Cirrus@Austlit

'It's the swinging 60s, Sydney. Post-war Australia is booming and the excitement of the city lures two young women, Rose and Margot, eager for adventure in these rapidly changing times.

'They meet through work at David Jones, the iconic department store, and country-girl Rose is in awe of beautiful, worldly Margot, who makes it clear she's determined to catch herself a wealthy husband.

'At a coffee bar in cosmopolitan Kings Cross, they encounter two debonair Europeans, Stefan and Josef, former Polish army officers seeking to rebuild their lives. Friendship grows between the foursome, and the women's eyes are opened to a world of ideas and experience very different from the one they grew up in.

'Yet romance between Rose and Stefan is thwarted by lingering wartime trauma. And Margot, well, she has no intention of marrying a penniless immigrant like Josef: ignoring the danger signs, she has her sights set on the city's most eligible bachelor instead. But it's a tragedy neither of the women sees coming which is about to change their lives forever.' (Publication summary)

Fast-forward over two decades later, and a leading current affairs show has begun investigating a long-ago murder on the sleepily opulent Northern Beaches. The locals are abuzz with speculation. Some have reason to feel nervous - including the police. Others, who've stayed silent for years, are at last tempted to tell the truth. A truth Margot and Rose could never have imagined.

'From the author of 'Shadows Of Power' and 'Everything To Lose', comes an unputdownable new novel of three women friends and their choices in life.

'Marnie's building company is under siege from a rival and there's a danger she could lose everything. Then her father becomes seriously ill and Marnie is forced to confront feelings she's buried deep in the past.

'Tina finally finds the strength to end her love affair with a married man, but is unprepared for the loneliness that engulfs her. When her flat is burgled, she takes in a lodger and discovers that friendship can blossom in the most unlikely circumstances.' (Publication summary) 

'Four old friends meet at a school reunion - Cate, the single successful television producer, Leith, the happily married society wife, Rory, the brilliant editor who makes a late decision to have a child, and Judith, the devoted wife and mother. The meeting prompts each woman to face the lie her life has become and sets in motion a roller-coaster of events. As each woman confronts a major turning point in her life, she risks losing all that is safe and familiar, and wonders if the price of chasing her dreams is too high. When the four friends find themselves together again in a packed courtroom, one of them will be facing a terrible ordeal.' (Publication summary)

'Even experienced writers admit that those first blank pages are the hardest part about starting a novel. In works of popular fiction it is usual to ensure that location, characters, description, time frame, intrigue and motivation are quickly set up in chapter one. After numerous frustrated attempts too many would-be authors give up on this difficult task and disappointedly shelve their dreams of writing a novel. The purpose of this book is to help beginning writers overcome those difficulties by offering them a variety of opening chapters in which the hard work of exposition has already been done. Each chapter is closely analyzed to indicate why it works as an effective opening and, as well, suggestions are made as to how the beginning might be developed into a full-length novel. Further material is provided by the author's close examination of the beginnings of her own six novels. "Chapter One" is a guide by an experienced and successful fiction writer. In a lively and forthright style, Jennifer Bacia offers a unique means of overcoming those fears and doubts that have been the stumbling block to fulfilling many writers' dreams.' (Publication summary)

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'This is a guide written by an Australian for all aspiring Australian writers, providing practical advice and strategies for writing that novel you've dreamed of for so long.
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In down-to-earth and conversational style, the author:

'- Tells you how to make sure you are writing the novel that publishers - and readers - really want.' (Publication summary) 

'When Elizabeth Eden, screen goddess and sex symbol, is found dead at 33, the official verdict is suicide. Just a few weeks later President Tom Madigan is assassinated. His son's succession seems assured until the announcement that a block-buster movie is to be made about Elizabeth Eden.' (Publication summary)