Cirrus@Austlit

' What would you do if your best friend was murdered and the police decided it was a random act with no apparent suspects?Charlie Michaels, owner of Sandhaven's Coffee 'n Cake Café, refuses to accept the finding and sets out to do her own investigation.Close friend and Head of Police, Tom Waters, removed from the case to work in another area, warns Charlie of the danger she could be placing herself in.Undeterred, Charlie perseveres with her investigations, digging up more than she bargains for as she searches for her friend's assailant, almost losing her own life in the process, before the murderer is finally revealed.' (Publication summary)

'In this, the third instalment of the Chelandra series, Galla Jenari must face the onslaught of a terrible menace, one certain to overwhelm her.

'If this were not enough, there is more plague, more destruction, and more insanity! Galla must deal with her divided heart as the evil of the crazed Pillars culminates and rises to the surface. But if the juggernaut cannot be thwarted, none of this will matter.

'The continued existence of life on Chelandra is in now the balance.

'Join with Galla and all your favourite characters as they face down their greatest terrors!' (Publication summary)

'Chantelle is a successful lawyer who has achieved all of her goals, and yet still feels as if there is something missing in her life. Is it a dog? she often wonders.

'Adopting a canine companion leads her to a chance meeting with Branson and his nephew Ethan. Branson is a cosmetic surgeon, who seeks to adopt the young Ethan after his parents were killed in a car accident.

'In stark contrast to her successes, there is an undercurrent of darkness to Chantelle's life, and a terrible secret that plagues her memory like an unwelcome shadow, until a blossoming romance with Branson eventually helps her to overcome her deepest phobias and fears.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Unable to bear children, lacking confidence, and out of work, Maude nurses her mother through a terminal illness until her tragic passing. With her mother gone, Maude is forced to seek employment. Biting the bullet, she applies for a job she is sure she won’t get. However, when she is accepted as the successful applicant, her confidence grows, opening up new horizons and allowing her to realise her true potential. Discovering a mysterious key in her mother’s home, Maude is taken on a journey she could never have anticipated, with a revelation that leaves her both shocked and elated.' (Publication summary)

It was an ordinary day, and Matthew was keen to play cricket with his brother, Shane, until their cheeky dog, Deefa ran off with their ball.Curious to find out where Deefa has gone, their search becomes a grand adventure in a strange, computer-run land, where their Budgie suddenly has a high IQ, children are programmed to learn while they sleep instead of going to school, and the few remaining humans are kept in a museum-like zoo!What next? As the brothers soon discover, the answer is only the beginning of an amazing journey, filled with curious creatures and revealing secrets, as they try to find their way back home...' (Publication summary)

'Lost in time, he finds his feet but loses his heart…

'Badly beaten Australian rookie cop Mike Harker emerges from a coma with no history, no job, and no self-respect.  While convalescing with a kooky bibliophile, a time portal opens in her bookstore and Mike is hurled into the past.

'Faced with another beating, he is rescued from a mob by the charming impresario of The Palace of the Stars, a magnificent music hall. 

'There Mike falls for the beautiful and beguiling stage magician, Mae Belle, who begs him to solve a series of gruesome murders of itinerant miners and their families.  Mike learns that Mae's magic is more than an act, and, stung by jealousy, he must team with her onstage, and possibly offstage partner, the creepy Chan Li, to discover and trap the killer.

'With his own life in danger,  Mike seizes his one chance at redemption and winning the woman he loves, but the justice of the day disgusts him. He must make a horrible choice.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Ever since it was freed from the shackles of mindless instinct, humanity has been tantalised by the possibilities of space. History is littered with the quest for the grandest secrets imaginable. But what if we found proof that everything around us was not as it seemed, that everything was contrived like a delicately prepared pie?

'The first tendrils of the cosmic wind had punched through Neptune's methane clouds several hours before. Engulfing the Moon, the mainly gamma-length hurricane reached Earth a little over a second later. Spanning forty-trillion kilometres of space, the high-energy photons had arrived, flooding the third planet with a potent but mostly invisible particle storm. In the dwindling twilight a fantastic new object blossomed in the Earth's sky.

'Humanity had long dreamed of visiting some of the more interesting stars beyond its solar system - now they were faced with the prospect of one of their neighbouring stars coming to visit them. Earthly philosophy was suddenly turned on its head, and in a heartbeat was shattered to less than dust. In the blink of an eye, humanity was stripped of its most rudimentary notions of self. Paradigms weren't simply lost - they were mauled and digested without trace.

