AustLit

'This epic novel of passion, betrayal and bravery is based on a true story of the corrupt cover-up of a major fraud, which took place in war-torn England during the Blitz in the 1940s. A well to do Sydney family was rocked to the core after losing its hard earned legacy and the scandal almost brought down a blue-chip Australian financial institution. Some 80 years later, a granddaughter accidentally stumbles over the shocking deceit and exposes hidden truths that finally sees justice done.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Beverley Buckley did not realise that information she accessed during a meditation session held on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Sydney early in the 1990's would transform her life and the lives of hundreds of others. Following the meditation, she wrote that her higher purpose was “to access information that would allow people to remember and understand that they have the power to heal themselves and to be whatever they choose to be”. Understandably, she was skeptical that the information she had accessed had any basis in reality.
'A decade later, Beverley understood the process by which people could heal themselves but it took much longer to convince herself that what she had discovered wasn't just something she was imagining. She called the process Stress Defusion and it facilitated bringing information held in people's sub-conscious minds to conscious awareness. In many cases, it meant encouraging people to face their deepest fears.
'Without medical training Beverley needed to understand the process she was working with. Without understanding she could not explain it. This required years of research to identify information from mainstream scientific research that supported what she was seeing. It involved assembling information accessed by hundreds of people in order to identify and understand the patterns of peoples' lives and indeed, the patterns of humanity as a whole… and it involved seeing what happened over time when people who worked with the Stress Defusion process.
'Everything in Its Place tells the story of people who sought help to heal their lives. It explains how they created their lives to be the way they were — and what they needed to do to change the things in their lives that they didn't like.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

''That 'ole Abbo', 'e got inside me head an' screwed up me thinkin'.' The brief conversation with the transient Fella in the Perth caravan park sets a path to a future gradually unfolding over a decade and changing who Jenni and Pete are forever. That journey challenges their prejudices, their beliefs and their worldview. Who they are now is not who they were twelve years ago.
'A Cloudy Path follows their journey into the hearts and lives of desert Aborigines, sharing with them the harsh and beautiful Australian outback with its dusty red soil and inhospitable environment. They begin to appreciate the struggles of uniting two vastly different cultures and Jenni soon recognises the mismatch in the expectations of the Aborigines and our education system. As a teacher and eventually a principal, Jenni dedicates her life to trying to empower the children to raise the bar on their options for the future without devaluing their culture.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Morgan and Anton have been happy for five years in an apparently perfect marriage, but there is growing tension between them she cannot understand. While she questions her life choices she wonders why her childhood memories start so late. Why does she have no recollection of her parents? And why was she sent at a young age from Scotland to live with godparents in Australia? Above all, Morgan wants to know, and she is prepared to abandon everything to find out. She is not prepared, however, for the shock of the truth and its devastating consequence.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Jemma didn't know that her grandfather was the Supreme Ruler of the planet Anders Major, or that she is now his heir, until she encounters Frederick Pritchard in the rainforest, a place where she has always felt safe. As she unravels the truth that Pritchard murdered her grandfather, and then her parents, she realises, to her horror, that Pritchard, and his rebel organisation, will do anything to prevent her from claiming her heritage. With the help of military man, Sean Bellamy, she discovers a plot that runs not just to the highest levels of government on Earth, but beyond, to the Inter-Planetary League (IPL), a group of aliens who have worked with Earth's military for centuries but, while the IPL does all they can to help her, they have their own agenda. As Jemma is drawn in, she discovers that her future — and the future of the human race on Earth — still hangs in the balance.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Susan Hutchinson wrote her first poem at age 10 and has been writing poems intermittently since. She is inspired by the challenge of different styles and variety of subject matter.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'How did a runt from an impoverished U.S. farm family come to be a sensitive, but highly-trained, killer? Why wasn't he decorated? How did he live through so many horrors of war in both overt and covert actions? Why did he become a deserter and how was he never charged? How did he obtain Australian citizenship, serve in that country's army and eventually marry a beautiful, rich and clever girl?Cut Off is about a man's extraordinary survival skills. The reader follows him on an adventure as he undergoes hardship, danger, injury and deprivation. Many of the passages are narrated in the brutally strong language of men at war and contain the black humour of those in constant peril. This story is testimony to what a trained and determined man can endure and achieve.'  (Publication summary)

