Cirrus@Austlit

'In her mid 30s and trying to make sense of her floundering relationship, Regina is restless. Throwing caution aside, she books a one-way ticket to the Caribbean and joins the crew of a small, vintage racing yacht to satisfy her growing desire for adventure.

'Once aboard the old yacht in Antigua, Regina and her fellow crew members work tirelessly under the watchful eye of its cantankerous owner, as they prepare for the passage back to Australia.

'During a sultry sunset dance on a clifftop, Regina encounters an alluring man who makes her question what she is looking for. When the sailing trip is abruptly cancelled, she must leave Antigua and the budding romance in her wake.

'A new life beckons, but is it worth abandoning the security and comforts of home to follow her dreams?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Painting the Light is an expansive historical Australian novel and a touching and realistic love story set before, during and after WW2. It traces the journey of two young Australians whose experience of the war leads them to rejecting their conservative upbringing and embracing the aims of a fair deal for everyone.

'Nell Hope’s dreams of becoming an artist are dashed when Hitler invades Poland. Her grazier father orders her home from Paris, and so she swaps her paint brush for riding boots.

'Alec Murray’s loyalist instincts propel him to leave his farm in western NSW and enlist in the AIF to defend Britain against the impending Nazi threat.

'They meet in the hyper-charged atmosphere of prewar Sydney and fall in love, but their courtship is cut short when war is declared. Alec is sent to the Middle East where his eyes are opened to a new world. Far from experiencing the romanticism of war as depicted in the art and literature of the day, Alec is confronted by the reality of its horrors. When he returns on leave after two years in Palestine and Greece, he is a changed man. He is determined that if he survives the war, he will do everything in his power to create a fairer and more equitable society. To his relief he finds a fellow traveller in Nell. They are hastily married before he is sent to PNG to fight the Japanese.

'Nell discovers she is pregnant and faces the prospect of bringing a new baby into the world alone. Dreams of an artistic career seem long ago.

'When Alec is finally demobbed, the couple begin a new life on his farm near Coonabarabran, NSW. He throws himself into local politics and starts to transform Coonabarabran by creating the kind of public utilities he saw in his travels.

'Nell discovers she is pregnant again just at the time when Alec receives a call from Labor Party headquarters. A meeting with Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, results in him standing for the ALP in a safe Country Party seat. Their respective family and friends are horrified and turn their backs on the couple.

'United in the fight to create a more equitable society and to bring rural Australia into the postwar world, Nell and Alec throw everything into the election. Soon they discover they are fighting against more than their Country Party opponents, but their love and loyalty to each other grow ever stronger.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

 (Publication summary)

'For Sidnie, the smart, handsome (if not quite prize-winning) cocker spaniel, life at home in Australia is just fine. But when Mum decides to spend a few years living on Sidnie’s human dad’s Christmas tree farm in America, he has to go along too.

'Through his own words, with Mum’s help, Sidnie tells of the thrills, struggles and delights of moving to the other side of the world. In among the Christmas trees, he runs into intimidating stags and gun-toting deer hunters, plays hide-and-seek with the friendlier wildlife, and chases squirrels as they gather nuts for winter.

'With gusto, he throws himself into his first American Christmas party! And even an urgent dash to the vet’s after helping himself to chocolate cupcakes doesn’t diminish his enjoyment.

'With the humour and wisdom you’d expect of a cocker spaniel, Sidnie keenly observes the antics of the ‘choose and cut’ Christmas tree customers, ponders the attitudes of New Jersey’s two- and four-legged inhabitants, and illuminates the joys and challenges he and his human mum encounter in the land of Uncle Sam.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'From a TV newsreader in Sydney to a hotelier’s wife in the heart of China – this is a true story of reinvention, love, and finding your place in the world.

'Nicole Webb and her husband, James, are always up for an adventure, so when James is offered a job in the ancient city of Xi’an in north-west China, they jump at the chance. Nicole, James and three-year-old Ava pack up their home in Hong Kong and fly into a world they know nothing about — a place where they know no one.

'Touching down, culture shock hits Nicole head on. It feels as if all eyes are on her and Ava, the only blondes in the jam-packed arrivals hall, two foreigners, so far from home.

'With honesty and humour, Nicole takes us on a journey of daily life in the Middle Kingdom at a time when the whole world is looking towards China.

'We follow her search for friendship and acceptance where she discovers, no matter what your culture or background, we’re connected the world over by the common thread of humanity.

'CHINA BLONDE gives us a very personal insight, told with a journalist’s eye view, into the lives of those who embraced Nicole with open arms. Her experience along the way will resonate with anyone who’s ever built a life in a new home – be it across the city or across the world.'(Publication summary)