AustLit

'After an election upheaval, Dominic Cochrane decides it's time to leave his twenty-year political staffer career behind. He opts to stay in a friend's converted waterside boatshed in a quiet bay in a Sydney backwater. The long-time neighbours take Dom into their fold, but his peaceful retreat is quickly upended as he becomes embroiled in a tragic mystery the family never solved. As money sharks circle treasured family homes in the secluded community, tensions mount as their way of life is threatened, secrets are exposed and old wounds reopened. Can Dom unravel what really happened so many years ago, or have the secrets been swept away on the dark night tide?'  (Publication summary)

'Grace has the perfect life: a job she loves, a beautiful daughter and a rich, successful husband. But one night, when their world falls apart in a shocking disaster, Grace suddenly sees what she couldn't admit - her marriage and her husband are a fraud.

'With the life she knew in tatters, she takes an assignment promoting the launch of a unique luxury hotel, hidden in a stunning, untouched oasis in the heart of tourist-crazed Bali.

'Here, in this last paradise, Grace gathers the strength to take charge of her world. And, inspired by a woman's story from long ago, she discovers a path to a future she'd never dared to imagine . . .'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A breathtaking Tasmanian tale of ancient forests; of art and science; of love and, above all, of friendship.

'In the 1930s, in an isolated and beautiful corner of southern Tasmania, a new young wife arrives at her husband's secluded property - Arcadia. Stella, an artist, falls in love with Arcadia's wild, ancient forest. And when an unknown predator strikes, she is saved by an unusual protector...

'Two generations later, Stella's granddaughter, Sally, and her best friend, Jessica, stumble over Stella's secret life in the forest and find themselves threatened in turn.

'What starts as a girls' adventurous road trip becomes a hunt for the story of the past, to solve the present, and save their future...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Australia is defined for me through its landscape. My first memories are of a country town crouched at the edge of mountains, a mighty river, the mysterious 'outback' somewhere beyond. Fringe dwellers hovered in the background, shadows at the periphery of a reconstituted English village where the formal Arts Institute and colonial town architecture faced the village green.' (Introduction)

'Ula lives by a beautiful lake with her mum and dad and spends hours in her favourite tree daydreaming. Despite being forbidden to ever go out on the lake by herself, Ula imagines she sees a magic island appear in the middle of the lake. Unable to resist, she paddles out and meets the wish bird Ambrose who grants her one wish. She could be an Hawaiian princess or wish for a room full of toys or shiny new pink boots. But Ula realises all she really wants is to go home and be with her family.

• Celebrates the importance of imagination and adventure
• Balances the idea of having freedom and independence with the need to be nurtured and loved within the family
• Beautifully illustrated, Ula will appeal to both pre and early readers

'Ula loves to daydream and go on big adventures. When she visits the magic island where wishes come true, what will Ula wish for' (Publication summary)

'In The Red Coast, Di Morrissey returns to the red earth of the Kimberley with a passionate story of resistance and resilience under its soaring blue skies.
'After the upheaval which separated Jacqui Bouchard from her beloved son, she has finally settled in Broome, a magical remote town on the northwest coast of Australia. 
'But when a proposed mining development is unveiled, the town begins to tear itself apart. Rifts run deep, as friends, families and lovers are faced with a battle that could change their lives irrevocably.

'As everyone takes sides, Jacqui confronts her own dilemma - to stay or leave? Who to trust? . . . Who to love?' (Publication summary)

'In 1962 Cindy drops out of college to impulsively marry an Australian grazier, moving from the glamorous world of Palm Springs, California, to an isolated sheep station on the sweeping plains of the Riverina in New South Wales.

'Cindy's new life at Kingsley Downs station is not what she'd imagined as she is flung into a strange and challenging world. Natural disasters and the caprices of the wool industry shape her destiny and though she tries hard to fit in, she finds she is always the outsider.

'Adjusting to her new life, Cindy discovers that her new family comes with secrets and a mystery that haunts them all. When Cindy uncovers the shocking truth, the consequences lead to tragedy and Cindy must fight to save her family.' (Publication summary)

'Bo discovers a magical place beneath the waves. During his adventures, he sees wonderfully strange creatures and their beautiful homes. But he also learns that parts of our underwater world are disappearing … and that it is up to all of us to look after our oceans.' (Publication summary)

'Di writes about the Australia she knows, she loves, she’s explored.

