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To a quiet life has come something truly extraordinary. Jared's seen the Lights since he was a child. Every night for a few minutes at 10pm a strange beacon would shine high up in the darkened factory opposite his tiny house. He ventured there one fateful night, and there he found the spectral creatures. Since then they've taken him to fantastical places, far away from the grey monotony of his life and the darkness of his past. All he's ever cared about is keeping the secret intact and leading a quiet life of anonymity. But it's a lonely, introspective existence that's always eaten away at him. When change comes to the factory, he finally finds another that he comes to trust and then share his secrets. But in the shadow of Amelia's arrival is one that already knows everything, and has intentions that are both dark and vicious. An ancient ritual is then taken to another time.

Harry Kollatz Junior’s debut novel.  Carlisle Montgomery is a "six-foot-five, redheaded, pigtailed, gap-and-bucktoothed, nine-fingered, guitar playing freak.” Smoking, slugging whisky, arm wrestling, entangled with women and men and with her hard-touring group, the Live Wires, a "bluegrass band with a honky-tonk problem they’re not trying to fix" with their  "purebred American Mongrel music." It’s the 1990s and  the world is divided between Grunge and Garth Brooks and this story delves into the heart of what it means to be a musician and an artist in a changing world.

 

"A dizzying, dazzling, physical novel, featuring an epic character sometimes great at love, sometimes great at being bad at it. Kollatz lays  downright musical tracks in breathless, thumping prose, and Carlisle Montgomery, like its heroine, is damn near invincible. -- Susann Cokal, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, Mermaid Moon

Carrots and Jaffas tells the story of two red-headed identical twins whose oneness is ruptured when one of them is kidnapped. Their startling intimacy is both a strength and a fault line in their being, and once separated, their individuality emerges. In the course of this exhilarating domestic tale set in Melbourne and the Flinders Ranges, the reader encounters the twins' parents - emotional, scripture-quoting Luisa and calm Bernard - as well as two remarkable storytellers, Doc, an eccentric outback doctor and Greta, an Aboriginal elder. Trauma is followed by recovery through the unexpected agency of story and 'country' (in the Australian Aboriginal meaning of that term).

Howard Goldenberg is a doctor, writer, marathon runner and Olympic torch bearer. He has written two non-fiction books, My Father's Compass (2007) and Raft (2009). This is his first novel.

Cassandra is the second in the Delphic Women trilogy.

Doomed, magnificent Troy is burning...

Cassandra, the golden-haired princess cursed with the gift of prophecy, and Diomenes, the Achaean with the healing hands, become puppets of the gods.

Their passions are thwarted, their loves betrayed, their gifts rendered useless for the sake of a wager between two immortals.

Will Cassandra and Diomenes find each other in the light of the burning city?

And, if they do, can their love survive the machinations of malicious gods and men?

The Delphic Women trilogy: Medea, Cassandra and Electra.

A compelling story about the destiny of an Australian soldier in the Vietnam war. As a returned Vietnam veteran, it brought back many vivid memories of my time there. Beautifully written and well researched with thought to detail, captivating and difficult to put down, not knowing what was about to happen next. Thoroughly recommend this as an excellent read on the life of an amazing Aussie soldier. - David McQuaid.

Chaconne is the story of an apprenticeship - in life, love and early music - in which not the least of the obstacles standing in the way of Eleanor's becoming who she might be is Eleanor Weston herself. Against the Cold War craziness of the early 1980s, the novel traces, with wit as well as lyricism, a young Australian woman's failed pursuit of love with a bourgeois communist in Paris and her subsequent shift to the periphery of a US airbase in the Rhineland, where she stumbles into marriage with a seemingly harmless American. When Thomas, a successful harpsichordist and self-hating German, comes to the village to recuperate after a nervous collapse, he and Eleanor form a deep musical connection that not only sets her voice free but allows her to find, in the crisis that ensues, more nerve and resolve than she ever knew she had.

When Dan Travers is faced with the prospect of losing his job in humiliating circumstances, and possibly going to jail, he makes a desperate choice. A choice that will affect not only his future but will have dire repercussions for all those around him.

How did this dedicated surfer and family man find himself in such a dilemma? Why would he contemplate such a wild scheme?

