AustLit

'Skylar was excited to see her brother Dean return from deployment after 6 long months. A surprise also awaited her as he was bringing an old childhood flame of Skylar's, home for dinner. Could it really be him?

'Tristan was excited and nervous to see Skylar. It had been 16 years since he left for Pennsylvania with his parents. He had loved Skylar as a teenager and he always held a sweet and tender spot for her in his heart, even until this day. The day he would see her again. But would she be thrilled to see him or cut him off as he had unintentionally done to her all those years ago?

'Finally alone on the back porch after everyone had left the welcome home party, sparks began to soar again and chemistry reignited, sweet and sensual. Until a strange sound severed their intimate moment and put Tristan on high alert. What was going on around here that Skylar hadn't mentioned?

'When Skylar's nearly run down by a speeding car the next day, Tristan and Dean vow to protect her with their lives. At least until they are set to redeploy. Will they be stationed home long enough to catch the person stalking Skylar or will they be too late to save her from the threat that is almost upon her? Will Tristan miss out on his second chance with the woman who has stolen his heart for a second time? Or will it be too late...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Emily Fitzsimmons, award-winning architect, creates meticulous plans for every aspect of her life, which is understandable considering her difficult childhood. After all, prudence keeps her safe. Lately, though, too many of those comforting plans are disintegrating and Emily is forced to function spontaneously which has spiked her anxiety so much, she’s put her therapist on speed-dial.

'Skye Reynolds, bike courier entrepreneur, knows all about exploding plans. That’s literally how she lost her job when her company blew up a 40,000-year-old world heritage site. But Skye is not someone who asks for help to reassemble her life blueprints, which is lucky as she nearly always lands on her feet whenever she happily ignores prudence to embark on any new adventure.

'When Skye’s ad hoc dirt track intersects with Emily’s carefully paved freeway, their lives are thrown into disarray, with the added complication of their unexpected attraction. Prudence plays tricks on both of them when they choose to navigate their true paths and explore the direction of their relationship. Sometimes a change of plans is all you need to see what lies ahead.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'On her way to become a mail order bride, Jewel Simmons suddenly has a five-month-old baby foisted upon her. She has little choice but to take charge of her, otherwise the sheriff will deliver the child to a nearby orphanage.

'Adam Harrigan anxiously awaits his mail order bride. Ordering such a person goes against the grain, but he was becoming desperate. After all, at thirty years old, he couldn’t wait much longer to produce an heir. When the stagecoach finally arrives, he is aghast. How dare she turn up with another man’s child?

'Will these two sort out their differences? And if Adam allows her to stay, can they ever find their happily ever after ending?

'Author's Promise: This is a heartwarming historical novella with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhangers. It is a clean and wholesome story with nothing more than hugs, kisses, and holding hands.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A new year begins with the community of Thompson’s Ridge united in grief at the sudden death of much-loved local Fran Hobart. Her passing was not unexpected - everyone knew she was fighting a grim battle with cancer. However, her death at the height of a raging dust storm seems to underscore the woes that have befallen the small Australian town during a savage summer.

'The once-thriving community has slowly withered since the closure of the local saw mill. As families left, the high school was closed and businesses struggled. In more recent years, drought has seared the countryside, threatening the precarious survival of farm stock. And now a spate of dust storms torment the town with their cruel winds and rainless thunder and lightning.

'The townsfolk rally round Fran’s husband, Father George, the local priest, and her funeral is one of the biggest the town has ever seen. Ironically, it brings with it the end of the drought - a drenching rain storm that suggests hope for the future.

'Former primary school principal Maggie Hardcastle and recent Thompson’s Creek arrival Louise Smith discover that Fran had been trying to persuade troubled and reclusive widow Patricia Carmody to seek professional help. What’s more, she was simultaneously supporting Patricia’s daughter Becky who should be starting high school this year in the town of Coorbong 70km away.

'Maggie is able to secure a generous scholarship offer for Becky, but she and Louise meet with bitter resistance from the child’s mother.

'Bob Wilson’s dinner date with Kirsty McJames following the Christmas Orphans’ Club lunch went well, but, rather than the romance he hoped it might spark, he finds himself stuck in the friend zone and playing uncle to her twin boys.

'Then current primary school principal Jamie Zammit learns his and possibly the town’s greatest fear is about to come true - the authorities plan to close the school at the end of the year due to falling enrolments.

'And as the rain keeps falling too, it’s realized that the Diggers Lane hobby farm development promoted by a shonky real estate company a decade ago has never been tested by real downpours.

'Young Becky Carmody reflects on how Fran encouraged her to pray for rain, but she and everyone else in Thompson’s Ridge are about to learn it never rains, but it pours.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'To discover the identity of his enemy, Kiile first had to loosen the tongue of the assassin - a short, sassy and most outrageous wench. At an Argon's mercy she might be, but Katina had a surprise for this golden-haired sex god and it was all bad.' (Publication summary)

'A story where a touch of love and a slice of life creates a whole lot of magic.