'What began as a mission to rescue Earth from a global killer leads to the most profound adventure of all. Not just to First Contact, but to something no one could have imagined: a chance encounter with the stupefying needlework of the Gods themselves.' (Publication summary)

'In this, the second book in the exciting Chelandra series, Galla Jenari becomes Physalia's captain in her own right, facing the pressures of command at a tender age. Events horrendous and soul-rending conspire to harden her. Galla's anger and curiosity bring her into incredible danger and heartache as she discovers challenges far beyond her imagining. Increasingly aloof and bitter, will she use her ship to exact revenge? In Master of the World, you will find adventure, humour, pathos, warmth, horror, mystery, surprise and romance, flavoured with intellectual spice. Revisit all your favourite characters, and acquaint yourself with wonders anew, as you delve further into the adventures of Chelandra!' (Publication summary)

'Amelia lives through three difficult and hot summers in a small Middle Eastern city, when she is 10, 20 and 40. Her journey is interwoven through time as she encounters the challenges that each of these summers bring. Three Summers of Fortitude is also the story of a family, set against the harsh reality of the environment they share. Hopes and values differ within the city's population, and Amelia is forced to deal with those differences. Consequences resurface throughout her life, culminating in a pathway that leads her back to be with the boy she loved as a child.' (Publication summary)

'Venice, 1706...When a corpse is discovered on the doorstep of Venice's foundling home, the Ospedale della Pieta, many questions are left unanswered. Is it a simple murder? Political assassination? A plot by foreign powers to drag the Serene Republic into war, or something else altogether? Join Antonio Vivaldi, violin master at the Pieta, and the irrepressible Signoria policeman, Alfredo Vinti, on their convoluted quest for answers.' (Publication summary)

'This tale of extraordinary events was written to rouse the adventurous spirit within children. But perhaps older readers will also find it interesting, with the story stirring some to reminisce and recollect how they once were.

Although fictional, the story was inspired by three children who lived and played around Half Moon Bay in Drummoyne, a Sydney suburb. Set in the 1950s, a more innocent time, it was also an era when children created their own activities to pass away the hours.

However, one year, during the Christmas school holidays, Benjamin Beech and his two companions' lives are affected forever by a strange series of events and a lifelong secret promise.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Amy McKenzie, escaping from a violent marriage, finds herself contending with a set of ghosts. Moving into a rundown home, she soon discovers it is haunted by the figures of an elderly couple, the original owners of the house.

'Amy's nights are disturbed by anguished cries from voices calling for Georgie, whom she learns is the couple's small grandson, who mysteriously disappeared.

'Determined to solve the mystery, Amy is unaware that her ex-husband has traced her, is watching her every move, and has already attempted to kill her friend. ' (Publication summary)

'Written in the traditional form of an epic poem, in which a tale of drama, intrigue and dialogue is recounted in verse, The Two Swords tells the story of a heroine's grand and dangerous odyssey as she seeks to put right a great wrong.

'It is written that the Devil and his Son fought many a massive battle, and whilst the Devil ultimately won, the Son escaped with many protectors and followers, vowing to return to claim both the Devil's and God's domains. But, unknown to the Son, God had assembled a great army, the Two Swords, to protect His children, sending forth the heroic Kal-na to find and kill the Son, along with his protectors and followers.

'Kal-na had always fought alone, ruthlessly destroying those in debt to God, but on this epic quest, battling alongside some unlikely companions had given her an almost human touch.' (Publisher's abstract)

'A Different Shade of Seeing is an engaging and fascinating book on many levels. On the surface, it is an account of travels in the ancestral homeland of Ireland. But within this frame there is so much else: history, reflections on myth and legend, gentle philosophising, and great discoveries to be made. Difficult to categorise, yet continually illuminating, it is a voyage of self-discovery.

'We are privileged guests of the author as she shares her thoughts, observations, and aspirations. History and folklore is discovered and retold through many incredible anecdotes. Arresting and eccentric and warm people emerge from almost every page as the author encounters them and learns their stories.

'A Different Shade of Seeing will have many people packing their bags and heading to Ireland. It will also have many enquiring into their own lives, their own pasts, and will also profoundly change how readers perceive the future. I recommend it very, very highly.'

–Shane McCauley, BA(Hons), MA(Hons)

Writer/Editor/Lecturer

'Sue Varteg presents a collection of short stories for those who appreciate the unusual, seasoned with a dash of irony.

'Many have pondered what happens to us when we shuffle off that mortal coil. Do spirits and ghosts really exist, and if so, where would they learn the basics of haunting? Are you intrigued by mysterious, inexplicable happenings that are seemingly supernatural?

'Perhaps it's magic we're witnessing, which would account for a lot, if it truly existed. But who's to say witches are competent? And what happens if their spells fail?

'Twilight Tales may offer the answers you seek...' (Publication abstract)