AustLit

'Ashley Drummond is an elite swimmer. Clayton Sandalford is a talented artist. From the moment of their first meeting, they were destined to be together.

'Staying together, however, will test the limits of their love. A world-record swim, and the strange vision that accompanies it, raises questions about the couple's connection.

'Then a life-altering incident triggers a mystical change, which will demand that both of them let go in ways never imagined.

'Infinite Blue is a contemporary fairy tale about love and loss, flesh and water, the source of eternity, the lure of possibility and the belief that life is limitless when it's immersed in legend.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Since the sudden death of his younger sister, Evie, sixteen-year-old Munro Maddux has been having flashbacks and anger-management issues. He has a constant ache in his right hand. And there's a taunting, barking, biting voice he calls "the Coyote." Munro knows a six-month student exchange will not be the stuff of teenage dreams, but in Brisbane he intends to move beyond his troubled past. It is there, at an assisted living residence called Fair Go Community Village, that Munro discovers the Coyote can be silenced.

'Munro volunteers as a "Living Partner" and gets to know the team of residents he is assigned to. The burden Munro carries, however, is not so easily cast aside. When one of the team makes the decision to leave, the Coyote gets a new life. When a second resident is taken away, the specter of trauma and death looms larger than ever.

'Will Munro learn how to silence the voice? Or will the Coyote ultimately triumph?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Since the death of his sister, Evie, Munro Maddux has been stuck. Flashbacks. Anger. Chest pains. A constant ache in his right hand. And a taunting voice he calls the Coyote.

'In an act of desperation, Munro heads off on a student exchange to Australia - the country of Evie's dreams. Forced by his new school to join a volunteer program, Munro discovers the Coyote is silenced in one place- Fair Go, an assisted-living residence in Brisbane's west. Munro gets to know his team of residents- designer Bernie; sleeping refugee Shah; would-be wedded couple Blake and Dale; comic creator Iggy; and self-defence tutor Florence. As this unlikely group shows Munro the sights, Munro's notion of what it means to be a big brother begins to change. But the burden Munro carries is not so easily cast aside. Will the Coyote triumph? Or can Munro find the fortitude necessary to mend his heart? ' (Publication summary)
 

'This road trip will have earth-shattering consequences . . .

'Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest.

'It's been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer. Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift. Before they go their separate ways, they're seeking to create the perfect memory.

'For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes.

'For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to ‘free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc – and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs.

'But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble . . . ' (Publication summary)

'Nate Monk is Kieran's father. He's a single parent of a "differently wired" child, a talented musician who once stood on the cusp of success and a man resigned to a pragmatic life of responsibility over opportunity. Both share the scarred aftermath of the Infernal Day.

'On a perfect autumn April noon five-and-a-half years before, wife and mother Felicity died saving her only child from a raging house fire. Although Kieran's inadvertent hand was complicit in the tragedy, Nate refused to apportion blame. The tragic circumstances of the blaze, however, constituted a secret that a fearful father dared not share with his "different" son.

'But now, as the burning forests of nearby Pendarra Hill fill the sky with smoke and the TV screen with concern, Kieran will discover the devastating truth. And driven by a desire to make amends for the "stupid little kid" of half a decade before, he will disappear into the night.' (From the publisher's website.)

'After a series of miscarriages, Adam and Maddy manage to get pregnant. To 'personify and self-actualise' his fatherhood, Adam decides to email their unborn child. To his surprise, "B" gets his message at womb@almighty.com and replies. Then, in Week 29, "B" stops corresponding. What's happened? Brace yourself for the unexpected!

The Umbilical Word is a contemporary novel about chasing dreams, confronting loss and discovering what's important in life. A must-read for every parent and parent-to-be.' (Publisher's blurb)

Ex-basketball professional, Sean Watson, is appointed to coach students from non-English speaking backgrounds at a new school. The Milpera school encourages students to develop language skills in order to be able to attend mainstream schools. Sean establishes dialogue with the students around the plight of refugees in Australia, love and loss, puberty, language and cultural differences, and leads the team to compete in the Pepsi Cup Challenge for basketball.

And now it's a done deal. But suicide isn't as easy as Alistair thought. His stomach says no when the inner voices say yes. A salesman with car trouble and a cagey attitude enlists his reluctant assistance.

A former TV star turned derelict guardian angel takes up the mission to talk him down. The spectre of his father's lesson for success hovers over him like a pall of smoke. And worst of all, the wife, the cops, the media and half the city descend upon the bridge to see if their hero still has what it takes...'(Source: Publisher's website)