Four bewitching tales in Mother Thorn are The Witching Well, Mother Thorn, Pea Soup, and Copper Silver and Gold. Serenity Press (www.serenitypress.org) has produced a limited edition Gold cover of this beautiful book. The exquisite illustrations by award-winning artist Kathleen Jennings, are a perfect accompaniment to a volume full of tales with a magical twist. Author Juliet Marillier once again weaves her storytelling spell and whisks us into a world of mystery, magic, kindness and courage. A ray of brightness in a currently uncertain world. Get new content delivered directly… Read more Mother Thorn Limited Edition →
by Christina Houen, A Practice of Loss, published by Ginninderra Press. 2021 In 1972, Christina received a phone call from her ex-husband with whom she shared agreed-upon custody arrangements of their three young daughters: I’m on my way to Boulder Colorado with the girls. You are a deserting wife and an abandoning mother and you’ll never see your children again! This story of betrayal and loss has taken Christina over 20 years to write: revisiting every step of a painful journey instigated by the cruelty of her ex-husband and the… Read more A Practice of Loss: memoir of an abandoning mother. →
Laurel Solorzano My rating: 4 of 5 stars Scarlett is a young trainee guard in a government facility, where she and her best friend Rhys were raised from childhood. They have been indoctrinated to uphold the Government and its power. The world outside the confines of this training facility is where the Citizens live but not freely. They are just as confined as the Guards who control them. When Rhys and Scarlet are both promoted to ‘Blue’ Guards and are assigned to uphold law and order in the City, the… Read more In the Shadow of the Cities →
by Juliet Marillier, PanMacmillan 2021 A Song of Flight is the third book in the Warrior Bards Trilogy by award-winning author Juliet Marillier. Readers of The Harp of Kings and A Dance of Fate, (PanMacmillan) will be familiar with the main protagonists: flame-haired warrior Liobhan, her brother Brocc and the handsome and enigmatic Dau. When the heir to the Dalridian throne, is abducted, King Oran enlists the Swan Island Warriors for the rescue mission. Liobhan, Dau and Brocc all have an important part to play in the search for the… Read more Book Review – A Song of Flight →
The Swan Island Warriers Liobhan, Brocc and Dau,who stole our hearts in The Harp of Kings, continue their journey in the latest offering by author Juliet Marillier: A Dance With Fate. Liobhan and Dau have enjoyed a fierce rivalry in the past and as the story opens it seems little has changed regarding their competitive natures. However, an accident during training, begins a chain of events that no-one could have foreseen. Dau loses his sight and it appears that Liobhan is to blame for this. At least, that is how… Read more A Dance With Fate →
We all need a bit of joy in our lives right now, so it is with great pleasure we present the Aurealis Awards finalists for 2019. Congratulations to all the finalists, and a huge thanks to our panelists who have persevered through fire, flood and plague to deliver these shortlists, which contain a glorious diversity […] via 2019 Aurealis Awards shortlist announcement — Aurealis Awards
Young Gracie has a kind heart and a love of the beautiful black swan couple, Signet and Cobie, living in her neighbourhood park. She frequently visits the swans with her mother; to feed them, watch them lovingly rear their babies and talk to them as if they were her dearest friends. When the male Swan Cobie is injured and is taken away by the Park Ranger, Gracie visits Signet often, reassuring her Cobie will be alright. One day, Gracie comes to visit Signet but the little girl is distraught… Read more The Swan Maiden. By Serene Conneeley →
The Harp Of Kings is the first book in The Warrior Bards Series, by Juliet Marillier. The latest novel from award-winning author Juliet, (Blackthorn and Grim Trilogy) is a powerful… Read more The Harp Of Kings →
Meditation is something I have only dabbled with (and not very successfully) but I do enjoy visualisation, which I find positive, self-affirming and easy to do. However, I was recently… Read more Multi-dimensional Meditation →
by Christina Houen. Ginninderra Press Hay, NSW, 1923 – a young schoolteacher named Martha, falls in love with Henry, a handsome sheep farmer with big dreams. Soon, Martha becomes pregnant… Read more This Place You Know →
Kate Forsyth (The Wild Girl, Beauty in Thorns) brings another significant historical period to life in her newest novel, The Blue Rose. 17-year-old heiress Viviane is bound to wed within the aristocracy, however her heart belongs to the talented but impoverished David, hired by her father to create lavish new gardens for their Estate. Torn apart from each other, Viviane is led to believe David is dead and enters a loveless marriage. David travels to China heartbroken, not realizing Viviane’s life will soon be in danger from the revolutionary fires… Read more The Blue Rose →
Dear Michelle, Since reading your book I feel like you’ve invited me to really know you, so I thought you wouldn’t mind if I began on first-name basis. Before we… Read more A letter to Michelle Obama: Becoming →
A Licence To Quill! 