In between her job and household chores, Anna wrote steadily for the next two years, producing a second novel, Feminine Company and several short stories. The novel explored a year in the lives of two women friends following the sudden deaths of their long-term partners – one a gambling-addicted husband, the other a respected female academic – and the homophobia they experienced when grief unexpectedly led to a loving intimate relationship.
Published in mid 1988, this novel, like the first, evoked controversy, particularly from conservative Queenslanders convinced the AIDS crisis sweeping the world was punishment for what they considered deviant s****l acts. Several churches rebuked Anna for her pro-homosexual stance, one priest calling for public burning of the offensive book. Footage sh
