Bali has long been regarded as The Magic Island. With a spiritual background which blends Hindu, animism and ancestor worship, Bali not only holds a mystical allure but is also touted as the most touristed island in the world. Local author Ron Tassell is no stranger to the magic and wonder of Bali. In fact, he has a series of paintings of his time spent in Bali but and has written three wonderful books which recount the many adventures that have occurred on the fabled Island of the Gods.

And now Tassell is set to launch his fourth compendium on Bali – Beyond the Boundaries of Belief. This remarkable tome contains an assortment of stories that deal directly with the magic and folklore of Bali. With gay characters in almost every chapter, you can understand why Tassell took some time out to chat with OUTinPerth about his new book.

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As an artist who has predominantly gone to Bali to do art, what lead you to write about Bali?

Originally in 1979 my first visit was as a tourist. It had an enormous effect on me. It was so incredibly different to Australia. So, eventually, I began to spend more and more time there and would always stay in houses that involved a nearby village – who would always include you in everything – and through them I became ‘hooked’ on Hindu Bali.

Is it true you kept a series of Bali Diaries?

I’ve kept diaries all my life and as I’ve found tourist diaries seem to swell. Ordinary diaries are pretty boring, but travelling I wrote a lot. I found I had a lot to say about the country and about the people with whom I had absolutely fallen in love with.

How did you come to gather the stories for your latest book?

There was only going to be three books. At the end of the third book I had many knocks on the door off my house in Bedford, sometimes from people who wanted signed books, but more often from people who had read my books and who had read of the amazing ceremonies. And these people had experienced a couple of weird experiences, but had been too nervous to tell others in case of ridicule. So I’d invite these people in to have a coffee and then hear of some amazing stories, a lot of which I related to.

What are some of the more intriguing or exciting stories in your book?

Oh dear, the book’s full of them. I think once you’re aware of the magic of the place and pay attention to the Balinese people and their culture, you get invited to ceremonies, a whole range of ceremonies. Talking to The Gods in a trance like state is quite a common ceremonial practice. They are a culture who live on coincidence and precognition.

Can you describe the overall feel of your new book and where it falls in relation to your other books?

In a way this book has been the hardest to write because I didn’t know these people who were just turning up. After a couple of visits or a few phone calls most of them said that they didn’t care about what I wrote, just as long as I included the incident that had happened to them. And one of the things I found was that many of these experiences matched up to those of many other people. But I’ve never leaned on the characters as much as I have in this one.

Ron Tassell’s new book, Beyond the Boundaries of Belief, will be launched at the Inglewood Civic Centre, Beaufort Street, on Sunday, July 13 at 2:30pm. Copies of the book are available direct from Ron Tassell by calling him on (08) 9275 5858. If you would like to win an autographed copy of Beyond the Boundaries of Belief, go to our giveaways section and enter to win.