It’s been a hectic few months for Damian Leith, the most recent winner of Australian Idol, and the time crunch is only going to get worse from here on in. That’s because aside from finishing his studio album and embarking on his first tour, he’s also got a manuscript to deliver as a result of a recent book deal with the Australian arm of HarperCollins – for a novel. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Leith, who wrote the fictional story before he won Idol last year, now has a chance to top the music and book sales charts in the same year.
“It’s insane, it’s an incredible feeling,” said Leith, who sent his manuscript to HarperCollins publisher Linda Funnell before entering Australian Idol last year. “I wrote before I ever did music; I wrote plays, I tried to write loads and loads of different books. I did that for years. It’s just weird that all these years later the music has taken off and now suddenly this comes along as well. I’ve got to pinch myself,” he said. The book, a Nepal-set psychological thriller with the working title of THE TREK, is slated for release in October.