Join us at Ryde Library as trauma therapist, women’s justice and mental health advocate, award-winning businesswoman, Miss Australia winner and convicted drug dealer Felcia Djamirze shares her life story with her memoir Accessory. Written in beautiful prose with seasoned journalist Erin O’Dwyer, Accessory is a bold and searingly honest tale of an extraordinary life.
Attendees on the night have a chance to win a signed copy. There will be on onsite bookseller for purchase of the book and Felicia & Erin will be available for signing and questions.
Please note: This event has a 6.15pm arrival time for a 6.30pm event start time.
In association with Simon & Schuster Publishers.
About the book
Behind every criminal man is a young, glamorous woman profiting from his crimes. Or, at least, so the media suggests.Felicia Djamirze is a counsellor, an advocate for women's justice, a three-time Miss Australia winner and a convicted drug dealer. Growing up surrounded by drug abuse and crime in a rough Sydney neighbourhood, she had little hope of escaping the cycle of violence and poverty. So when her looks seemed to offer her a way out, she took it - even if it involved attracting men on the wrong side of the law. Entering this shadowy world, she became both a perpetrator and a victim, an accessory and a rebel. But eventually, the law would catch up with her in spectacular and violent fashion - and it would make her rethink everything.
'A raw, fast-paced and ultimately hopeful account of what it takes to break a cycle.'
– The Weekend Australian
About the Authors
Felicia Djamirze is a qualified counsellor, award-winning businesswoman, and mental health advocate. As the founder and CEO of Neuro Vitality Pty Ltd and the Trauma Recovery Network, she champions the rights of women affected by violence, poverty, and trauma. Felicia has spearheaded a nationwide study on trauma and adverse childhood experiences among individuals with a conviction history and has developed the Growth Focused Trauma Model to upskill practitioners in trauma and PTSD care. With extensive experience supporting victims of Domestic Violence and criminalised women, Felicia is dedicated to driving systemic change and advancing equality through advocacy and community engagement.
In more than 25 years as a journalist, Erin O’Dwyer has worked across print, digital, broadcast and publishing media. Her writing has appeared in publications as diverse as The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Good Weekend, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, Australian Geographic, Marie Claire and Vogue. She has been a producer for the ABC, an editor for SBS, and her radio documentaries have been broadcast on ABC's Radio National. She has been recognised three times in the Australian UN Media Peace Awards for her social issues journalism, and she is a Walkley Awards finalist. Erin is a passionate mentor and teacher, and has two decades' experience lecturing in journalism at universities including the University of Sydney, UTS, UNSW and QUT. She runs a storytelling consultancy, Good Prose Studios, where she helps clients tell their stories across all mediums – including non-fiction books, memoir, podcast, and documentary films. Erin has identical twin boys and lives on the NSW South Coast.