Published...Or Not

Magic, humour, horror and even romance are ‘mettled’ together in Lili Wilkinson’s latest tale of not so damsel in distress and a secret society, featuring sinister Toadmen, in  ‘Deep is the Fen’.‘The Winter Palace’ by Paul Morgan is a sumptuous novel of war, survival and love. 

‘The Cryptic Clue’ is a crime novel which puts capable older women in the spotlight and brings laughs about attitudes and happenings from the not so distant past. This is another Tea Ladies mystery written by Amanda Hampson. Ouyang Yu explores the dissonance between cultures which can lead to both comic outcomes and even a sense of loss in his collection of stories, 'The White Cockatoo Flowers'.  

Myfanwy Jones takes us into the historical past associated with the Queensland Tablelands and the friction between fathers and sons over three generations in, 'Cool Water'. An unflinching portrayal of modernday parenting is revealed in Bella Ellwood-Clayton's novel, 'Weekend Friends'. 

'The Pyramid of Needs' by Ernest Price is a darkly funny story about transphobia and family dysfunction.'Someone Else's Bucket List' by Amy Matthews is an exploration of values in the digital age as much as it is a story of an individual finding romance and her own identity. 

'The Pyramid of Needs' by Ernest Price is a darkly funny story about transphobia and family dysfunction.'Someone Else's Bucket List' by Amy Matthews is an exploration of values in the digital age as much as it is a story of an individual finding romance and her own identity. 

Anne Freeman's novel, 'Me That You See' is a thrilling glimpse into online sex work. Steven Carroll's murder mystery, 'Death of a Foreign Gentleman', may appear to be simply detective fiction but we are taken on a whirlwind historical tour of philosophy and literature as the crime is finally solved.

'The Eleventh Floor' by Kylie Orr is a suspense filled psychological drama. Donna Cameron's novel, 'The Rewilding', negotiates the balance between corporate consumptionism and eco-terrorism in an action packed adventure.

In Imbi Neeme's novel, "Kind of, Sort of, Maybe . . . but probably not", we have the potential of relationships forming, a mystery to solve and psychologically quirky characters grappling with life's challenges. Teenage sports games descend into a brawl in 'Sidelines' by Karen Viggers.

‘The Independent Pea’ is another colourful picture story book from Maree Coote.  It not only pleases the eye but questions what is best: individuality or co-operation. There is humour in the illustrations as well as the many pea puns.  All her books are available through Melbourne Style. Elizabeth Coleman neatly weaves stalking, a disappearance and a murder into her latest novel in the Edwina 'Ted...

What could be worse than losing a child and never finding them again. ‘Gone’ by Glenna Thomson has a younger sister still experiencing the grief, so centered in the family, but still questioning and looking 40 years after.

‘The 20 Minute Author’ by Maja Wolnik is a clever way to write, publish and promote your book – fast. Old friends and new beginnings in ‘Whenever you’re ready’. Trish Bolton has three women, two friends and a daughter, look at their past and the possibility of an altered future after the unexpected death of a close friend.

The challenge of finding your indigenous identity and heritage as an adolescent is explored in Graham Akhurt's novel, 'Borderland' where landscape, social assumptions and career potential all collide for Jono. Robbie Arnott highlights the changing attitudes and expectations of a society in 'Limberlost' as Ned grows into adulthood. The forces that shape Ned are mythic and not always kind but his de...

'What You Become' is an anthology from RMIT's writing course. Murder, drugs, liasons and lies lie behind a quiet NSW coastal town in Bryan Brown's novel, The Drowning'.

Chelsea Roffey talks about her time as an AFL goal umpire in, 'An Open Letter to Doubting Thomas'. This essay addresses the changing attitudes in the AFL and the behaviour of ardent football supporters. The essay is now included on the VCE English Framework of Ideas book list for 2024 and is one of the mentor texts.

‘Conversations With My Cat’ by Chuck McKenzie is a book of dialogue where you can read between the lines to further understand the characters. Parts of which are dramatised by David and Lisa.  We all talk about some of the books we enjoyed this year and our book list is added on to our Published or Not website.  Happy reading, we will be back in 2024.

A short, strong, boyhood friendship and catastrophe link lives and emotional responsibilities many years later in Matthew Ryan Davies, ‘The Broken Wave’.In 'Dark Heir', C. S. Pacat continues the saga of the Dark King's rise but now that the Stewards are defeated it seems as if Sinclair will control the Dark King's army if he can faind and rejuvenate them. Will Kempen and his cohort stand in his wa...

Meredith Temple-Smith has written about the harshness and highlights of a scientific field trip and how it may have shaped her life in ‘From Patagonia to Professor’.Towns run Deep. People run deep. And so it is in Lucy Treloar's latest novel, 'Days of Innocence and Wonder' where Till tries to escape her past only to see the trauma she experienced when young mirrored in the small town.  

Two middle aged men, Perry and Ivan, find love and respect having experienced loss, betrayal and the need to meet the assumptions and expectations of their respective cultural backgrounds and social groups in 'The In-Between', the latest novel by Christos Tsiolkas. Charli blames herself for her mother’s death and the township blames her for a bush fire and now she has made a gruesome discovery in...

Tara Calaby has set her historical fiction novel ‘House of Longing’ in the Kew mental asylum.                             A street corner gives a location point and can become a meeting place. In Robyn Annear’s book we read about some of the remarkable happenings and people in Melbourne’s early history linked to ‘Corners of Melbourne’. 

'Big Weird Lonely Hearts' is an anthology of delightfully absurd short stories where Allen C Jones challenges readers to challenge perceptions and expectations. Tim Loveday is a writer and he chats about his writing life with Lisa.

Kate Grenville speaks about Restless Dolly Mauder. A compelling novel about her grandmother.

At the heart of many of Justine Sless’s short stories is connection, but little real contact between people.  In ‘Measured, Silk and other stories’ there is keen observation by characters but it is the loneliness that people feel and their inability to voice it that gives these stories a potency. Dias Novita Wuri’s, “Birth Canal” addresses the inherited intergenerational legacy of suffering and gu...

Colin Batrouney has creatively crafted six books and authors for a literary prize ‘The Bannerman Shortlist’, as well as a mystery involving an enduring friendship of very different characters.  A beautifully produced book by Clouds of Magellan. J P Pomare, once again, explores the darker side of people's psychology in 'Home Before Night' where the aftermath of an abduction decades earlier and a mo...

 Tom Valente and Geoff Rolls talk about their written and artistic contributions to 'Synergy' - an anthology of works produced by the Bayside University of the Third Age. Natasha Lester’s historical fiction is of the male dominated fashion industry and the difficulties of three women over three generations wanting acknowledgment of their creativity while also wanting to be a better mother than the...

 Short stories are like a bag of mixed lollies there’s going to be something that sparks interest. Laura Jean McKay has given us just that with ‘Gunflower’, especially as they are grouped into Birth, Life and Death.  Darren Mort takes us into the challenging world of child custody when parents separate in his novel, ‘Isla’s Song’.