Cirrus@Austlit

'On his way back from delivering a telegram Bernie is trying to get through the crowds in time to watch the victory parade for the record-breaking pilot Bert Hinkler. When he sees a gap open up along Queen Street, he's on his bike in a flash. Unfortunately for him, a very large lady steps out from behind a tram right in front of him, with unexpected consequences. This fictional tale is based on a real-life incident.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 12)

'January 1974. Brisbane is steamy and rain-soaked. In a small house at the top of Highgate Hill, twelve-year-old Jenny has three things on her mind: tadpoles, new high school uniforms, and the guy sneaking through her big sister's window.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 24)

'As a jealous six-year-old in communist Bulgaria, Anna betrayed the dangerous secrets her family shared around the coffee pot, with fatal consequences. Now the Brisbane River stirs up her guilty memories, like the River Styx where Charon ferries the souls of the dead. West End cafe culture brings relief and charming Manoli, a mortal Greek god who disarms her with his cooking and his tender bathing of his bedridden mother.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 36)

'Em is nearly five when she first sees the sea, and can't wait to make sandcastles with her grandfather. Miss Farrell wanted Catholic holiday tenants in her Sandgate house, but has to make the best of Em, Mum, Nan and Poppy. The rosary beads she gives Em are put to unconventional use as the ailing Poppy tries to help Em understand his thoughts on life's big questions.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 48)

'The story follows Johnny and his friend Pete, a couple of standover men, lurking at the bottom of the criminal food chain in 1950s Brisbane. Both ruthless, they share a dislike for the Irish immigrants now fighting to improve their lives - and who have carved out their own niche in the local underworld. At first all goes according to plan, but then the night takes a turn neither of them expects...' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 60)

'Leane mightn't be the brightest knife in the sky but she has her boyfriend Deano and her Mum, her High Powered Job and her Gift. her boundless optimism carries her through some dark moments, but her naive belief in her luck leaves those closest to her struggling with the consequences. Will her luck be enough to keep her out of trouble in their new life in Brisbane?' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 72)

'Helen takes a job at the Northgate Cannery to pay the electricity bill. As a single mother building a new life for herself and her children, she must face the risks and worry of leaving the children, as well as braving the unfamiliar factory floor. She is helped at the cannery by Elze, a Polish post World War Two migrant who'd been processing beetroot for sixteen years. Despite their different ages, cultures and backgrounds, they develop a deep friendship that will change Helen's life.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 84)

'How to find your inner echidna. When the battle to save a scrappy piece of suburban bushland turns violent, Steph realises a lot more is at stake then law and order'.

'When Nan comes to stay, Kerry has more to contend with than the invasion of her room by her grandmother, with her rooster obsession and her belief that Kerry is Jenny. And why doesn't Nan give her chocolates anymore?' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 106)

'Two men of the law: one a demoted police officer disillusioned with life, the other a traditional lawman from a Gulf community who has struck hard times and is sleeping rough in New Farm. Their lives are different but their circumstances are parallel in many ways. A series of intersecting moments gives both men renewed hope for personal change.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 118)

'Life for the family is tough in Brisbane after Dad's lungs drive him out of the Mt Morgan mines to sit at home drowning his fears in beer. He won't let his daughter work or marry; her job is to help at home. But when the government cuts his pension in 1931, Ada seizes her opportunity.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 130)

'The mutant cockroaches infesting Brisbane feed on human brains and are as big as dogs. Niamh and Jay plot to escape the city with other survivors.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 152)

'Evelyn is almost at the end of Year 12. Her father is a workaholic. The history of Brisbane he's writing is taking over his life and their house in New Farm. And it's ruining his relationship with his daughter. Evelyn is raging; the visions and values her father gave her are unravelling in the world of adults. Escape seems to be the only way out. But what is she leaving behind?' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 164)

'The lights are out, the roads are cut. The big storm of November 2008 has roared through Keperra, tearing down trees and the fences that had surrounded individual worlds. But neighbours are not entirely powerless; they can still talk to each other by candlelight, sharing unexpected revelations along with the contents of their fridges.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 176)

'Boy meets girl amid the chaos of Fortitude Valley at the bad end of a Saturday night, hopeful, suspicious, and finally moved by the magic of possibility. (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 188)

''Blunder Road' is a comedy of errors about two teenage boys who stay in Inala during Schoolies week, and find themselves on the wrong side of the law despite diligently trying to stay out of trouble.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 200)

'Dahlia packs Gino into a maxi taxi and takes him to the river at Orleigh Park. Their story unfolds like Gino emerging from his contortionist's box, little at a time, revealing more than was originally apparent until Kahlia's story is laid out on the grass of the West End park. This is a richly textured tale of betrayed love with a whispered hint of otherworldliness, a delightful taste of the unexpected within a much loved Brisbane dish.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 212)

'Em is ten turning eleven. Over the course of a long summer holiday, in a new house, she forms an unconventional friendship with an elderly neighbour. This is also a story about sisters and the complex bonds that sisters sometimes share: the Bird Lady ruled by the Quiet One, Em resisting the natural companionship of her sister Lu.' (One Book Many Brisbanes : Fifth Anthology of Brisbane Stories p. 224)