AustLit

(Publication summary)

'Katelyn had always dreamed of travelling, but the notion had always felt distant with the demands of her job, her relationship and societal expectations of what she should be doing at her age.

'Get married? Have kids? Career progression? …

'Or take a leap of faith?

'First setting foot alone in Reykjavik, Katelyn begins to reinvent herself in this new world of adventure. She continues to England, Scotland and Hawaii, making lifelong friends and unforgettable memories – even reconnecting with estranged family.

'But soon her past catches up to her, was the grass truly greener?' (Publication summary)

'Once again, the author proves her skills as an incredible storyteller that draws you into a hidden world of parental childhood trauma.

'As a young child, her one thought was to escape the abuse from the ones she should trust. Her mum with her deep angry emotional trauma and her sibling, who would quite happily dispose of her existence. No one can help her, why? Because it's secreted away inside the family home. Married off at seventeen to a narcissistic alcoholic to appease the demands of the cult her family belong to. Cassie soon discovers no one cares, not the cult leaders, her family or the police. In the late 1900s it's termed as a domestic dispute. Poverty of mind and body is a everyday occurrence in this naive child's life. Knowing to escape this life there are two ways, the first to imitate the maternal women folk in her family before her by suicide, or by running as far away as possible. But where?

'Jigsaw is not only an escape story, a love story, and a story of modern-day sadistic insurgency of the patriarchal system. It's an awakening for Cassie as she fights for her rights as a woman. Jigsaw is a story of a woman rebirthing in all ways to be who she is today. It's also a paranormal story that cannot be explained nor be navigated.' (Publication summary)

'I would have been about three years old, my siblings were at school. Aunty May was visiting and my father had not gone to work that day. Dad, May, and my mother drove away in the family car leaving me crying alone in the lane. Mother and May looked back at me plaintively. I heard my father say 'We have to harden her.'
A neighbour took me in and gave me a banana.
Was this a premonition of what my life was to be

'Fuelled by an adventurous spirit, Liz Hicklin has led a full life of passion and perseverance. In this enthralling memoir that spans nine decades across three continents, Liz provides a window on a fast-changing world and the challenges that come with it. 

'It's a compelling tale of love and loss, courage and resilience in the face of adversity. 

'Kiss and Cry is at once historical and contemporary, timeless and deeply personal. Liz's unvarnished honesty takes the reader on a roller-coaster of action and introspection, with all the emotional twists and turns to make it a truly compelling page turner.' (Publication summary)

(Publication summary)

'Jack Rhodes' latest assignment seems straightforward. Investigate Link Industries' Plymouth factory in Michigan, locate the company's missing money, track for possible theft, and investigate the deaths of three men. The company's current management says there's a possible systems glitch, no stock is missing, and the deaths are tragic accidents, nothing more. But the company owner and Jack's sometimes lover, Stella West, disagrees. Once he arrives at the facility, it's clear not everyone is happy about his arrival. After a string of near misses, it is evident that someone wants him out of the picture and is not afraid to get their hands dirty. As Jack closes in on the culprit, he inadvertently places everyone he comes in contact with in danger. If he doesn't get results fast, there'll be more to lose than the factory and the people he cares for. This time, there won't be any escape from the darkness within.'  (Publication summary)

'Awarded a career challenge she can't resist, Sydney-based journalist Peta McKenna is not about to let a cantankerous, reclusive author or a deadly tropical cyclone obstruct her from securing a prestigious interview. But the storm outside is nothing compared to the one that greets her when the author relents and provides an escape from nature's fury. Nor does she expect the desire he awakens.

'Stewart Fletcher is an acclaimed author with a fierce distrust of the media and women in general. When he sees who's at his door, he refuses to let the female journalist anywhere near him. After two disastrous failed marriages, he's not about to let a woman twist his words ever again. Even if there's an instant attraction, and the woman's insane enough to brave a cyclone and invade his private retreat just to meet him.

'After a wild night together that has nothing to do with the raging storm, and the interview secured, the reality of the situation hits them. Never mind the unlikelihood that a long-distance relationship could work. Stewart's sworn never to fall for a career woman again. Peta's determined to make her mark on the journalism world just like her famous father. And no man is going to come between her and her dreams.

'Are they crazy to consider pursuing a romance? Or have their past experiences destroyed any chance of having a future together?' (Publication summary)

'Set in the stunning region of the Western District – Soul Keepers of Glenormiston South: A Victoria Collection Novel.

'Mother Earth has been cruelly impacted by the uncaring and the ignorant. Her foundation is wavering, her biodiversity declining. Humanity is failing her, and malicious forces are working to ensure that evil continues to reign. The demise of the planet is imminent…unless a saviour can answer her cry for help.

'That saviour is Angel Cloud.

'Along with her family of royal-souls, known as the Soul Keepers of Glenormiston South, they fight the malevolent Veins; a vile species who spread chaos and destruction throughout the world, devouring all in their path. But Angel soon discovers that not all who are born from evil, become it.

'All Angel desires is to help and heal every soul. But even Soul Keepers must obey the laws laid down by the High Council; to disobey is to be punished. Although she struggles to follow these rules, Angel soon discovers why she, especially, must be protected: a powerful Vein has come to Glenormiston South. One who seeks to destroy everything she loves.

'Under the guidance of her blood-sibling, Michael, and his soul-sibling, Bowie, Angel must learn to harness her immense power and unite with the one person who can help her reach her full potential; her soul-partner. Only then will she be able to do what she was born to do—save the world. With her soul-sibling, Sam, by her side, Angel is determined to do all she can to protect the ones she loves.

