Recommended Reads

What is a motherthing? The very word or word-mash speaks of deep grief and longing. A cavity that must be filled with a colourless, texture-less paste—a drywall putty or glue or Spakfilla. Something that is so almost its surroundings that it has the ability to patch up and make invisible the festering wound that wraps […]

Australian recent release: The Year I Met my Brain by Matilda Boseley An essential and empowering guide for any adult living with ADHD—compassionate, funny and full of practical tips. Matilda Boseley’s adult ADHD diagnosis was a massive, earth-shattering event. She was given a prescription but had no idea what ADHD meant for her identity, her […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: The Unearthed by Lenny Bartulin   When human remains are discovered in the wilds of the Tasmanian west coast, the dark past comes into the light of the present in this deeply moving novel from the author of Fortune. There are animals in the camouflage of undergrowth; they forage this final, fading […]

Australian Recent Release: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women. According to Confucius, “an […]

 Australian Recent Release – The Heart is a Star by Megan Rogers Layla Byrnes is exhausted. She’s juggling a demanding job as an anaesthetist, a disintegrating marriage, her young kids, and a needy lover. And most particularly she’s managing her histrionically unstable mother, who repeatedly threatens to kill herself. But this year, it’s different. When […]

Tasmanian Recent Release – The Secrets of The Huon Wren by Claire Van Ryn A deeply moving novel of love and loss set in the majestic mountains of Tasmania’s Central Highlands.  Senior journalist Allira is writing a story for Folk magazine when she meets Nora, a nursing home resident with dementia and a doll cradled lovingly in […]

Australian Recent Release – Anam by Andre Dao A grandson tries to learn the family story. But what kind of story is it? Is it a prison memoir, about the grandfather imprisoned without charge or trial by a revolutionary government? Is it an oral history of the grandmother left behind to look after the children? […]

Australian Recent Release: The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About by Elfy Scott An investigation into the failings of Australia’s mental healthcare system, grounded in a personal story of a mother–daughter relationship Journalist Elfy Scott grew up in a household where her mother’s schizophrenia was rarely, if ever, spoken about. They navigated this silence outside the […]

Looking for summer reading or gift ideas? TasWriters members have published a great variety of books this year. We’re sure you’ll find that there’s something for everyone. We’ve put together this flyer to make it easy for you to find just what you’re after. Please note, there are 3 pages, so make sure you click […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: The Hang-Up by David J McMullen ‘The Hang-Up’ is a tale of two loves, the love Jordie and Jess share for each other and the love they both share for music. Set in the mid-1970s Australian/American music scene ‘The Hang-Up’ will put you right there amongst it as the songs are written, recorded […]

Australian Recent Release: Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood From the author of the much-loved It Sounded Better In My Head comes a fabulously entertaining new rom-com. “Eighteen-year-old Brooke is the kind of friend who not only remembers everyone’s birthdays, but also organises the group present, pays for it, and politely chases others for their share. She’s the helper, […]

This month our recommended reads column features Tasmanian writer Zachary Harris, author of Sons of Burke, the first novel in what will be a five book saga published by Pegasus Publishers. Have you always wanted to be a writer? I have loved writing since early high school, and since then I have aspired to be […]

Caroline Flood is the award-winning author of numerous short stories that have been widely published in literary journals in Australia, the USA and Canada. Her first collection of short stories With These We Will Never Go Hungry was published by Ginninderra Press in 2022. This collection poignantly explores themes of domestic violence, motherhood, grief, childhood and loss, deftly inviting the reader […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: Limberlost by Robbie Arnott The much-anticipated third novel by award-winning Australian author Robbie Arnott, Limberlost is a story of family and land, loss and hope, fate and the unknown, love and kindness. In the heat of a long summer Ned hunts rabbits in a river valley, hoping the pelts will earn him enough […]

Mallika is the author of two adaptations of classics for children—the Ramayana: The Quest to Rescue Sita and Peter Pan in the POP! Lit for Kids series (WS Education, 2021). She Never Looks Quite Back is her first collection of short stories published by Penguin Random House SEA on 14 December 2021, and is a […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: The Angry Woman’s Choir by Meg Bignell By the acclaimed author of Welcome To Nowhere River comes a heart-warming and uplifting story about a remarkable group of women who discover they are all capable of incredible things – if they’re strong enough, and angry enough, to take up the cause. Freycinet Barnes […]