Bombings and murders in Bali combine with drug wars on the streets of Sydney to draw Dan ever deeper into the hell he created with a few simple words.

Once the choice has been made how can Dan return to a normal life, and who will be made to pay the price for his foolishness?

All the corvids - rooks and ravens, jays and jackdaws, crows and magpies - have the best collective nouns: from tidings and titterings, bands and trains, to a parliament, a party, and an  unkindness.

Clamour and Mischief is a veritable storytelling of adventures featuring corvidae, the bird family known for its intelligence, cunning and connection with folklore and urban legends.

Our storytellers come from around the world and include award-winning and shortlisted writers, as well as fledgling authors in their professional debut.

Herein are 16 striking stories imbued with the humour, darkness, wisdom and magic of the birds which inspired them. Take them as a jest, a guide, or a warning - but don't, whatever you do, ignore them!

Clamour and Mischief is enacted by:
Raymond Gates, GV Pearce, Eugen Bacon, Geneve Flynn, Alex Marchant, Jack Fennell, Lee Murray, RJK Lee, Dannye Chase, Narrelle M. Harris, R.D. White, Katya de Becerra, Jason Franks, George Ivanoff, Tamara M Bailey, Gabiann Marin.

Strap yourself in as three tales from award winning speculative fiction author David McDonald take you on a tour of time and space. Visit a frozen post apocalyptic Earth, a galactic delivery service, and very Australian dystopia to discover what happens to ordinary people faced with extraordinary choices or challenges.

Cold Comfort

Ice spiders, snow bears and deadly cold are only most obvious of the dangers a young trader faces as she searches for the secrets of the Elders on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Deck the Halls

A rebellious pilot races against time to make a vital delivery to a planet in need. But in the face of the worst solar storm in years, his only ally is a sentient spaceship who is an outcast even to its own kind.

Our Land Abounds

In a world divided by war and wracked by food shortages, the Republic of Australasia is an oasis protected by its isolation and the Border Patrol. But, a chance encounter leaves a weary veteran asking whether the price of plenty is too high.

Praise for Cold Comfort

"What a great story. A believable world of snow and ice, and a tough, engaging protagonist. Vanja is a trader moving between isolated settlements, navigating the hazards of a harsh environment and sometimes prejudiced attitudes towards women as she searches for relics relating to the mysterious 'Builders'. This story has it all: ice spiders, snow bears, and terrific action sequences - immersive and beautifully paced. More! More! More!" - Ambelin Kwaymullina, author: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf

"Colour Blind tells the story of two wars affecting Australia a hundred years ago: World War I that everyone knows about, and the lesser known one, the battles that past generations of Aboriginal Australians faced. Not the British Invasion, but the struggle more than a century later when Aboriginal men who were willing to serve alongside non-Aboriginal Australians, their mates, were not seen as worthy of doing so. And the battle for ordinary citizen rights - such as joining the local RSL, of all things - went on long after the war ended. Discrimination such as this, on top of the horrors of war, could easily make this book a depressing read. But what eclipses the negativity and meanness of the way our First Australians were treated is their loyalty, their mateship and their guts, making this book a most enjoyable read from cover to cover. This book reminds us all of their marvelous contributions to Australia - lest we forget. As an Aussie who is equally grateful for my non-Aboriginal and my Aboriginal ancestry, reading of the lows as well as the highs of this nation's history gives me a better appreciation of what my Aboriginal forebears endured - and, more essentially, how they triumphed. Mr Willmott, I now eagerly await for the next book in this series." - Dr. Anthony Dillon, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MTrainDev, Mpsych (Clin), BSc(Hons), PhD

 

"Australian Aboriginals fighting a war for a country that didn't recognise them. Educating and entertaining are the two words I would use to describe the latesd book Colour Blind by GS Willmott. Mr Willmott has the knack to deliver interesting information about the battles of World War I as well as getting you involved in the human side of it. I enjoyed travelling on the journeys of our diggers and learning just how difficult it was for the indigenous people of Australia to not just fight but to enlist to fight for our country and get the recognition for their efforts that they so rightly deserved." - Kim Krarup, preview reader

 

"Thank you for sending Colour Blind to me. Michael Bell our Indigenous Liaison Officer from our Military History Section read the book for me and did indicate that he is supportive of the story of Colour Blind." - Dr Brendon Nelson, Director Australian War Memorial

