Cirrus@Austlit

'Growing up in darkest Scotland as the son of the local poacher and then rampaging across Europe with a pack of Rangers hooligans is not the best preparation for high office in Australia.

'Father at 18, professional footballer at 20, Lawrie McKinna was living the dream until he uprooted for Australia at 25 to play in the NSL. Then he became a successful coach (NSL, A-League and China) and ultimately was elected to political office as an independent after being courted by both mainstream parties du to his massive popularity.

'These pages chronicle his journey, telling his dangerous truth with fearless candour, infectious enthusiasm and a wicked sense of humour.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

A Tale of Love and Revenge Set Against History's Bloody Backdrop...

'In the year 1060, young Brand Holgarsson's family are wiped out in a Viking raid arranged by Brand's treacherous uncle Malgard. Malgard is named thegn of the town of Stybbor in East Anglia while Brand is made outlaw and hunted through the woods by Malgard's men, determined to extinguish the last possible claim to Malgard's thegnship.

'Aided by a strange young woman, Valla, who claims to be 242 years old, Brand escapes and is befriended by Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex and the choice of the Saxon nobles to be king after the childless Edward (the Confessor). Brand nurses his dream of vengeance over Malgard while sharing Harold's perils and waiting for Valla who will only return from The Place of Dreams if Brand has remained true to his promise to lie with no other woman.

'All stories come together at the Battle of Hastings, where Harold's great banner, The Fighting Man, flew above the field at Senlac Ridge in opposition to the papal cross carried by William the Bastard.

'"Not since reading Sharpe have I felt such a sense of being in the story. Outstanding." - Stuart Quin, Full Circle Films

'"I read it on the train, walking down the street, well after my usual bed time and when I was supposed to be working. Even though I knew exactly where the story was headed, I was compelled to know what happened next." - Jane B Rawson, From The Wreck'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Plenty of retirees take a holiday. When Brian Rix retired after 36 years as a policeman in Victoria, rather than hitching up the caravan he put his wife, journalist Shirley Hardy-Rix, on the back of his motorcycle and headed off for a ride. For the next 16 months Brian and Shirley rode more than 82,000 kilometres through 32 countries on five continents. They rode from the bottom of South America to the very top of North America - from the Antarctic Circle to the Arctic Circle. They rode over 5,000 metre mountain ranges, through snow and ice, through deserts and tropics, enduring altitude sickness and a near catastrophic breakdown in the heart of bear country. Circle to Circle is an inspiring and engaging account of the travels of an adventurous couple. It will entertain you in your armchair, or it may even inspire you to get up and go.' (Publication summary)

‘If God is too indifferent, or too non-existent to take care of His creation, then clearly it’s up to Me.’

'Morgen Tanjenz is a lawyer with an overactive sense of justice. His mission in life is to reward the virtuous, punish the ignorant and avenge those who won’t avenge themselves. His favourite pastime is ‘life sculpture’ — anonymously intervening in the lives of strangers to change their destiny in ways he thinks they deserve.

'But Morgen isn’t the only one changing lives in the city. A serial killer is on the prowl and taunting the police in letters to the local rag. But, as the body count rises, Detective Sergeant Blacksnake Fowler can hardly focus on the job with so many distractions: his boss hates him, his deputy is trying to undermine him and the woman he loves is having an affair.

'In the cicada-throbbing heat of a Sydney summer, the threads of a strange story become entangled in a wild conclusion no one will see coming. ' (Publisher's blurb)