Cirrus@Austlit

'Be prepared to embark on a journey of a young girl who faced insurmountable challenges while growing up in a remote village, bereft of any luxuries in life. Join her journey from a state of complete deprivation of life's bare-essentials and riches due to extreme poverty. Follow her adventures as she is transported to new vistas of her adopted country - of the land down under she now calls home, AUSTRALIA.

'This semi-autobiographical novel is a testament to the resilience and determination of the human spirit to convert failures to success, sadness to happiness.

'Feel the raw emotion of the young protagonist as she embarks through life's journey, armed with nothing but sheer determination and the indomitable desire to succeed.

'Experience her journey from the raw but bucolic beauty of the small village to the sophistication of Australia.

'As a reader, you will enjoy the description of scents, sounds and sights of the universe as seen and heard by her.

'Feel her sense of despair, her hopelessness as she embarked on life's journey devoid of human riches and comfort.

'The novel is a combination of personal experiences with fictional elements to capture the reader's imagination.

'You will be captivated by her journey; feel her joy in her episodes of triumph and share her tears in moments of despair.

'It is a privilege to introduce you to this semi-autobiographical novel that reaches out to you, the reader, to share a young girl’s dramatic journey through life, from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of success.

'Lastly, the novel is dedicated to the human universal capacity to DREAM and TO HOPE.'  (Publication summary)

'Ironbark Creek: Home, Land and Country is the third book in the Ironbark Creek trilogy. In it, Cathy, Jack and others resolve to travel to Darwin and try to rescue the captives there. The community at Ironbark Creek though face other challenges as the Global Reset Consortium seek their capture or destruction. However, their biggest threat comes from closer to home as they all fight to survive in the dystopian new world after the 'turning'.'  (Publication summary)

'Bid Buai, Dolphin People is the sequel to the story Bakir and Bi published in 2013 by Magabala Books. It is a fictional creation story set in the islands of the Torres Strait, Far North Queensland, Australia, before colonization. Mar, Tam and Lusik are now much older and life has settled on their island of Ekiam. Tam soon stumbles across a mystical charm that was stolen from the Mabagal Clan of the West. When Iriana, the charm, falls into the wrong hands, it brings misfortune. So the journey begins with the rightful owners travelling through the islands in search of Iriana to bring back home and restore their once prosperous lifestyle. This story is interwoven with supernatural themes, totemic connections, kinship relations, language terms and customs that are true to Torres Strait Islander Culture.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Ironbark Creek: Blood Lines is the follow up and continuation of the Ironbark Creek trilogy. In it, Cathy and Jack and all the people at Ironbark Creek face two new threats. One from the military arm of the Global Reset Committee and one from the final grey, that is set on revenge. They are joined by two refugees from Darwin and learn of a wider threat. Again they have to fight to save their home, their community and their land.' (Publication summary)

'A woman sees Dante everywhere; Karl runs and runs and cannot recapture his lost love; Celine, a Thai trans-woman, falls for an artist who is infatuated with her as he is with Ian Fairweather; an ex-con travels to Germany to meet his favourite author Herta Mueller; a soldier's wife comes back from the brink; a businessman meets a Muslim woman over a chair incident; Paul, a rat-historian, traces his 'mischief's' origins back to Kafka's Josephine the Mouse Singer. Whether a soldier's wife, someone observing life from her veranda in an everyday suburban neighbourhood, or a murder of crows regretting their lost chance at ruling the world, in this collection lies a multivariate of human, and other, experiences and voices that stretch across the borderlines of here and there, of what sounds impossible, but implacably located in the now of everyday life.

'This is a bunch of stories inhabited by real people/ beings who are all, in their own ways, undergoing a quest - whether running to or from love, from themselves and others or running towards better versions of themselves. They inhabit the world of literature and art, prisons, hospitals, war or back water towns. They are a multiplicity of wounds and celebrations where some of these stories are too big for more than one page or too many to be contained in one book. The author, as both narrator and voyeur, travels a tightrope strung between sadness and hopefulness.

'Many of these stories have been published and several have received awards, including The Soldier's Wife which won the Tod Hunter Short Story prize.'  (Publication summary)

'Mary travelled by ship to England with three companions in 1965 on a working holiday. She was just twenty-two-years old.

