Book reviews, new books, publishing news, book giveaways, and author interviews

Interview: Ciara Geraghty on her novel Lifesaving for Beginners

Interview: Ciara Geraghty on her novel Lifesaving for Beginners

If you're new here, why not subscribe to our email updates or follow us on Facebook? You can also add us to your Google Reader. Thanks for visiting!   Irish author Ciara Geraghtys latest novel Lifesaving for Beginners involves a reclusive thriller author who refuses all media appearances and gets about in a clandestine manner worthy of MI5. The...

Juliet Madison on the art of the do-over novel

Juliet Madison on the art of the do-over novel

If youve ever looked back on your life and felt a nagging feeling of regret, youre not alone. The desire to start over or to be given a second chance is a universal one, and its a concept thats been touched on in innumerable creative works. Author Juliet Madison had the idea for her own do-over novel Fast Forward (Escape Publishing,...

Escapist thrillers for realists: author Chris Allen on pacing, plotting and strategy

Escapist thrillers for realists: author Chris Allen on pacing, plotting and strategy

Chris Allen, author of the books Intrepid and Defender, describes his novels as 'escapist thrillers for realists.' Given his military background, its little wonder that his books draw heavily on real-life situations. But there are a number of challenges about writing within this genre. Not only do thriller authors'particularly those whose work...

Its a place that devours its inhabitants. Melanie Calvert on Tasmanian Gothic and her novel Freycinet

'It's a place that devours its inhabitants.' Melanie Calvert on Tasmanian Gothic and her novel Freycinet

Disconnected from the mainland of Australia and known for its profuse and rugged landscape, Tasmania is a place around which a mythology of sorts has sprung up. Theres a sense of its being a closed door, a place into which many of us look on from afar, hearing only snatches of its narrative. Its a place where ghosts thrive. 'Tasmania has a dark,...

Avoiding shiny things: Scott Bartlett on writing full-time

Avoiding shiny things: Scott Bartlett on writing full-time

Writers: any distraction will do Dont quit your day job is a line that most writers are all too familiar with: even talented writers with a few contracts under their belt find it difficult to make ends meet purely from writing fiction. But balancing writing and a full-time job can be a difficult endeavour, and many novelists seek ways in...

We have freedom to look at what all readers want Kate Cuthbert, Escape Publishing

'We have freedom to look at what all readers want' ' Kate Cuthbert, Escape Publishing

Launched on the 14th of November, Escape Publishing is the new Australian digital arm of Harlequin. It's a move that's been eagerly anticipated by both readers and local authors, and editor Kate Cuthbert is equally excited about the imprint's launch. Although Kate acknowledges the importance of market factors such as the strong digital sales locally, as...