'At any cost.

'Will she become strong enough to save Mother Earth and all her innocent creatures, ensuring the restoration of her biodiversity? Or will the Veins’ malevolent plan to destroy the one planet they all need to survive, Earth, overpower them all?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Tara had an easy life she knows it, loves it and is grateful for it, till Russ her husband came home from working up North in the Mines, after a spot of being unwell, he decides that being a Grey Nomad is his dream. Tara is not so sure, to leave all her friends, family, home and community but agrees to join him for a little while, the little while becomes months. Tara learns to love being on the road, meeting and greeting so many people. Suddenly the spot of bad health for Russ, becomes fatal. Tara is devastated, now re learning to do it all for herself on and off the road, but she has been given a small taste of freedom that lingers after Russ’s funeral' (publication blurb).

'After spending a decade within the walls of her safe haven, The Given, Lilliana Night must flee her home at the facility and re-enter the outside world once again in her fight for justice and to protect the one she loves. Lilliana has no choice but to leave behind all she knows-and the man she loves-in order to do her part to eradicate one of the world's most vilest of criminals'. Will her self-sacrifice for the greater good allow her to return home to her loved ones? Or will the evil that still walks the Earth be her ultimate undoing? Decency dances on a dangerous stage with depravity and the results could be explosive.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Damon Night has left the Louisiana’s Given Establishment to work undercover in a fallen world full of despicable mayhem. Partly to help the Officials eliminate an Underworld narcotics epidemic, partly to escape his lust and overwhelming desire for Lilliana.

'Existing day to day without him, Lilliana completes her studies, to then thrive in her role as a leading therapist offering support to the mentally and physically wounded souls the outside world has delivered to them. Between a hectic schedule, expected from the establishment, to juggling free time with her friends, life flowed around her in a complex, yet meaningful way as the years passed, longing for Damon’s return.

'Five years undercover can do a lot to a man who had to fully commit himself to his role in order to convince the black minds of society he was one of them. When Damon returns, Lilliana hardly recognises the dangerous and unpredictable man who stands before her, but when her eyes meet his, questions of who the man he has become, fade as memories of the past ignite more than just an inferno of feelings.

'Can Damon overcome the abuse he subjected himself, and others to whilst undercover, and Can Lilliana forgive him his crimes? Just when they are so close to coming together, evil forces weave their sticky web of destruction. Will they be able to finally overcome these dangerous hurdles, or will they once again be forced miles apart?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The world no longer tolerates vicious, repeat offenders, and deals with criminals accordingly. The survivors of these heinous crimes are sent to private establishments around the globe, known as, The Given.

'The Louisiana's Given is run by the ever charming and handsome brothers, Damon and Cam Night who are obligated by their rule to mentor, protect and offer all the wounded a safe haven, a place to heal mentally and physically, whilst coming to terms with their new life. New Given must follow strict rules and an intense regime that comes with the gift of a superior education that only The Given establishments can offer.

'Lilliana becomes one of the Given, after suffering a horrific event that separates her from her family forever and she finds herself thrust into a foreign world of volatile individuals, challenging situations and unyielding rules. Her unexpected attraction to Damon Night confuses her all the more, as she tries to deal with her trauma and get a grip on her undetermined reality, amidst the broken minds of society.

'Damon is puzzled by the lure the beautiful Lilliana has on him, as he continues to run the family business in a respectful manner, expected of him with his responsibilities, but finds it harder to fight his growing, forbidden attraction to her. An unexpected desire that adds to the already challenging day to day running of The Given.

'Can friendship, animal therapy, education, and love weave their magic around the souls in The Given, and in time, heal the abused and injured? Or does danger and tragedy strike once too often and tear their safe haven apart? To Whom Much is Given, much is expected.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It is 1948 and the War has ended; the London Olympic Games have begun. Audrey is a young, fresh-faced English girl who meets Hubert, a young French soldier amidst a sea of spectators. Under a starry sky and fireworks celebrations, a young romance is born. Relief from austerity, camaraderie, goodwill and a return to prosperity fills the air; the young couple vow to continue their relationship, however long distance and Hubert's military responsibilities prevent them. Time and distance take two lovers in different directions; however Hubert cannot let go of his darling Audrey and enters into a state of Limerence, writing her obsessive love letters. Can Hubert find his one true love, his English Rose?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Brondo Violaris was just a good little Greek church boy who grew up on the outskirts of Melbourne in a traditional Greek family full of loving, but dominant women. On the morning of January 15, his thirtieth birthday, he had decided to kill himself because he suffered from depression and low self esteem, thought he was just a loser with nothing left to live for. Everyone else had the great careers, big houses, flash cars and marriages by the time they were thirty, while Brondo still lived at home with his grandmother Yaya and Uncle, barely able to hold down a job or get a date. That was, until he met and fell for the beautiful, confident Sheena Baxter, who, like him, had come from a family of diabolical dysfunction. He thought he’d won the lottery; life was finally giving him a chance at love. There was just one problem. Sheena Baxter was married. To a gangsta. This is Fivos Panayiotou’s debut novel and work of truth, based on his shocking real life story.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Punch and Judy explores the tangled intensity of a toxic relationship. Kelly Van Nelson, brings her trademark gritty style to this modern poetry collection. She takes readers on the rollercoaster journey from attraction and desire of a couple initially meeting, through the turbulence of abuse at the hands of a puppet master, to eventually finding the courage to cut strings and break free. Punch and Judy challenges the taboo and delves into what goes on behind closed doors, bringing much needed conversation on domestic violence to the forefront of society.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.