'Harry Stevens, the Middle-Eastern war hero from Hitch-Hikers, the first book in the Firebird series, thought that having dinner at the pub and chatting up the waitress was a safe and pleasant way to pass an evening, but circumstances conspire to dump the delivery of a new super-drug as well as a large bag of bikie gang cash in his lap. Assumptions are made, confusions are leapt to, shots are fired, people are dead and Harry finds himself in the middle of a bikie gang war with both sides looking to take him out. And that's not to dinner!

'Being on the hit lists of all the Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs in SE Queensland, Harry is forced to run for his life, but not before stocking up on lovely girls, rum and a few select close friends. Harry's mystical giant cat, Jasper once again proves that he's more than worth any two humans in a fight. Harry, the floating trouble magnet, discovers that being shot in Afghanistan was nothing like being the focus of attention of all the OMC's in South East Queensland. His inventiveness gets the workout of a lifetime as he tries to stay one jump ahead of the bad guys as they form strange alliances to find him.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'People are always going missing; some accidentally and others on purpose. Files are kept on these people until their cases are closed, but some will never be solved. The team were asked to go to the Isle of Wight to oversee an Indian Diplomat's visit and whilst there Percy told of the disappearance of a woman, an acquaintance of Alicia's, who had left her daughter at the bookshop for Granny to look after until Alicia came back. No one knew where Sandra had disappeared to leaving behind her child and husband. Later on, a father reported a missing daughter, his eighteen-year-old had been missing for six months. This was a puzzle James and Alicia could not let go; several ideas came up, but proved fruitless in the search. If foul play did not happen, just how does a young woman disappear? No one had seen or heard from her for several months; they hoped the explanation was not sinister. Their Lawyer friend asked the team whether they could look into a nursing home death. There had been unexplained deaths and the patients were frightened. Percy recognised the Nurse under suspicion; could he catch him out? There were signs also that their old enemy, the “Sahib”, was issuing orders from his jail cell to cause harm to James and Alicia. A fire bomb was thrown into the office. Could this be a sign for their future? Would they always be looking over their shoulders?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Cold Deep Waters on the shores of Botany Bay Australia becomes the setting and sympathetic home for the secret Hanover line. A family cast adrift, torn between two vastly different worlds. It is the true untold explosive story of Queen Victoria's secret life away from the world. It is also the story of my Great Grandmother Victoria and my Great Grandfather, her beloved John Brown.

'The reader is introduced to Victoria and John Brown's three children; extraordinary lives commencing with an epic journey from England in 1884. The eldest daughter and archetypal Elsie Ursula, the steely and determined princess and my gran who becomes my dearest friend and informant to this story. Elsie's marriage into the Hobson line and her two siblings now all bonded together sharing pseudo and sanitised lives.

'This is not just an autobiography. It is a time machine. A royal clock which stopped ticking 134 years ago. The deeply moving and lamented story of a forgotten royal lineage.

'Was it destined to be forever lost?

'A strong family bond forms with the connection of Cptn. William Hobson in negotiating the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand.

'The freestyle prowess of Cptn. William Farrell Hobson owner of the prolific Coogee Aquarium baths Sydney Australia including a well publicised murder mystery.

'The book is an unprecedented insight into the private lives of our family and events which unwittingly may have shaped the historic course of an empire.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The year is 1970. Japan has the second biggest and fastest growing economy in the world and an insatiable need for energy and mineral imports. Goro Fuchida, a battle-scarred and charismatic scion of feudal warlords, has secretly convinced the Government that future prosperity will be dependant on Japan realizing its 'destiny' of total mastery over the region and its resources. This can only be achieved by war.

'A repeat of 1941 is out of the question, but an overwhelming and unexpected military strike on Australia's North West is judged likely to succeed. Both Australia and America are bogged in the mire of Vietnam. Total secrecy is essential.

