She said she’d been worried no one would turn up, but a near-record audience took over Tamworth City Library, lining up afterwards to buy her book and have it autographed.

ABC New England North West morning presenter Kelly Fuller interviewed Rosie for the crowd about her tragically comic memoir, The Anti-Cool Girl.

It describes her upbringing – or should that be downfalling? – with mentally ill, substance-addicted parents, a string of her mother’s lovers, husbands and suicide attempts, foster homes and a steadily growing collection of sisters and half-sisters. 

Many people know Rosie Waterland from her scathingly funny online recaps of reality TV series The Bachelor, and the audience heard how important television had been to  her childhood.

She said it had helped influence her values – because where else was she going to get them? – as well as honing her writing skills and comedic instincts through transcribing episodes of Seinfeld and Roseanne.

But mostly, she said, “TV was a huge part of my escape as a kid”.

A particularly poignant revelation was that, in the absence of any stable adult or home life, for years Rosie had kept a box of her own baby photos and mementoes.

Reader services librarian Amanda Burke said the audience had been intrigued with Rosie’s life, “and kind of in awe at how comical a spin she can put on such dark and confrontational topics”.

“Collins (Booksellers) sold out of her book – and they brought everything they had, I think,” Miss Burke said.

Rosie hinted at an upcoming TV series based partly on her memoir, as well as another book in the works.