AustLit

'Perhaps we have done to our bodies what we have so long done to God? 

'We have let vessels of peace be used as rubbish bins, weapons and punching bags. 

'We have asked them to conform to our image. The image we find the most desirable. 

'We have vanquished their significance, until finally, they have no power at all.  

'By the age of 23, Anna McGahan was wrestling with the rest of the world for ownership of her femininity, sexuality and physicality.  

'As a young actor suddenly thrust into the spotlight as a poster girl for sexual liberation – intent on exploring New Age spirituality, the next relationship and the wildest high – her path continuously pointed her to chaos, consumption and isolation. 

'Until she met God. 

'In this memoir, Anna shares the story of reconciling with her body, mapping its journey from a cheapened product in a marketplace to a vessel of astonishing worth.  

'This is a deeply personal and radical story, of a body rescued, redeemed and set free. Of holy pain and undeserved healing. Of a life completely and irrevocably changed.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Set in the turmoil of social change and political unrest of Australia during the 1960s, The Songs of Jesse Adams traces the meteoric rise of a boy from the bush – a farmer’s son who breaks away to follow his heart, his dreams and his love of music. But, as Jesse travels with his band and the crowds gather, it becomes clear that something else is afoot. This rock singer captivates and transforms a host of fans who hear his songs and encounter his touch.

'Lives are changed in unexpected ways and the enigmatic Jesse becomes a symbol of hope and freedom for those on society’s edge. But not all will celebrate the rising tide of influence of this charismatic figure whose words and actions challenge those in power – the media, the politicians, the church. In one tumultuous week this clash of ideals comes to a head – with profound consequences.

'Awash in all the protest and collapse of conservative Australia, the colour and madness that was the sixties, The Songs of Jesse Adams is a tale of conflict, betrayal and tragedy, but ultimately the triumph of love.' (Publication summary)

'Time Trek is a novel set in the 31st century where genetic engineering has eliminated disease; greed and violence have also been eliminated from humanity and life is perfect. But all genetic experiments did not go to plan. So when the evil, dangerous mutant Darkon, one of the rare failed experiments at the University of Advanced Genetics, steals a time machine and escapes back in time, the history of the world is threatened. ' (Publication summary)

'It was a rare malfunction in the Cryolab that led to the return of the deranged mutant Darkon. A blink in the electricity system turned the humidity meter off. It took no longer than a minute for the maintenance engineers to spot the malfunction and fix it, but the time was enough for a bead of moisture to form and drop into the softly humming motor that controlled the temperature of the open-lidded deep freeze capsule that housed the gross shape of Darkon. ' (Publication summary)

'It is close to Christmas and Natalie has discovered that her big brother Jake claims he has proof that Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny are not real. he intend to launch this proof worldwide on the web on Christmas Eve and ruin Christmas for ever. Oberon Moody, a man who makes Halloween masks dreams of making Halloween the only holiday on the calendar and, with his strange helper, the pointy-eared Dobbin, promises to help Jake in his task. Santa calls in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny to help foil Jake's plot with some pretty funny tricks.' (Publication summary)

'One minute Jasmin was standing in her bath, drying her hair with the hair dryer, the next she was in a noisy, crowded room wearing her dressing gown and carrying a suitcase with a faulty lock. It didn't seem particularly strange, because her life was like that. She could be walking down the street, or across the school playground or running in the gym and the next thing she knew she'd be sitting up in a bed at home, a sick room or, in extreme cases, a hospital.Jasmin was accident prone - or unfortunate'', as her parents described her. They marvelled at times that she'd actually reached the ripe old age of 14. 'Little Angels is a light-hearted look at teenagers "on the other side." Jasmin becomes member of Angel Troop and is one of the clumsiest Guardian Angels to grace the troop, but she manages, with a bit of luck, to eventually to do her job and rescue her soul mate from some sticky situations. ' (Publication summary)

'“Kellie had a dragon living the paddock at the back of her house. She also had trolls, but she didn’t know about them yet. The dragon hadn’t been there very long and it had never spoken. It hadn’t breathed fire, nor roared a scary roar. But that was because it was made from wood.” When a large tree branch dried out it looked a lot like a dragon with a long forked tail, four wriggly limbs protruding from a thick body, and a large mouth where the branch had separated from the tree. It looked fearsome enough but when Kellie and her Dad had finished with the paint tins, it looked even scarier. Kellie called it David the Snake Dragon. In this fast-moving and exciting book for early readers, which is also designed for parents to read to their children, Kellie and Gregory discover that their favourite toys have been stolen and David comes to life. He takes the children to the Island of Lost Dolls, a place where lost dolls used to live happily ever after, but when a wicked doll declares herself queen she make all the dolls her slaves. Kellie Gregory and David with the help of the mysterious Regina must fight to save not only their own toys but all the others too.' (Publication summary)

'When the world is drained of all colours David the Snake Dragon comes alive once more and takes Kellie and Gregory on a journey to the Land above the Clouds where the evil gnome known as The Painter has stolen the rainbow and broken it into separate colours so they can't mix and create real colours. The trio battle their way through the different colour zones in a quest to find true colours so they can repair the damage, but there are many pitfalls and dangers between them and the end of the rainbow. This is the second book that features David, Kellie, and Gregory. The first was The Island of Lost Dolls. ' (Publication summary)

The account of a personal journey of healing transition from painful childhood experiences towards a peaceful stability.