'Cath Monroe loves her teaching job, her friends, her family, and her colleagues. They fill her life and her heart. She knows that it’s important to share love with actions and words, but that last one? About the words? That’s a problem. Because when it comes to saying ‘I love you’ to her forever person, Cath discovers that she doesn’t really know anything about love at all.

'Then, Rica Diamandis strolls into her life. Rica is all stardust and sexy, and Cath is intrigued. The sudden availability of a romantic blank canvas takes Cath’s breath away. But when her father is taken to hospital with a life-threatening disease, Cath boxes up the romance with Rica, and packs it into the back of her heart.

'Fortunately, the Universe has other ideas and Cath begins to realise that embracing emotional chaos is actually the art that creates the magic.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Searing heat, cricket on the sand, wrapping paper sticking to sweaty skin, icy cold beer, and cold cuts of meat with salad for Christmas lunch and dinner? Here is a snapshot of an Australian Christmas on one street in a Melbourne beachside suburb during the week leading up to December twenty-five. A short story collection of unexpected gifts.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sophia Lindstrom plays football for South Melbourne. She’s tall, focused, intense, and has some major trust issues, which she’s currently ignoring. Sophia just wants her life to stay exactly the same, which means playing AFL, running the boutique fine foods and wine store with her brother, and volunteering at the homeless shelter. The same.

'Cameron Weathers is smart, sassy, also has some major trust issues, and knows she is a great reporter if only she was given the chance to shine. Her sexist editor assigns her the job of shadowing some of the players from this season’s women’s Australian Rules Football League so she can write fluffy stories for the lifestyle page. Not exactly hard-hitting journalism.

'When Cam and Sophia meet, there’s instant chemistry, which is immediately put on hold when their everyday lives are shattered by misogyny, media manipulation, and tragedy. Cam, Sophia, and the other players discover that football games are not the only contests they need to win. Now they’re fighting for the entire league, their professional status, and even their lives. Sophia and Cam attempt to expose the sinister activities, come to terms with their mutual attraction, and eventually discover that kicking back at those who seek to destroy can open the door to love.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When former Olympic champion, Michael Adams—now Canada’s hottest reality TV star—insults his fake showbiz wife on social media, he jumps on the first flight to Australia to escape the ensuing scandal. Desperate to experience ordinary life again—if only for a few weeks—he becomes “Adam”; just another tourist exploring the dusty Outback trails in a beat up truck. But with a reward out for his safe return and his fame’s nasty habit of catching up with him when he least expects, Adam needs a better disguise… and he’s just found one.

'Tired of lies and liars, British Backpacker Evie Blake is taking a year out of her busy London life, looking for adventure to heal her broken heart. So when the hot Canadian she meets at the campground offers to drive her through Western Australia’s wild Kimberley region, she grabs the chance, unaware he has the world out looking for him. He’s just a down-on-his-luck traveler, right?

'But when hot days turn into even hotter nights, how long does Adam have before Evie discovers who he really is?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Using a revolutionary telescope located at the edge of the solar system, scientists see an abandoned alien building 16.1 light-years away, on a planet orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 832. The planet, Brokkr, is now home to the furthest of Earth’s interstellar colonies. An uneasy pair of separated husband and wife protagonists, Ikumi Hayashi and Quincy Tern, is sent with their teams to investigate. Using innovative augmented reality techniques pioneered in Quincy’s architectural practice, they hope to reach into the minds of its builders.

'But there are powerful forces threatening to undermine them. In over 300 years of space travel, no aliens have been found and many like the Universe is Ours movement, who have founded the colonies, have come to believe the universe is theirs for the taking. To them the alien building has come as a shock, and there are some who believe its existence is cause to take action. When a later discovery suggests the aliens are returning to Brokkr, all hell breaks loose. Ikumi, Quincy and their teams race to complete their research amidst a growing insurrection among the Gliese settlers, led by Brokkr’s chief of security, that threatens to destroy all their work.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Clara just wanted to meet her idol. She didn't expect to have video game bad guys come after her in real life. 

'Clara Steele is thrilled when game developer Max Drosselmeier invites her to test out his new virtual reality system and the game Operation: Sugarplum. But Max didn't warn her about his tendency to accidentally pull characters out of his games and into the real world. 

'Instead of finishing her Christmas shopping, Clara finds herself attacked by a pixelated seven-headed Rat King intent on taking her back to his castle. 

'If Clara and Max can't lure the Rat King back into the game and defeat him on his own turf, they might end up as rat food rather than making it to Christmas dinner.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Rob can't accept the sudden suicide of Indigo. He can't accept the happy, artistic friend he had once loved would willingly take her own life. He feels something is amiss, something is wrong. So he decides to investigate, and soon finds a pattern he can't ignore. 

'An unexpected string of suicides. A strange woman. A strange zodiac talisman everyone who died seems to be connected to.

'What does it all mean? And will Rob uncover the mystery before it is too late to save himself?'

Source : publisher's blurb