'Over twenty-one months, Mary wrote hundreds of letters to her family at home, sharing her sense of adventure and fun. The letters tell of her excitement in traveling throughout the United Kingdom and into Europe, the Middle East, and Hong Kong.

'After a fifty-year gap, Mary rediscovered the letters which had been carefully preserved by her mother, Helen, and has presented them in this book as an important record of how young Australians looked at the world in the 1960s. As well as including many excerpts from the original letters, Mary has interspersed recently added memories and reflections, thus showing how time and maturity can influence our thoughts, attitudes and growth.

'By reading these letters, Mary's audience will get a deeper understanding of Australia's development as a nation, and the influence those 1960s travellers had on its independence and spirit.' (Publication summary)

'The world has turned. COVID-25 has created havoc and Cathy knows the key to survival is finding and keeping their home safe. 'Ambos' (their word for the 'turned') ravage the country while Cathy and Jack fight to build a community, all the while struggling to understand what lies beyond the trench that surrounds Ironbark Creek.'  (Publication summary)

'On January 12, 2600, the robot Nuwoman blasts off from the surface of the Moon in a spacecraft called Earth Messenger. Inspired by Interface, Nuwoman directs her Starship towards the Alpha Centauri Star System where Interface is waiting for her. Nuwoman ignores warnings from the Starship's computers and meets the occupant of the Space Probe. Interface and Nuwoman decide to join forces and go in the Space Probe to the Andromeda Galaxy to make the Alien World. At last, here is an Empire where the Sun is monitored and controlled so that it can shine for an extended period of time. This is an Empire where dust is converted to consciousness, not only in the worlds of the Milky Way Galaxy, but in the neighbouring Andromeda Galaxy, too. There is even further potential to extend the Empire by bringing consciousness to all the galaxies of the universe. With consciousness existing across millions of Fields of Knowledge on Earth and all over the universe, the scene is set for Mind to monitor and control the vast resources of Matter in the universe. In short, the Mind Stars in the Fields of Knowledge will understand and coexist with the Matter Stars and planets of the galaxies.'  (Publication summary)

