AustLit

'Nessa keeps the world at arm’s length. It’s easier that way, for everyone. Her orbit is no bigger than her sister, her parents and a solitary work colleague with a penchant for dying wishes.

'But even these people don’t see the real Nessa.

'Saddled with her father’s impossible gift, a rundown homestead in the middle of nowhere, Nessa reluctantly develops a wellness retreat of sorts – a no-frills escape for women. All too quickly, keeping her distance becomes a trickier dance, even for someone so good at it.

'But the toughest test of Nessa’s resolve takes the shape of her feisty niece Lily, whose offer to help promote Navada comes with caveats and who ultimately holds up a mirror to a life that neither of them feels ready to see.

'Deeply moving and sharply funny, Storylines is a novel about how we see ourselves in an age of distortion.' (Publication summary)

'Evie Shine is adrift. After two decades of marriage, her husband has left her. Possibly for another woman. He isn't saying.

'That Evie has spent her career dissecting relationships and mending broken hearts doesn't help at all it just makes everything worse. How did she not see this coming? And what s she meant to do now?

'Her own worst client, Evie ignores all useful advice and chooses platitudes, wine and hangovers over the prospect of moving on. But soon she realises that the beauty of having the rug ripped from under you is getting to see exactly what s underneath.

'So Many Beats of the Heart is about how the crushing weight of time can take its toll on long-term relationships. It s about love lost, friendships found, losing your bearings and finding a way back to shore.' (Publication summary)

'Confirming his suspicions that you can successfully run away from your problems and a dysfunctional family, talk-show host Harvey Beam got out of his regional hometown as soon as he could. Beam creates a stellar radio career in the city, and builds a life that bears no resemblance to the one he left behind.

'But as things start to unravel at work and at home, Beam is called back to Shorton by the imminent death of his father. There he finds everything is still waiting for him just as he left it. 

'Maybe, though, Harvey Beam is not the same angry young man who ran away. And maybe the arrival of a single, wonderful stranger will mean that instead of going back, Harvey can finally move on.' (Publication summary)