The 'Dear Viv' Letters
Redcliffe, 1950
Letters from a guest house.
The 'Dear Viv' Letters.
Letters from a guest house. 1950 Australia.
For people who love the 1950s, a good story
and something arriving in the letterbox that isn't a bill.
Lil is starting over in her middle years.
She has arrived in Redcliffe to take up her late aunt’s old guest house by the sea, and each month she writes to her sister Viv with the latest news: the guests, the small dramas, the things people say, and the ordinary details of life in 1950s coastal Queensland.
The story unfolds over 12 months.
Each month, the next letter arrives by post, printed in a cursive style and tucked inside a greeting card featuring my original artwork. The envelope is part of the experience too, designed to feel like something special.
Some people subscribe for themselves. Some send it as a gift to a parent, grandparent, older friend, or someone who would enjoy receiving a real letter in the mail.
The full 12-month series is $200 AUD within Australia.
For addresses outside Australia, the subscription is $240 AUD to allow for the higher cost of postage.
How The 'Dear Viv' Letters began.
As Mum got older, our conversations often circled back to doctors visits, health updates and all the practical things that come along with ageing. I wanted to give us something else to share.
So I began sending her letters filled with familiar names, places and story threads from a world she remembered.
I've been amazed by how a letter in the post can change the shape of a conversation.
Not ready to subscribe yet?
You can read the free prequel first.
Before the letters began, there was a single letter from Lil to her sister Viv, written on the eve of leaving behind everything familiar.
With her late aunt’s old guest house waiting in Redcliffe, Lil sets out to begin again.
This special prequel to The 'Dear Viv' Letters offers a quiet glimpse into that first step. The hopes, nerves, and memories that shaped the story to come.
More from Kym
The Dear Viv Letters is one part of my wider creative world, where I share vintage stories, watercolour artwork, handmade projects, and notes from my studio.
Kind Words from Subscribers
Receiving The ‘Dear Viv’ Letters is such a delightful experience. It’s a little escape from the day and I cherish that. Each letter comes tucked inside a stunning botanical artwork greeting card featuring the author’s artwork. Karen S. Canada
The 6-page letter features a beautiful cursive script and the story had me enthralled within seconds. It felt like it was personally written to me and I was sorry when it ended. I cannot wait for the next letter to see what comes next. Elsha P. Melbourne
My daughter gifted me this subscription for my birthday. It was very meaningful and such a unique gift. As I was reading, I was able to reminisce a little as the 1950s was a special time in my life. Can’t wait for the next one to arrive. Judy Q. Melbourne.
The Dear Viv Letters are absolutely amazing. So real and captivating. I find myself eagerly waiting for each new one to arrive! Greg C. Victoria.
I'm Kym.
I'm an artist and a storyteller. I don't know which I like better, so I do both.
I was born in the 1950s and influenced by the 60s and 70s. I grew up watching my mother, my grandmothers and the women around them live lives that went largely uncelebrated. I've been writing about them ever since.
I write fictional letters from a 1950s Queensland guest house and create greeting cards from my original watercolour artwork to go with them. It started as something I made for my mother and it's grown into something else.
When I'm not writing or painting, I'm probably at a vintage market, picking up things that belong to someone else's story.