'All hell breaks loose in Japan when an unconventional Australian intelligence agent is alerted to Japan's plans by a CIA colleague, and the Japanese discover that he may have revealed 'Operation Destiny' to Canberra. The Australian agent, an intrepid Australian girl with a love of Japanese culture, and the Japanese leader, Fuchida, are swept into a maelstrom of violence and subterfuge. Soon the Emperor himself is dragged into the crisis, and the future of Japan and Australia are at stake. Matters come to a dramatic and deadly climax. This exciting novel is based around little-known fact, contentious historical issues, and the sophisticated and exquisite culture of the Japanese warrior classes.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

' 2001. East Timor remains a dangerous place. Memories of pro‑Indonesian savagery linger, a resurgent militia threatens, and a secret war rages between Indonesia and Australia. Agent runner Matt Hurley is swept up in a maelstrom when one of his agents is brutally murdered.

'Seeking justice, he must partner with the shadowy world of counter-intelligence and in doing so, familiar faces begin to surface from his own troubled past; the wily spymaster Harry Faversham, and the talented and irresistible Maggie. The rollercoaster gathers speed with the death of the killer, but all is not as it seems. To bring everything into the open Hurley conceives a strategy to terrify his true quarry into confession. But success also brings the unexpected — an opportunity to capture militia leader Marcelino Borges, sadistic ringmaster of the infamous Kissing House, a dark place of rape and murder, hiding in West Timor. Near tragedy strikes during the attempt to take Borges and in the aftermath, Hurley must go secretly into West Timor to rescue the remnants of Maggie's team, now on the run. To uncover the last secret Hurley must himself confront the beast Borges. His revelation brings everything down and propels Hurley towards the real arch-traitor he is seeking, and an outcome from which there will be no turning back.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'At almost fifteen, Jess exists alone in a life which has known few luxuries.

'A desperate attempt one night to free herself from her past is only the beginning of a new roller coaster ride of abuse and betrayal. She is thrust among strangers who use her to cover up their own deep-rooted family tensions. Disillusioned by a welfare system that has failed her and full of hostility for a world that has abandoned her, Jess finds herself back on the streets and fighting to survive. After recovering from a serious illness, she is given a second chance by a new family. But hardened to all compassion, she is engaged in an embittered struggle with everyone around her, and ultimately with herself.

'But with the support of the Bowmans, and Mark, who refuses to give up on her, can she learn to trust again, or even to love?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Daniel Desousa stands astride a major fault line that divides his extended family. On his mother's side are folk who live in an isolated rural backwater, an impoverished but proudly independent community. On John his father's side are the supremely rich dominated by his Uncle Putron and matriarch Drakonia. People so powerful they are effectively a law unto themselves. When a feud breaks out between John and Putron, Daniel flees for his life to find sanctuary with his mother's relatives. Roman Brasco works for Putron. He and Daniel would seem natural enemies but though they cross paths several time they don't actually meet until the very end.

'This is a story of national and international intrigues, of kidnappings, murders, corruption, love and loyalty all viewed through a satirical lens. Here are elements of madness both amongst the homeless but also amid those who are deemed so rich and powerful that they mustn't be allowed to fail. As for the Edible Machine Guns they are both sugary snacks and potential deadly weapons. Every fifth bullet on the lickerish belt feed a soft centred dumb-dumb. But will this story end with the sound of a nuclear explosion or the clink of coffee cups?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

' Andrii Antonenko was born in the Ukraine in 1922 shortly before the Communist purges of the Kulaks. He and his family were sent to work camps in the frozen steppes of the far North when he wasn't even a teenager. He escaped the camp at an early age and from then on his life was a tale of extraordinary resilience and survival. He was conscripted into the Red Army at the beginning of 1941 just prior to the German invasion of Russia, and was engaged in battle and subsequently wounded. He managed to return to his home town where he recuperated. Following his recovery he was forced into the German Army where he suffered under the hands of the Germans before escaping and joining the Italian partisans. During this period he escaped death several times, was often on the edge of starvation and in constant fear of his life.

'Ultimately through luck and deception, he managed to pass himself off as a Pole and join the Polish division of the British Army in order to escape being repatriated by the Soviets and sent back to be murdered as part of their cleansing process.

