Cirrus@Austlit

'An author down on his luck is mistaken for a famous poet. He is asked to write a poem so moving that it will win a woman her ex-husband back.

'Does he reveal his true identity or play along? What happens when the real poet turns up?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'‘Disenfranchised is what some people would call me, though I still eat plenty of McDonald’s.’

'Mark Vender’s ‘Adnarchy’ tells of Kevin’s struggle to find normalcy in his life. Receding into a world of online gaming and binge eating, he tries to create joy in small amusements – defacing ads and making jokes, in the hope that one day his brother will recover.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Step into the dysfunctional life of Eunice…

Oblivious to her unhappy marriage, still living in her mother’s house and unable to stop biting her nails, Eunice feels as if she has no control over her own life. When her new husband needs to make a trip for work, Eunice tags along in the caravan without much thought for what it will be like. Left to her own devices, what will she uncover within the deepest recesses of the caravan park… and within herself?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

''This was what you wanted: to have somewhere you were meant to be.'

'Donna is struggling with change. After moving into a new town, seeing her daughter start school and getting a job with the local drop-in centre, she feels more mixed up and out of place than her five-year-old. Life is complicated. There is the seemingly impenetrable kindy mother’s group, the bottles of Grange her husband keeps receiving from property developers and the erotic dreams she is having about her new boss.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Mark has just handed in his final university psychology essay and is looking forward to a weekend away with his girlfriend. As he drives, his mind starts to wander, to the lyrics of a love song he is composing, to how everything seems to be going well with his life and also unsettlingly, his mind wanders to his psychology research – particularly the conflicting views on determinism and freedom.

'These opposing views come to a head when Mark runs into his old school friend Roddy and the mysterious Nicu. You will not be prepared for what happens next.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The story follows the narrator’s attempts to deal with the numerous responsibilities that he has, all the while admiring the flying foxes that seem to have followed them throughout their lives.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Emily, a research scientist, is conducting malaria vaccine trials in West Africa when she is visited by her daughter, Anna, who is travelling on her gap year. Anna is nursing a broken heart, and Emily wants nothing more than to support her, but finds herself distracted by her conflicting feelings towards John, a married doctor she meets there.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

''Remembering Mardion' takes us back to Ancient Egypt, to the time of Cleopatra, and invites us to take part in the adventures of Mardion, a mysterious servant who served Cleopatra towards the end of her reign.

'This tale shows us that even the most lowly and seemingly-nondescript servants can have their own secrets, and indeed their own part to play in the great events of history.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Rae, a postgraduate student, lives in a terrace with her dog, Nana. After posting an advertisement seeking a new housemate, she meets Astrid who seems to be the only suitable applicant. And more importantly, she likes dogs. At first, Rae tries to welcome Astrid and her strange habits – such as her addiction to reality television and frozen dinners and her refusal to leave the house beyond walking Nana. Rae slowly realises that the manipulative Astrid isn’t as harmless as she appears to be.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Left alone for the day at the lake by their father, four children wander off on adventures which put each of them at risk.

In ‘The Lake Story’ by Ron Elliott, the narrator sifts through his and his adult siblings’ memories to fill the gaps of their life with their erratic, alcoholic father.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Eric has been thinking about his life and why he has always lived it on the safe side and with such quiet containment. While on holidays with his elderly but seemingly more life-embracing mother, he begins to explore these thoughts further – of how his extensive travels have given him the chance to experience the power of fate and lost opportunities.

What happens when this inner turmoil reaches a climax?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.