Eliza Henry-Jones is the award-winning author of In the Quiet, How to Grow a Family Tree and P is for Pearl. Arianne recently interviewed Eliza on her latest novel, Salt and Skin, a wild and haunting mystery set on the remote Orkney islands off the coast of Scotland. Where did the inspiration for Salt and […]

Tasmanian Release: Fern Tree on Fire: Stories from Survivors of the 1967 Bushfires, Hobart, Tasmania compiled by Robin Hurburgh (Fern Tree Fire Brigade, 2021). Here’s a lively and poignant collection of stories put together by Fern Tree residents who experienced up close and personal the fire that swept through the hills surrounding kunanyi/Mt Wellington, and survived […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: With Love From Wish and Co by Danielle Wood. From the author of the international bestsellers Star-crossed and The Lost Love Song comes a captivating novel about a young woman whose one little mix-up sets off an unexpected chain of events, with repercussions for her business . . . and her love […]

Minnie Darke (aka Danielle Wood), the best-selling author of Star Crossed and The Lost Love Song is back with another heartwarming contemporary romance, With Love From Wish and Co. Read on for a Q&A where Minnie talks about her inspiration behind the novel, her writing process and more… Where did the inspiration behind this story […]

  Lucy Christopher is a British/Australian author best known for her bestselling YA novel Stolen. Lucy has also published books for younger readers and was up until recently a Reader and Creative Director in creative writing at Bath Spa University. She is now living in Hobart and working as a Senior Lecturer in creative writing at […]

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe “Dark Emu argues for a reconsideration of the ‘hunter-gatherer’ tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians and attempts to rebut the colonial myths that have worked to justify dispossession. Accomplished author Bruce Pascoe provides compelling evidence from the diaries of early explorers that suggests that systems of food production and land management […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: Rita’s Revenge by Lian Tanner The town of Little Dismal has more than its fair share of clever animals, which is why they are now in danger. Can Rita – poet, outcast and duck – solve the case of the chook-napped Clara? A quacking mystery story from the award-winning author of A […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: The Signal Line by Brendan Colley. Brothers Geo and Wes are testing their relationship now that their parents have passed away. Geo and Wes rarely agree on anything, especially not the sale of the Hobart family home. Geo needs the money to finance his musical career in Italy.  For Wes, the house […]

Australian Recent Release: The Islands by Emily Brugman. The Islands is set in the mid-1950s on Little Rat, and island in an archipelago off the Western Australian coast. A small group of Finnish migrants has moved to the island to establish the crayfishing industry. Among them is Onni Saari and his family, drawn there by tragedy, but […]

Ben Walter’s debut collection of short fiction, What Fear Was, is a brilliant, poignant, funny and utterly original collection that belongs on every Tasmanian’s bookshelf. Arianne was lucky enough to spend some time talking to Ben about his ideas for this book, his writing process and more. Do you have any particular rituals you like […]

Australian Recent Release: Devotion by Hannah Kent. ‘Devotion is utterly original. A glorious, heartbreaking love story of infinite beauty.’ – Heather Rose. Prussia, 1836. Hanne Nussbaum is a kindred spirit with nature, and would rather run wild in the forest around her village of Kay than conform to the expectations of her family and society. Hanne […]

Looking for summer reading or gift ideas? TasWriters members have published a great variety of books this year. We’re sure you’ll find that there’s something for everyone. We’ve put together this flyer to make it easy for you to find just what you’re after. Please note, there are 5 pages, so make sure you click […]

Australian Recent Release: Sunburnt Veils by Sara Haghdoosti. Girl meets boy, ghosts his text messages, then convinces him to help her run for the student union. Just your typical love story with a hijabi twist. Tara wears hijab even though her parents wish she wouldn’t, and in a swipe right world she’s searching for the […]

Tasmanian writer Colin Baldwin is the author of A Soldier’s Quartet, which was recently nominated for the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award. To celebrate this wonderful achievement, Arianne asked Colin some questions about where the idea for his book came from, and his writing process. Can you start by telling me a bit about how […]

Australian Recent Release: The Freedom of Birds by Stephanie Parkyn. From the bestselling author of Josephine’s Garden comes a story of adventure, friendship, belonging and the importance of storytelling. In search of a place to belong after the fall of Napoleon’s Empire, two French storytellers and a runaway girl journey through France’s theatres, battlefields and fairytale […]

Australian Recent Release: Dark as Last Night by Tony Birch. Don’t miss this new story collection from award-winning Indigenous writer and master of the short story, Tony Birch. In Dark as Last Night, Birch seizes upon the vital nature of human connection at critical moments in our lives, whether they come about due to the loss of a […]

