Cirrus@Austlit

'Riparian Writers live and work on both sides of the Murray River in the Albury-Wodonga region. Riparian, means relating to or situated on the banks of a river. This collection of their creative non-fiction, fiction and poetry features and is dedicated to Dorothy Simmons, a foundational and long-standing member of the group.' (Publication summary)

'In these stories of a quintessential Australian phenomenon, bushfires reveal a conflagration of human drama. They deepen the pain of a tragic love triangle, bring justice to a false mate, and push a young drover and his horse to the limits of their endurance. A priest and wedding guests find themselves fighting fires instead of toasting the happy couple. A woman capable of saving her farm from fire cannot save herself from the proprietary rage of men. And a good horse and a faithful dog prove themselves the best allies in a dangerous situation.' (Publication summary)

'Set against the backdrop of the slave trade and the impossible wealth of the Sultans of Zanzibar, The Sultan’s Daughter follows the dramatic real life events of Sayyida Salmé’s forbidden love. It is a story of great tenderness, and of great loss.' (Publication summary)

'Tom Morison is a reluctant freeholder in South Australia and unsuited to farming. But Tom is redeemed when his education in geology and chemistry finally gives the family their best Christmas ever – a ‘golden’ one. In this and eight other ‘lost’ stories of gold mining in colonial-era Australia, a colourful cast of characters star in stories of love and crime, loyalty and betrayal, spirituality and avarice. And the eternal lure of gold and its corrupting influence are ever-present.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When Ms De Beer seeks out a doctor to assist with removing her eyes, figuring she no longer needs them, she is surprised to learn the true source of her concerns. Ms De Beer cannot see red. As a result, she has been leaving a trail of heart-blood behind her everywhere she goes. Reeling from this information, Ms De Beer sets out on a journey to rediscover herself. Along the way she discovers far more of herself than she expects. But piecing all of the parts together and learning to see clearly will be harder than she thought. Blue in theRed House is a hybrid memoir/magic realist novella from debut author Sarah Madden, which recreates her experience of being diagnosed with Autism at age 34. Through the journey of Ms De Beer, Madden reimagines her sensory perception of the world around her and her place within it. In fiction, Madden illuminates the truth in ways that strict facts often cannot manage.' (Publication summary)

'Nell has a friend in need but will her kind heart wreck her chance for future happiness? A meddlesome prank and a stray kitten bring Helen and Gabriel together but will he be able to admit his feelings? When Lily goes missing will Archibald trust his wife or listen to the 'evidence' of family friends? Is Marie's runaway kookaburra the last straw or the answer to her problems? Will Teresa's faith in the Madonna bring her beloved Carlo home safely from the coral fishing?

'Catherine Martin's loyal, wilful and feisty heroines traverse the terrains of romance in Italy, Switzerland and Australia in these nineteenth-century tales of manners.

'Catherine Martin (1848?-1937) was the author of poems, essays, short stories and novels, including the popular An Australian Girl (1890). All the stories in this collection were published in the Australian press between 1881 and 1898. They have never been published in book form before.

'The book includes an introduction by Katherine Bode, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University working in digital humanities, literary studies and book history. Her Australian Research Council funded project, To Be Continued, has unearthed an astonishing bibliographic index and full-text archive of fiction in Australian newspapers from 1803 to 1955.' (Publication summary)