Published...Or Not

A traumatic past and an unexpected inheritance bring heart, humour and hope in 'The Farm at Peppertree Crossing' by Leonie Kelsall. Working as an undercover cop can be lonely and dangerous work. Keith Banks recounts his time in the corrupt Queensland years of the 70’s infiltrating the drug trade in ‘Drugs, Guns and Lies’

Jena Lin had a public life as a celebrated violinist and a private life as a raging sex addict. The how and why is fearlessly told in Jessie Tu's 'A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing'. Anxiety can be like a fog undermining relationships and making communication difficult. Such is the case in Luke Horton’s novel, 'The Fogging'.   

Was Elizabeth Macarthur the demure woman history may have her to be? Kate Grenville has turned biographical fiction inside out in 'A Room Made of Leaves'. Patrick Mullins explores the absurdity of Australia’s past censorship laws in his account of the case against Philip Roth’s novel, Portnoy’s Complaint, in his work, ‘The Trials of Portnoy’. 

Dystopian novels can be a little unsettling given the current global climate but Patrick Allington provides an insight into what we will consume in the future and how we will sate our appetites in his novel, Rise and Shine. Where there is life there is death, but how do different communities and individuals handle grief? Dani Powell has set 'Return to Dust' in and around Alice Springs.

  When things happen in a family as they do in 'The Spilt' by Imbi Neeme, blame can be apportioned unfairly, this leads to moments of regret for things said to hurt, or things not said at all.   What would have happened had Captain Cook been shipwrecked on the shores of a new continent instead of bumping into a reef? Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick explore this interesting notion in their novel,...

Coffee and kids connect three parents until they are forced out of their respective comfort zones. They learn more about each oher and themselves than they thought possible in 'The Drop-off' by Fiona Harris and Mike McCleish.  There is also a web series - what a laugh! Are men shallow or is it the society in which we live? Dan Kaufman explores how journalist and educator, David, handles middle age...

Is Isobel a better detective than she is a pscycholigist? She needs to solve the mystery of a baby's murder and prevent another possible tragedy in Anne Buist's ' The Long Shadow'.‘Prey’, by L A Larkin, takes us into the murderous world of poaching where political intrigue and corporate influence abound. Once again, Olivia Wolfe must solve a series of gruesome murders. 

Who can truly know their parents? Darleen Bungey writes about her celebrity father with a truthful eye and loving heart in 'Daddy Cool'.Hilde Hinton’s, ‘The Loudness of Unsaid Things’ highlights the evolving struggle children face when confronted with mental instability.

Our perceptions of early Australia are challenged in K M Kruimink's novel, A Treacherous Country', as we follow the naïve Gabriel Fox on his almostimpossible quest to find a woman sent to the penal colony in Van Diemen's Land. Balance & Other B.S. is Felicity Harley’s lively and entertaining debut book, published by Allen & Unwin.

Chris Flynn’s “Mammoth’ novel takes us on an historical journey that encompasses the rise of America on the global stage, the foundations of French scientific thought, the uprisings in Ireland and Lewis and Clark crossing America – and all told from the perspective of an ancient mammoth dinosaur. Radio Girl by David Dufty, published by Allen & Unwin, is an overdue biography of one of the most rema...

If you could talk to the animals would you listen to what they really wanted to say? Laura Jean McKay has set 'The Animals In That Country' in a time of a pandemic where the infected can do just that. Peter Grose relates the true story of piracy, mutiny and an epic voyage by ten convicts escaping the penal colony on Sarah Island in, ‘Ten Rogues’.

From the depths of Wonthagi coal mines to innercity Melbourne, this is a story about a young woman looking for personal happiness during WW1 but caught up in community sentiment and religious judgement in Christine Bell's 'No Small Shame'.Suzanne Leal confronts us with an ethical question in ‘The Deceptions’ that could well be answered at the altar but hers is a story that dates back to the holoca...

Gay Lynch and Angela Sungaila are some of the authors in 'Thrill Me', an anthology of suspenseful stories. What is is like to be an English teacher in China? Asheg Brom has written about his time doing just that in 'Chicken Same Duck Talk'.

Suzanne Daniel won the Indie Award for a Debut Novel with her humorous and caring story of a young girl being brought up by two very different grandmothers in 'Allegra in Three Parts'.

Kirsty Manning's 'The Lost Jewels' is a story about mining, trade, design, families, love, loyalty and of course well researched history.

David reads a letter written by F. Scott Fitzgerald about self isolating in France during the Spanish Flu pandemic. The fantastic intercontinetal flight of the Grey Plover is the focus of Andrew Darby's work, Flight Lines. Fiona Lowe has given us another very readable account of what life and circumstances can throw up, especially for four women who realise that they may not be in 'Just an Ordinar...

Margaret Bearman's book tells of a father, a famous artist, and how his choice of a subject profoundly effects his family. His daughter is the narrator of this book, 'We Were Never Friends'.Sophie Hardcastle's evocation of acquiesence and consent in 'Below Deck' challenges the reader to navigate notions of sexual identity in the contemporary world.

Hit and run has its consequences, as with all actions there are reactions, some most surprising. Kirsten Alexander's 'Riptides' is a family drama set in Brisbane through the 1970's. Recently Kirsten spoke at a Sisters-in-Crime event and convenor Tara Mitchell explains all about the work and connectiveness of Sisters-in-Crime.

Sean's collection of short stories, 'A Couple of Things Before the End', speak to social change and the challenges ahead when it comes to discourse and communication. It's a Black Inc release

Ali Alizadeh talks about his latest collection of poetry, 'Towards the End' and reflects on social dysfunction and how we lead our lives in the contemporary age. The economy, elections and education all come under the scrutiny of his verse.

Wayne Marshall talks about his debut collection of short stories: Shirl. It's published by Affirm Press. J P Pomare takes us into the dark and sinister world of cults with his latest novel, In The Clearing. It's an Allen and Unwin release.

In 1705, the French Court in Versailles was full of plotting and scheming. This was also happening with a Duke's wife and his five mistresses, who were all trying to improve their own circumstances in 'The Orange Grove' by Kate Murdoch. When truth is stranger than fiction you have a novel in the making. Meg Keneally fictionalizes the real life story of convict Mary Bryant in 'Fled' which dramatise...

How would a destitute but charming and talented artist cope with painting portraits of Generals during one of the Napoleonic wars? Caroline Miley has written with knowledge and humour in 'Artist on Campaign'.1956 was the year Melbourne hosted the Olympics but the ripple effect of history, the influences before and the consequences after, informed the social and political landscape as Melbourne and...

Luke Arnold blends the film noir detective genre with a mythical world more closely associated with Tolkein in 'The Last Smile in Sunder City'.

Set in Victorian times and the gem dealers in London, diamonds are the connection between an English heiress and a Zulu warrior in 'The Diamond Hunter' by Fiona McIntosh.