'This book is dedicated to my father and all the Ukrainians who suffered under Stalin's totalitarian regime including the forced famine of 1933 and the Second World War. His firsthand account of the events provide a snapshot of a critical time in the history of the Ukraine and the events which have been glossed over in the history books by subsequent events. His desire to return to the bosom of his family provided a long and dangerous journey through a number of countries and experiences which would have defeated many people. His candid and honest comments provide a balance of compassion and optimism which he has passed on to those who surrounded him.This is his story…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Harry Stevens, a Middle Eastern war hero, thought that recovering in Eden with his huge and mystical cat, Jasper, after his catamaran is bashed around by a storm, would be a delightful break from his sailing voyage around Australia. However, the finger of fate in the very pleasant form of an abused, runaway wife and her two lively, wilful and beautiful teenage daughters lands Harry in more trouble than he could ever imagine.

'Harry's hopes for a quiet time in this beautiful and peaceful town are shattered as he learns that the psychotic, vengeful husband is pulling out all stops in an effort to locate, not just his wife, but even more so the girls for his own, much darker purposes. Suddenly on the run, Harry is forced to fall back on his natural inventiveness and SAS training to combat an increasingly resourceful foe who shows that there is truly no limit to human lust, greed, depravity and treachery.

'Barely staying one step ahead of his pursuers, Harry forms some most unlikely alliances to try to defeat his many opponents with their limitless resources.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Join theological student, Andrew, who is recovering from a cancer scare, and his friend, Tony, on a Pilgrimage tour of the Holy Land. They visit places which ring a loud Christian bell and others which evoke a mere tinkle.

'During the tour it becomes apparent that although all members of the party are there because of their Christian beliefs, there is a wide range of interpretations and reactions to the places they visit. A journey to the Holy Land may strengthen an individual's faith; but then again, it may not. How will Andrew and his friend fare? And more importantly, will the rather good-looking tour guide help in any way?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Davidia and Slirander had the 'single' task of researching Slirander's grandma's memories for a school age based thesis. Not much was known about her history. Her memories were stored in a secret place inside the room with the waving hands wall.

'What secrets did those memories hold? Was there danger attached to them? They visited the land of Pollital where the memory eaters stored all memories in various coloured balls. A memory eaten is a memory saved. There was no guarantee about its quality.

'A visit to World War Two and the Blue Rat operating behind enemy lines had Davidia's life threatened.

'A visit to a boarding school had them doing servile tasks under duress and Davidia was mistreated.

'The Shadow was a female pugilist, agile and tough. She deserted Davidia who was a hidden spectator, being set upon by a baying male crowd in the boxing house where females were banned.

'Death awaited them in Tombstone where they had to front as gunslingers against Black Bart. The female hostess of the salon had unsavoury ideas for the two girls. When imprisoned the girls were bullied with harm, threatened with knives and whilst in solitary confinement, managed an escape.

'The desert sands led them to discover a female hostage who, once again did them no favours.

'Who was the real grandma? Was she the vivid storyteller or was another truth hidden amongst the grey haired old lady with the road map face and non-fashionable attire?

'The age thesis was delivered but with a twist from the British Government. What was it?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The mighty water-wheel at Laxey mines in the Isle of Man has been set in motion. In its great shadow, Sarah and Patrick have fallen in love. It is a love that must be kept secret, for Patrick is Irish. Sarah's mother — Judith — has lost her mind and blames an Irishman for her husband being imprisoned 'across the water' in Liverpool, where she can never visit him.

'The two young lovers desperately desire to wed and be together, but Judith's increasing madness, which began when she lost some of her childer to a savage disease and deepened on her husband's incarceration, proved too strong a pull.

'Sarah's deep loyalty to her mother also stands between the lovers, indeed life itself thwarts their every effort to find a way toward their happiness.

'Patrick's friend — Robert — is going to Australia to make his fortune mining for gold and has asked Patrick to accompany him. With no other option and seemingly with the cards stacked against them, Patrick and Sarah are both heartbroken.

'Knowing that her mother will never recover from her illness and will always need her support, Sarah tells Patrick he must go with Robert to make a life for himself without her, and to forget her, and the love they share.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.