We were all once precious. Whole. Untouched by the dark edges of life. Hearts without fractures. Spirits with fire and faith. Minds with thoughts unshattered.

But nothing is as it seems and everything is fleeting.

Our bodies break, distort and are erased by forces beyond us. Our hearts stretch and tear with untimely exits and unscheduled entrances. Terrifying possibilities and unwilling certainties

split our minds. And our spirits suffocate in lives squandered by chaos, conformity and regret.

Cleghorn's characters live through this and more.

They can be found in contemporary Brisbane suburbs, as well as in deep space and bleak futuristic regimes. From station platforms to space stations to stationary racks of wombs, you will find them navigating grief woven through longing, love spliced with betrayal, compassion cut with rage and discovery intersecting the horrific.

The stories of This Once Precious Life cross genres and forms, encompassing everything from vignettes to novellas. With a stunning array of voices and an appetite for the monstrous and vulnerable, Cleghorn's stories encompass the paradox of her writing life; neither here nor there, but in all places at once.