Jill Valentine in-conversation with Ike Levick

High Heels and Low Blows is Jill Valentine's debut novel. Set in Sydney, this girl power story follows three women whose lives are upended by toxic, powerful men. Inspired by The Devil Wears Prada and The Wolf of Wall Street, there's themes of fun, fashion and friendship yet beneath the glamour is a sobering look at male privilege and old boys' club behaviour.

Jill Valentine has spent twenty years working in communications and PR storytelling for large, global organisations. Now, she’s telling a different story in her debut fiction novel High Heels & Low Blows. Before corporate life, Jill worked in a multitude of fun jobs including singing, roller-staking waitress at Disneyland Paris and Kristin Scott Thomas’ au-pair. She studied French and Spanish at university in London and completed a communication management master's degree in Sydney. Born in Scotland, Jill moved to England at ten. She has lived and worked in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles. In 2000, she arrived in Sydney with her backpack and never left. She now lives on the Northern Beaches with her husband, two boys and dog, Alfie.

Ike Levick (pronounced Eeka) was often told off as a child for having her nose stuck in a book! These days, she’s writing her first historical fiction novel, inspired by her grandparents and their peers and set in occupied Holland during World War 2. Ike has worked as a communications expert for the last 30 years in both London and Sydney, specialising in employee engagement, content creation, digital marketing and CEO communication. In her last corporate role she honed the art of corporate storytelling to build brand eminence and in December 2023 she started her own freelance business, Curio Communications. Ike is married with two teenage sons, a needy black dog called Snowy and lives in southern Sydney. Born in New Zealand, Ike is actually Dutch. She loves doing writing courses run by authors and is a frequent visitor to Better Read than Dead’s author events!