AustLit

'Jane Bancroft has returned to Lovett, Tasmania after 20 years away, minus one ex-husband but plus one outraged teenage daughter. Life in the city – life in general – hasn’t quite panned out as she would have liked. With her mother unwell, now seems as good a time as any to come back to where it all began, and perhaps even start a new life here in the heart of Tasmanian apple country. But the legacy of Jane's wild apple youth has not been forgotten by small-town Lovett and her homecoming is haunted by past tragedy.

'Jane’s not the only child of Lovett returning home. Drew Pascoe, one-time scrawny kid working the pub kitchens, now handsome celebrity chef, is also back in town and looking to re-establish his roots. With the blessing of the locals and in an effort to reinvigorate tourism to Lovett, Drew has restored the old homestead Valleyfield, and plans to televise its opening as Tasmania’s hottest new dining destination. He knows a key ingredient to success is a unique homegrown flavour: Jane's mother Thea, crowned Apple Queen of Lovett and the cantankerous guardian of the legendary recipe for apple snow. But the charm offensive he’s launched on Thea is not the only reason he's keen to spend quite so much time with Jane.

'Between her mother's bitterness, her daughter's escapades and the struggle to rebuild a her life, helping Lovett’s new golden boy with his grand plans are not Jane's priority. But Drew's enchanting persistence is making Jane realise that mending old wounds and a homegrown romance may in fact be the only way to start a fresh new chapter.' (Publication summary)

'From the author of the international bestsellers Star-crossed and The Lost Love Song comes a captivating novel about a young woman whose one little mix-up sets off an unexpected chain of events, with repercussions for her business . . . and her love life.

'With Love from Wish & Co is a heart-warming novel about what we are prepared to give, and give up, in the name of love.

'One little mix-up. That's all it took . . .

'Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co, a boutique store that offers a bespoke gift-buying service to wealthy clients with complicated lives. Brian Charlesworth is Marnie’s most prized customer, and today she’s wrapping the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne . . . and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. What could possibly go wrong?

'For years, Marnie’s had her heart set on moving Wish & Co to the historic shopfront once owned by her grandfather. When the chance to bid for the property unexpectedly arises, Marnie – distracted – makes an uncharacteristic mistake.

'Soon Brian is in a fight to rescue his marriage, and Marnie is scrabbling to keep her dreams alive. And with the situation so complicated, the last thing Marnie needs is to fall for Brian and Suzanne’s son . . .' (Publication summary)

'Every year Grattan Institute compiles a list of essential reads for the PM. Here’s what it has recommended this time.'

'There are paintings one looks at, or perhaps into, and then there are paintings that one looks through—more like a window or portal. On my dining room wall there hangs such an artwork, a watercolour painted en plein air at Lake Pedder’s beach in the year before I was born. It takes me there, to the place in the dunes where Max Angus sat at his easel and mixed on his palette the dusky mauves and pinks of that legendary sand, and prepared the tiny quantity of smoky blue needed to depict the band of lake water on the horizon. It takes me also to that day in 1971 when Max Angus was painting in the hope that capturing the beauty before him might somehow contribute to its salvation.'  (Introduction)

'‘What’s in a name?’ Juliet asks herself while mooning around on her balcony, and the answer she comes up with could be roughly summarised thus: a name probably shouldn’t matter that much, but actually it does. Quite a bit.'  (Introduction)

'This is the story of a love song . . . And like any good love song, it has two parts.

'In Australia, Arie Johnson waits impatiently for classical pianist Diana Clare to return from a world tour, hopeful that after seven years together she'll finally agree to marry him.

'On her travels, Diana composes a song for Arie. It's the perfect way to express her love, knowing they'll spend their lives together . . . Won't they?

'Then late one night, her love song is overheard, and begins its own journey across the world.

'In Scotland, Evie Greenlees is drifting. It's been years since she left Australia with a backpack, a one-way ticket and a dream of becoming a poet. Now she spends her days making coffee and her nights serving beer. And she's not even sure whether the guy she lives with is really her boyfriend or just a flatmate.

'Then one day she hears an exquisite love song. One that will connect her to a man with a broken heart . . .' (Publication summary)

'In order to provide some context for the following excerpt from my novel-in-progress, “The House on Legs,” let me first share some thoughts about the reasons one might choose to reinvent Baba Yaga, the witch-crone of Russian and Slavic folk tales, as a wildlife warrior in Australia’s island state of Tasmania. Generally, it is accepted that Baba Yaga’s signature trait is her profound ambiguity. Straddling such binaries as good/evil, natural/supernatural, human/nonhuman, she is a character famous for her unpredictability. Should a heroine or hero approach her house on legs, she may help them in their quest. Or, she may attempt to eat them up. Contradiction is a key component of her reputation, and the same can be said of Tasmania, Australia’s island state, and also of that island’s wildlife icon, the Tasmanian devil.' (Introduction)