Words from the west: Deb Fitzpatrick on ‘The Break’
Deb Fitzpatrick’s first novel for adults explores human drama in the ‘picturesque setting of Margaret River’. ‘The Break [Fremantle Press, September] will resonate with fans of Tim Winton, as Fitzpatrick...
Into the Wood: Danielle Wood on ‘Mothers Grimm’
Danielle Wood’s Mothers Grimm (A&U, September) explores the stereotypes of the ‘good’ and ‘wicked’ mother in her contemporary retelling of four Grimm’s fairytales. Bec Kavanagh spoke to the author.Do you...
Living and grieving: Brooke Davis on ‘Lost and Found’
Brooke Davis’ debut novel Lost & Found (Hachette, July) weaves together the stories of seven-year-old Mille and eccentric octogenarians Agatha Pantha and Karl the Touch Typist. ‘It is full of...
Undercurrents: Jessie Cole on ‘Deeper Water’
Jessie Cole inverts the ‘stranger comes to town’ narrative in her second novel Deeper Water (Fourth Estate). She spoke to reviewer Portia Lindsay.Deeper Water begins in a similar way to...
Getting the word out: Angela Meyer on the debut author experience
My first work of fiction, a petite collection of tiny (but hopefully powerful) stories, commonly referred to as ‘flash fictions’, is out in May with Inkerman & Blunt. Inkerman &...
Write-off: Ian Shadwell on ‘Slush Pile’
Ian Shadwell’s debut novel Slush Pile (Puncher & Wattman, June), which follows the desperate life of a washed-up former Booker Prize-winner, ‘will appeal to writers, aspiring writers, publishing insiders and...
Williamson appointed fiction editor at ‘Island’
Geordie Williamson has been appointed fiction editor at Island magazine. Williamson, who is chief literary critic at the Australian, was announced as Island’s new fiction editor on 6 March. In a...
Artistic licence: Emily Bitto on ‘The Strays’
Emily Bitto’s debut The Strays (Affirm Press, May) tells the story of a young girl ‘wooed by a progressive group of artists living in 1930s Melbourne’. She spoke to reviewer...
Catton wins Governor General’s Literary Award in Canada
New Zealand author Eleanor Catton has won the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction (English language) in Canada for her Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries (Granta). Catton, who...
McBride wins inaugural Goldsmiths Prize
Irish author Eimear McBride has won the inaugural Goldsmiths Prize for ‘boldly original fiction’ for A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (Text). McBride’s debut novel was selected for the £10,000...
Catton shortlisted for Governor General’s Literary Award 2013 in Canada
New Zealand author Eleanor Catton has been shortlisted for the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction (English language) in Canada. Catton, who was born in Canada, is shortlisted for...
Hitchcock wins inaugural writingWA fiction award
Miles Hitchcock has won the inaugural Curtin University Prize for Fiction, administered by writingWA. Hitchcock, who lives in the Western Australian town of Barragup, near Mandurah, won the award for...
A maritime mystery: Annie Boyd on ‘Koombana Days’
In Koombana Days (Fremantle Press), Annie Boyd writes about the disappearance of the SS Koombana in a cyclone off the coast of Western Australia. She spoke to Tim Coronel. You...
Running rampant: N J Gemmell on ‘The Kensington Reptilarium’
N J Gemmell’s first book for children, The Kensington Reptilarium (Random House, November), is about four children living in ‘a house brimming with secret passageways and mechanical ladders’, writes reviewer...
‘Guardian’ children’s fiction prize shortlist announced
In the UK, the shortlist for the Guardian children’s fiction prize has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: The Fault in Our Stars (John Green, Penguin); Liar & Spy (Rebecca Stead,...
Bad Karma: Mark Lamprell on ‘The Full Ridiculous’
‘The Full Ridiculous (Text, October) reminds us that sometimes, to really appreciate the beautiful highs of life, you need to hit rock bottom first,’ writes reviewer Louise Fay. She spoke...
A life education: Chris Womersley on ‘Cairo’
In his new novel Cairo (Scribe September), Chris Womersley recreates Melbourne life in the 1980s. The author spoke to Martin Shaw. This novel begs the question: what were you doing in...
Enter the tiger: Fiona McFarlane on ‘The Night Guest’
Fiona McFarlane’s debut novel The Night Guest (Hamish Hamilton, September) ‘brims with fine detail’, writes reviewer Joanne Shiells. She spoke to the author. How did you manage to inhabit the...
I dream of genies: Lynda Nixon and Jennifer McBride on ‘Shimmer’
Co-authors and sisters Lynda Nixon and Jennifer McBride have written Shimmer (Fremantle Press, October) for younger readers about a teenage genie who is sent to Earth. They spoke to Dani Solomon. One...
Space and time: Scott Baker on ‘The Rule of Knowledge’
Scott Baker’s time-travel thriller The Rule of Knowledge (Hachette) is out in September. Reviewer Lachlan Jobbins said the book ‘gets better and better the more you read’. You can read his...