 

"If you like your novels laced with a good dose of historical information and peopled with engaging characters who sound and behave like people of their time, you'll enjoy Colour Blind by Garry Willmott. Colour Blind follows several young men on their momentous journey through the Great War. There are horrors and discomforts galore, but the khaki-clad boys get by with courage, quips and a solid culture of mateship. We follow them every step of the way through the gruelling war years, and through the immediate aftermath. What makes Colour Blind unique in my reading is the inclusion of some indigenous boys who just want to do their bit like their mates. The difficulties they face are all down to red tape and the peculiar laws that deny them equal rights. Once they join up, they more than prove their mettle. So if courage and mateship and the quintessential true-blue character is your preference, read Colour Blind. If it doesn't bring a glow of equal parts indignation and pride to your heard... well you know what I mean." - Sally Odgers, author

'Cracking the Spine is not just a deftly curated overview of the contemporary Australian short story, including pieces by ten of the best practitioners at work today. The auto-critical essays that accompany each work gesture even more widely. Literature, life, landscape, history: the whole gamut of Antipodean experience may be gleaned from its pages. An ideal resource for those interested in Ozlit, Cracking the Spine is also a pure pleasure to read.' - Geordie Williamson

At a time when Australians are wavering in support of a proposed US-led invasion of Iraq, more than six hundred US Marines rotating on R & R in Bali suddenly disappear; then, Kuta erupts in a fireball and Australia falls into line with America's demand to become part of the 'Coalition of the Willing'.

Based on indisputable fact, a step by step account of the Bali bombers, the rise of extremist Islamic militancy across Asia and what the future might hold when terror is unleashed on Australia's doorstep, 'Crescent Moon Rising' relates the rise of militant Islam across Asia and how the US and other foreign intelligence agencies missed opportunities to arrest not only the instigators of the September 11 attacks on the USA but also those who created the Jemaah Islamiyah and carried out the Bali bombings. The Bojinka Plot is uncovered in Manila but the US ridicules the contents found on a white Toshiba laptop discovered after an apartment fire. The computer files lay out an assassination plot against the Pope who would visit that week, and the detailed plan to hijack 11 aircraft and crash these into the World Trade Towers and other US targets. The timing of this event was January 1995.

An international tale of intrigue and conspiracy. Originally conceived as a play set in The White House, this political thriller is impossible to put down.

Harry Fromm, ambassador for the US, finds himself party to an international conspiracy to solve the twin problems of overpopulation and climate change by destroying half the world's population. Pursued by the CIA across the US and into Canada, he is aided and protected by his Russian friend Yuri. When Harry and Yuri are arrested by Canadian Police, the violent deaths of more than three billion people seem inevitable.

Harry Wallace is asked by the Australian Intelligence Service to collect and deliver a small package during a business trip to Indonesia. This simple task becomes a nightmare when he unwittingly becomes a target of the security police and narrowly avoids arrest.

He needs all his wits to deliver the package to the Australian Embassy and does so successfully.

Harry returns to Australia, but the Jakarta episode comes back to haunt him when he travels to England. An Indonesian national is found murdered in London and Harry is framed over the death.

What connects this event to Harry's earlier visit to Indonesia?

Desperate to prove his innocence, pursued by police and a menacing emigre organisation, Harry embarks on a dangerous journey.

"How Lawrence Found His Lost Girl in Cornwall", is the title of the Introduction to this edition of Lawrence's sixth major novel. In it Sandra Jobson shows how Lawrence based part of his character Alvina Houghton on Katherine Mansfield, the New Zealand short-story writer.

'The Lost Girl' was in fact Lawrence's third novel, but was not published until 1920. It is his only novel to have won a literary prize. Originally called 'The Insurrection of Miss Houghton', it tells the story of Alvina Houghton, who fights for independence as a woman, but ends up falling in love with an Italian peasant form a mountain village. Will she fight again for independence?

Sandra Jobson (Darroch) is the secretary of the DH Lawrence Society of Australia, and is the author of six books, including the first biography of Lady Ottoline Morrell, 'Ottoline: The Life of Lady Ottoline Morrell' (Chatto Windus 1975).

An updated version of 'Ottoline', with a new Introduction by the author, will be published by The Svengali Press in 2017.