Cirrus@Austlit

'Three Dummies in a Dinghy is the third instalment of the Stories of Life series.

'In it, ordinary Australians share their extraordinary stories of faith and life. Some tales are humourous, others are entertaining and upbeat. But not all are happy stories. Many writers describe how they were found by a loving God in the midst of doubts and great suffering, and the circumstances don’t always get easier. But the message still comes through loud and clear that God is faithful, near and active in the lives of ordinary people.

'When eighty-seven year old Floyd Willis walked into the Great Wood that winter, he did not know what he would find.

'They said he had dementia, and that he could no longer live on his own. But about one thing his memory was quite clear. He was certain about the woman he met in the Great Wood when he became lost in it when he was a small child.

'What Floyd found, for the second time in his life, was a passage into Faerie, and into the realm of the Winter Fae. But the idyllic snow-blanketed land he remembered is now threatened by a darkness that Floyd must come to terms with. Can Floyd, now an old man, do anything to help those who once came to his aid so many winters ago?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'What the Dog Saw is the story of a troubled boy as seen through the eyes of his ageing Labrador, Baxter. While there is much that Baxter sees that worries him, there are also moments of humour and joy.

'Baxter loves playing with his boy and is always ready to listen to him, but he also worries about his boy, and wonders if even the loyalty and friendship of a Labrador will be enough to help him. Baxter’s observations provide a unique perspective on his boy’s battle with mental illness.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The story of the man behind one of the truly great inventions of the late 20th century: the cochlear implant which has brought the gift of hearing to thousands of children and adults around the world.

'As a young man, Graeme Clark read about Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie and other great scientists, little knowing that one day he would join their ranks. After watching his father struggle with hearing problems, Graeme knew he wanted to find a solution to deafness.

'Graeme became a surgeon, and his quiet persistence and methodical approach yielded results that fulfilled his childhood dream. Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people have now received the gift of hearing from the cochlear implant he developed. The first major medical 'bionic' implant technology, it has transformed the everyday lives of people who are profoundly deaf. Throughout his career, his belief that the impossible could be achieved, his strong family support and his Christian faith have sustained him through many obstacles, and helped him overcome resistance to his ideas from people who doubted them.

'This new biography tells the inspiring story of Graeme's life, and the triumphs and the setbacks behind the invention of the bionic ear.' (Publication summary)

'Something in the Blood is a collection of vampire stories with a difference. Ever wondered what would happen if a group of Christian writers were each asked to write a vampire story? That’s exactly what occurred in the case of the contributors to this volume. Given the fascination seen in many novels and films with vampires, and the usual darkness of these stories, one group of Christian authors decided to engage the genre rather than ignore or reject it. The result is a diverse, entertaining and challenging collection of stories that seeks to answer the question: Is there a place for hope in the midst of darkness and despair? While each writer takes a very different approach to the challenge, they have all found a way to answer that question with a resounding ‘yes’. Yet the manner in which they arrive at this answer, as well as what happens along the way, is often surprising. Rev Dr Lynn Arnold, coordinator of the Faith in the Public Square program in Adelaide, has noted that, “In this collection premised on the gothic vampire motif, the writers have delved into the darkness and found profundus, bringing back mirrors into which we are invited to look. From these mirrored depths, haunting and daunting as the images may be, we discern distant shafts of redeeming light.”' (Publication summary)