I decided to extend the life of some of my short stories that have been published in journals/magazines over the last few years, by publishing them digitally. It's a bit of a (fairly safe) experiment in self-publishing and the world of ebooks. I'm loving reading on my Kobo eReader, and I've made these stories available … Continue reading Some of my short stories available as ebooks
Australian fiction
Whole-hearted lovers and layers of history: an interview with Mardi McConnochie, author of The Voyagers
Viking, May 2011 9780670075966 (Aus, ebook) Stead, a sailor, arrives in Sydney Harbour in 1943. He hasn't seen Marina for five years, and yet he can't forget the three days they spent together prior to the war. Some undeniable connection had been forged. He finds out she failed to enrol in the music school she was … Continue reading Whole-hearted lovers and layers of history: an interview with Mardi McConnochie, author of The Voyagers
Guest review: Imogen Baratta on Blue Skies by Helen Hodgman
Text Publishing 9781921758133, March 2011 (Aus) (also UK) Reviewed by Imogen Baratta Helen Hodgman’s Blue Skies tells the story of an unnamed young wife and mother living in the 'heart shaped island' of Tasmania. The agonising banality of her day-to-day life plays out within the confines of stark, suffocating suburbia, amid the manicured lawns and … Continue reading Guest review: Imogen Baratta on Blue Skies by Helen Hodgman
Review of Yearn by Tobsha Learner up at Fancy Goods
I recently reviewed Tobsha Learner's new collection of sexy short stories, Yearn: Tales of Lust and Longing, for Bookseller+Publisher. They've put it up now on their Fancy Goods blog. 'Yearn is a collection of fun, imaginative and sexy stories by the author of Tremble and Quiver, Tobsha Learner. Learner’s stories are not purely erotic, but romantic and … Continue reading Review of Yearn by Tobsha Learner up at Fancy Goods
Guest review: Lisa Down on Making News by Tony Wilson
Murdoch Books July 2010 9781741969238 (Aus) reviewed by Lisa Down Remember the old saying, ‘Write what you know’? It’s an adage former AFL player, author and columnist Tony Wilson must have taken to heart. His latest offering, Making News, revolves around, well… a retired soccer player, an aspiring young columnist and an author, who … Continue reading Guest review: Lisa Down on Making News by Tony Wilson
Guest review: Sam Cooney on The Big Issue no. 359: Toasty Tales fiction special
The Big Issue no. 359: Toasty Tales fiction special Available now from street vendors, launched Wednesday 21 July at Readings Carlton Reviewed by Sam Cooney For me, The Big Issue is like a tub of Neapolitan ice-cream. It’s reliable. It’s unpretentious and doesn’t pretend to be anything except exactly what it is. You buy it every … Continue reading Guest review: Sam Cooney on The Big Issue no. 359: Toasty Tales fiction special
Last weekend’s literary connectivity, and what I’ve been reading lately
On the weekend I was up in sunny Brisbane for the Australian Booksellers Association 2010 conference. It’s a conference for members and friends of the ABA – so, booksellers, publishers, and some librarians and media. I was officially there as a ‘blogger’ – on a panel called ‘Customers, Connections and Communities’, with Andrew McDonald from … Continue reading Last weekend’s literary connectivity, and what I’ve been reading lately
Cate Kennedy’s The World Beneath
Scribe September 2009 9781921372964 (Aus, Grove US) There’s no doubt Cate Kennedy is one of Australia’s most perceptive writers. Her short stories, which can be found in various journals and the collection Dark Roots, are rich in character and often contemplate moments of connection, all the misfires and failed connections, and their consequences. In The World Beneath, Rich wants to … Continue reading Cate Kennedy’s The World Beneath
This cumulative kind of effect when you stop: an interview with Emily Maguire on Smoke in the Room, part one
In Smoke in the Room (Aus), three characters end up in a share house in Sydney. Katie works on instinct and is weighted by an overwhelming empathy. Adam, an American, is grieving and needs to save money to get home. Graeme, an aid worker, has rid himself of possessions and simplified his existence. In this … Continue reading This cumulative kind of effect when you stop: an interview with Emily Maguire on Smoke in the Room, part one
A 'responsive' interview with Kirsten Reed, author of The Ice Age
The Ice Age Kirsten Reed Text, 2009 9781921520747 (Aus, US/Kindle) Prompts: LiteraryMinded Responses: Kirsten Reed One of your own ‘on the road’ experiences… I was seventeen, hitching a short distance (about forty miles; this was a leg of my journey for which there was no connecting bus). The sun was about to set, and I … Continue reading A 'responsive' interview with Kirsten Reed, author of The Ice Age
LiteraryMinded 