do you dedicate a day every week as writing time?
I’m an early morning person. I get up a few mornings a week and put in a couple of hours before work. I also work part time and use my time off to write.
What writers inspire you?
I love books by Kirstin Hannah, Karen Viggers, Heather Rose, Edwina Shaw. There are so many more but often I really enjoy one book by an author then then am not as keen on other books. I love nearly all of Ian McKewan’s work too – his recent book, What We Can Know is fantastic.
You run a popular imposter syndrome class. Have you been afflicted by this?
Definitely. It is so common, and I get so much out of running these workshops as the women (it is mainly women who attend) make themselves vulnerable and share personal details about their own struggles and we all leave feeling lighter and better about ourselves. Knowing others have the same challenges really helps us to be kinder to ourselves.
What encouragement would you give to unpublished writers?
Redefine success. You can’t control getting published or winning a competition, but you can control finishing a manuscript and submitting work. Enjoy every part of the process.