'On Stage at Any Age invites you as a reader or performer to step out of the confines of everyday life into a world of fun and fantasy. You'll meet diverse and intriguing characters like King Eye-Spy the fussy food guy, Lumpy Dumpy Egg, Cats and Rats with culinary skills, Bodyguard, Conscience and more. These plays were originally written for, but should not be confined to, infants and primary school aged children. The scripts are ideal for backyard concerts and full stage performances. Teachers, parents and children of all ages could entertain or be entertained by the contents of this book.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Young English woman, Elizabeth Peters has a ski-sloped nose, a hereditary defect from her father's side. But what is distinguishable about her is her intelligence. She'd rather spend her time inventing gadgets, redesigning engineering contraptions and doing word puzzles than becoming a respectable housewife as her mother wishes. Elizabeth's world is turned upside down one evening when she arrives home to find the house has been ransacked and her mother missing from her basement workshop - presumably kidnapped by German spies. After sifting through the wreckage, she discovers a dangerous family secret in a peculiar-looking cryptic diary, a strange talking ring and a French man - Albert Bourdillon. Lizzie must leave London and travel to France while learning the shocking truth about the owner of the diary and about a chemical which could destroy the world, if it should fall into the wrong hands. A chemical threat so lethal it could destroy herself, the people she loves and the world.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A DANGEROUS INHERITANCE follows the lives of two Greek immigrant families who made Sydney their home in the nineteen fifties. From humble beginnings and hard work one family opened a restaurant in suburban Newtown, the other family could not adapt to the Australian way of life and returned to their home country leaving their 16 year old son, Sev, to fend for himself. He worked his way through university and in later years became a successful solicitor. From humble beginnings with the restaurant an empire was built importing kitchen appliances and foodstuffs from Europe. In later years love blossomed and families grew to take over management of the business. Then corruption entered the scene and the empire was threatened from within and by an international drug cartel. The book runs the full gamut from greatest love to deepest despair, drugs, corruption, and finally redemption.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Have you ever looked at the night sky with its millions of stars and wondered whether there might be something living near one of those stars and looking back? When an exploratory craft from the planet Gaia picks up a weak, undecipherable signal from a distant backwater planet, the crew decides to take a risk and check it out. What they discover is Earth, a planet populated by the first sentient beings any Gaians have encountered beyond themselves. Even more intriguing, these beings may possess something missing from among the Gaians. The crew makes several attempts to contact and interact with humans, and eventually they find themselves approaching a secret US base located near Alice Springs. The Gaians struggle to work with these beings so unlike themselves, driven by emotion rather than reason and logic—but doing so may be their only hope of returning home. In this science fiction novel, a crew of explorers from the planet Gaia comes to Earth, where their first contact with humanity demonstrates the power of emotion.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Five years ago, Flynn lost his mum and dad in a devastating bush fire, and it seems like forever he’s been trying to fit in. Now, just when he’s made it onto the under-thirteen Dragons football team, the bully, Spike challenges him to a most despicable dare that could cost him everything.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Champion of Forno recalls the path of young Ito Roos’ journey from a cadet to being the Ship Captain, contending with her nemesis Firebrand, ending up as friends to counter a common enemy and restoring peace to the Forno Sector.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Waterfords and the Millers meet in unusual circumstances and become close friends. The two girls, Brianna and Katrina, become especially close. Both girls have an incurable skin disorder. Both are different but similar in treatment, as are the effects on the girls and their families. The book deals with having a visible difference at school, bullying, challenges growing up, and the unending treatment of their skin problems. Brianna and Katrina (Kitty) call themselves the Skin Twins. The story covers three years of Brianna’s life, from when she begins school at eight years old; she’s been homeschooled until then. Kitty joins the story later. The book details surgical aspects of skin grafting and hospital stays and the emotional issues for the two girls and their families.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Young, beautiful and talented, Natasha Ray has always had a secret longing to become an exotic dancer, a life forbidden by her family. The only way to live out her desires is to escape to Japan, a country where she knows no one and doesn’t speak the language. But Natasha is determined and it’s not long before her real adventures begin.   Completely alone, Natasha embarks on a new life. Can the shy, sheltered girl who left her home navigate the sensual world she finds herself in? Natasha realises she must find a side of herself that she’d always known was deep within her but never had the chance to explore. With the help of a sexy new job and a devastatingly handsome teacher, Natasha discovers a powerfully seductive, in-control woman who thrives on her own terms. Fifty Shades of Grey meets Magic Mike, Lipstick Money is a sensual, daring adventure that vividly portrays fantasies turned into reality.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Laura evolves from a timid person into a proactive woman as she works with a community group to help deal with the consequences of domestic violence. She stands up to bullies—women as well as men—as they work to make life more livable. As Laura does so, she comes increasing in contact with spiritual energies, which culminates in rescuing a woman giving birth under piles of rubble, and other victims of the earthquake. Feelings run high against the politician who allowed his personal interests to push the nuclear power station into operation.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Seventeen-year-old Kinta is an innocent young woman enjoying an idyllic life in her seaside village—until the high priestess, Vylaine, suddenly becomes aware of Kinta and her mother’s special powers. They have no choice but to embark on a desperate journey to escape the clutches of evil tyranny, leaving all their lives hanging perilously in the balance. Along the way, Kinta meets an unlikely friend who joins her on her travels and helps her transition from an awkward teenager to a confident young woman as well as to discover her true destiny and first love. As the family stands resolute in the daunting face of seemingly hopeless adversity, they refuse to buckle under immense pressure or risk compromising their values until peace is restored to their land. But will they be successful in their mission or die trying? In this exciting fantasy novel, a teenager sets out on a twisting, turning, coming-of-age journey where she matures into a courageous warrior determined to seek freedom and justice for all.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'What’s a family without secrets and lies? When nineteen-year-old Samantha Jones thinks she and her family are going away on holiday, what she doesn’t realize is that her family and friends would be involved in a serial killer’s list and that she’s the last one on the list. Will Detective Brodie and his team solve the murders, or will it be too late? What clues are they missing? There are six victims and nothing connecting them. It’s a holiday on the coast. What could go wrong?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.