Cirrus@Austlit

'In 2022, Amy faced the most challenging decision of her life: stay in the job she knew and loved as a high school English teacher, making a difference in the lives of teens, but continue to risk her relationship with her friends, her family, her health - and her own children?

'Or leap into the unknown?

'Amy's choice resulted in these poems, as she processed her way through grief into joy on the other side.

'For everyone who knows what it takes to change the world, one baby step at a time - and a reminder to all creatives that changing the world starts first with changing you.' (Publication summary)

'The strange visitor arrives in the nick of time, just as Natalie contemplates giving in to the feelers of darkness that surround her.

'She can stay strong long enough to entertain a guest. But after that? Who knows.

'A hopeful tale for everyone beset by the Black Dog.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Due to a fortuitous combination of luck, caution and common sense, Lucy makes it to fourteen without seeing the Mist—carnivorous, ravenous, rolling in through the forest from the sea every few years.

'Then her mother sends her to the forest for potion ingredients. Determined to prove her maturity, Lucy goes eagerly.

'The Mist rolls in, and Lucy must choose: carnivorous Mist, or cursed bones?

'A rich, dark fantasy for everyone who believes in doing whatever it takes to keep your loved ones safe.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Nuns, possibly magical—Mary never could get the story from her mother straight—raised her mother. They provided her food, and care, and love—and left her with a legacy.

'Because when Mary reached maturity, it came with a surprise: plant magic.

'The city crumbles, concrete decaying, plastic corroding…

'They hunt one of the beasts causing the destruction to a petrol station, crumbling and leaking fuel throughout the parking lot.

'Parent-teacher interviews: a teacher's worse nightmare.

'Especially with a parent like Alison Young.

'Every year, the tower fills with the souls of the dead.

'Every year, the city throws someone living in to lead the dead to the afterlife.

'When Adelaide falls from her horse in the paddock near home, her mother freaks out. But not without cause: Adelaide's terminal illness grows worse by the day, eating away at her energy, her body--and her independence.

'But that's nothing compared to the tragedy that happens next in the paddock, a tragedy that threatens everything Adelaide holds dear.

'Inspired by Greek mythology, Sea Foam and Blood reminds readers of the importance of self-determination in crafting a better future for ourselves.'

Source: Publisher's lburb.

'One single moment: everything changes.

'From solving the problem of a misfiring mechanical beast to escaping from enforced solitude, from human-fey wars for control of sentient dragon tattoos to assassins and giant, megalodon sharks, let these moments of change intrigue, delight, and entrance.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Selkies and swan maidens… Everyone knows the European tales of these innocent changelings, captured by greedy humans. Now meet them Down Under. 
'Platypuses like Orkney: playful creatures, gentle water animals not known for their aggression. For a collector like Lia? The perfect target. 
'But once collected, platykies can’t remember their old identities. Orkney has a lingering sense of wrongness, of loss… and he can’t place it. 
'Let’s hope he can figure it out before Lia collects him for good. 
'If you believe in the power of love, don’t miss With This Ring.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'She waits on a frosty street corner in old Russia, armed with the gadgets her sponsor gave her. Ivanov draws near—to her, to his death. 

'But first, she needs to know: Vasiliy Ivanov, good man or bad? 

'Killing a good man risks her integrity—and her soul—so no matter what the bounty, she must make certain. 

'For everyone who ever wondered about doing bad things for good reasons—and anyone who ever doubted what they believe. '

Source : publisher's blurb

'Tired, war-weary and worn, he longs for peace—and home. But the smell of blood reaches him as he travels: a giant, half-dead dragon—and a gang of bandits guarding it. 

'He swore to never kill again. 

'But once again, he faces a choice. Because today, someone must die. 

'A wistful story about promises and peace, and the precarious nature of both.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Simon Baker, 86, aging rapidly in an aged care facility. Just an ordinary man, coming to the end of an ordinary life…

'Except something else tickles the edges of his mind—of his memory. If only he could remember his real identity. Before time runs out.  

'A quiet science fiction tale about the importance of memory, that resonates with anyone who’s ever watched a loved one fade away.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'In a world where only priests make art, she listens as strange noises range outside her cell. 

'She assumed the authorities wanted to question her about her little brother. 

'But the truth? Much more sinister than that. 

'The price for her transgressions? Everything she ever held dear. 

'A cautionary tale about crossing boundaries, and the power of art to affect reality.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Kitty’s husband returns from the magical war distant and reserved. To help him recover, she plans the perfect—albeit belated—Christmas. 
Red and gold ornaments. Boxes with bows. She hopes her husband loves everything, even the present under the tree that, well, wriggles. 

'But Doug can smell it from all the way across the room. And he doesn’t like what he smells.

'Does this spell the end of their relationship after all? 

'A richly-imagined, private moment in a world where people can choose to be transformed for the sake of their country—for everyone who wants to believe that soldiers deserve a happy ending.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Zac, young, smart and adventures, roams the eucalypt bush and pine forest around his house to his heart’s content. But not over the old train tracks. Never that far. 

'Until one day, he feels something magical calling…

'He knows he should ignore it. But even he can’t imagine the consequences for listening this time.

'A tragic story about the mistakes we can make while grieving, and how clinging to our grief can cheat us of everything we ever loved, or hoped or dreamed for.'

Source : publisher's blurb