'Rain Music is inspired by her adventures in far north Queensland – its characters, its forgotten history, its modern dilemmas.

'A brother and sister, Ned and Bella Chisolm, are struggling with a family tragedy that has set them on opposite paths. After Ned takes off to pursue his musical dreams in far north Queensland, he disappears. When Bella goes in search of her brother, she ends up in remote Cooktown and both their lives are dramatically changed in the isolated, little-known far north of Australia.

'One story through two sets of eyes.' (Publication summary)

'Everton has his first bike, but riding it is a challenge. However help comes from an unusual source and teaches him more than how to ride. This second book is beautifully enriched by the images of artist Julie Sydenham. They will take the reader on Everton's journey as he masters many life skills. Everton & Will has a visual element where the reader must find Miss Mouse hidden in the illustrations.' (Publication summary)

'A sob in the night wakes a little girl called Sonoma...and what does she find?

'A magical little mouse who is hungry and scared of the dark.

'What does Sonoma do?

'Sonoma Meets Miss Mouse is a heartwarming tale of a little girl named Sonoma and her new best friend. Through the warm, vibrant illustrations and rich text, children will learn the value of friendship and the importance of helping all creatures great and small.

'Illustrated by acclaimed artist Julie Sydenham, Sonoma Meets Miss Mouse evokes a sense of magic in all who read it. With Julie’s lush, mixed media pieces created from a unique birds-eye perspective, young children will be transported into the magical world of Sonoma and Miss Mouse. Through Di’s elegant language and Julie’s stunning visual cues, parents are encouraged to involve themselves in their child’s reading and share the adventure together.'

'Is it ever too late to change your life?

'From the mountains to the valleys, from big cities to tiny towns, to the outback and our islands, Di Morrissey knows this country. She's been there.

'In The Road Back, Di weaves a tale of reconnection and starting over.

'Journalist Chris Baxter is at a crossroads. Returning with his teenage daughter to his mother's house in the beautiful township of Neverend, Chris hopes to pick up the pieces after his life takes an unexpected turn.

'Sometimes taking the road back is the start of a journey forward.' (Publication summary)

'Escaping an unhappy marriage and an unsatisfactory job, Cassie Holloway moves to the little NSW coastal town of Whitby Point. Here she meets the Aquino family, whose fishing business was founded by their ancestor, Giuseppe, an immigrant Italian, some ninety years before. Life for Cassie on the south coast is sweet as she sets up a successful restaurant and falls in love with Giuseppe's great grandson Michael. But when the family patriarch dies a devastating family secret is revealed which threatens to destroy her dreams. Cassie's future happiness now rests with her quest for the truth.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Natalie is a young Gold Coast mother with a loving husband, two small children and a happy lifestyle. While helping her mother move house, she finds a little box containing a Burmese artefact. When Natalie learns its unique history through a letter left by her great-great uncle, it ignites an interest in its country of origin and her uncle's unfulfilled plans for this curio.

'Her investigations collide with her own dramatically changing circumstances and create a catalyst for a moral dilemma that challenges the core of her marriage as she finds herself immersed in two very different golden lands.' (Publisher's blurb)

'When Australian Julie Reagan discovers a book written about wild Malaysia in the 1970s, she decides to find out more about the author - her great aunt. Why did her grandmother refuse to speak about her sister who disappeared from the family, 60 years before? What caused such a severe rift?

'Julie is invited to stay with her cousins who run the plantation founded by her great grandfather in Malaya a hundred years ago, and she decides to visit in the hope of finding clues to this family mystery. What Julie finds sends her spiralling through generations of loves, deaths, tragedy and the challenges of the present until she discovers her grandmother's shocking secret.' (From the publisher's website.)

'The Silent Country is a vast and beautiful wilderness, a place which holds secrets and stories that are rarely spoken. TV producer Veronica Anderson travels to the Northern Territory to retrace the journey of an expedition that had set out 50 years earlier to film the outback, but which mysteriously ended in tragedy. Of the group, led by the eccentric Maxim Topov, few are still alive and they are reluctant to talk about the intriguing events. It is through the help of local NT Park Ranger, Jamie McIntosh, that Veronica begins to piece together the puzzle and discover the answers. These answers break the silence and change her life.' (Publishers' website)