Arianne recently chatted with Tasmanian born Francesca Haig, bestselling author of the post-apocalyptic fantasy trilogy The Fire Sermon, about her new novel, The Cookbook of Common Prayer, which will be featured in our October Recommended Reads. I was curious to know whether Francesca enjoyed writing one book more than another, or if she found the process of writing […]

Australian Recent Release: One Hundred Days by Alice Pung. One hundred days. It’s no time at all, she tells me. But she’s not the one waiting. Sixteen-year-old Karuna has fallen pregnant in a rush of independence, defiance and desire. Furious, her mother, already protective to the point of possessive, locks Karuna inside their fourteenth-storey housing-commission […]

Ingrid Ramsdale’s debut novel, Emilie, is perfect for fans of historical fiction. The story follows sixteen year old Emilie Lefroy, a young Huguenot noblewoman leagues ahead of her time, who dreams of studying herbal medicine. Fiercely intelligent and passionate about learning, Emilie struggles to come into her own amidst her strict and highly devout parents […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: The Monster of Her Age by Danielle Binks. ‘There is an unexpected intersection where family, grief, forgiveness, and horror films meet, and in the lovely center is Danielle Binks’ The Monster of Her Age. Realistic, romantic, inclusive, and full of heart, this book belongs on everyone’s shelf’ – Trish Doller, author of […]

Australian Recent Release: The Tulip Tree by Suzanne McCourt Henryk reached out to embrace him, formally, awkwardly. How rarely they’d touched since childhood, thought Adi, as he sank against his brother, how clumsy their love. Brothers Henryk and Adam Radecki share a fraught relationship – always a battle between love and jealousy. Henryk, though unhappily […]

At TasWriters we are always on the lookout for new writing by authors based in Tasmania. Geoff Parton is one such writer, and Arianne recently interviewed him on his children’s series, Ugo and Jack. Book one introduces Jack, a boy doing his best to cope living with his alcoholic father and bullying older brother on […]

Australian Recent Release: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, Princesses of Crete and daughters of King Minos, grow up hearing the hoofbeats and howls of the Minotaur reverberating from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur, Ariadne’s brother and her Father’s greatest shame, calls for blood every year. When Theseus, the Prince of […]

Young Dawkins’ most recent collection of poems, Slow Walk Home was our Tasmanian Recent Release Feature for April. Young was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the book and his life as a poet and traveller.   Do you remember the moment that you decided poetry was something you wanted to pursue as […]

Australian Recent Release: The Last Bookshop by Emma Young. Cait Cooper’s closest companions have always been books. When Cait finally sets up her own bookshop, right in the centre of the city, she thinks her happily ever after has come early. But things are changing, and rapidly. Cait’s elderly friend June is suddenly interested in […]

Australian Recent Release: Max by Alex Miller. “Always a truth seeker, with Max Alex Miller has written a wonderful work of non-fiction, as fine as the best of his novels.” Raimond Gaita, author of Romulus, My Father. I began to see that whatever I might write about Max, discover about him, piece together with those shards of memory, it would be […]

Happy New Year from TasWriters! Below are three exciting new titles and one old favourite to continue fuelling your summer reading. Australian Recent Release: Bluebird by Malcolm Knox. “Filled with biting observations about our culture and our families so starkly insightful they make you gasp,” Charlotte Wood. The Lodge – a house perched precariously on a […]

Looking for summer reading or gift ideas? TasWriters members have published a great variety of books this year. We’re sure you’ll find that there’s something for everyone. We’ve put together this flyer to make it easy for you to find just what you’re after. Please note, there are 4 pages, so make sure you click […]

Jane Harper, Queen of rural noir, recently chatted with Arianne about her latest novel, The Survivors and the writing life. The landscapes and towns in your books have such a strong presence, almost as if they are characters themselves. Is this something you have in mind when writing, landscape as character? Yeah it definitely is, and […]

Australian Recent Release: The Survivors by Jane Harper. “A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…” “Jane Harper creates an impressive landscape that serves to illustrate how the experience of place inevitably shapes the lives of those who live there. You may find it hard to leave behind.” Sydney Morning Herald. Set […]

Ben Marshall is the author of The Last Circus on Earth, a thrilling near future novel taking reader’s on a journey across Europe and Russia with a hellish Circus. It won the 2019 Fantasica Science Fiction Prize. Read on to find out more about Ben’s writing process and inspiration for his novel, and the play he is currently […]

At the bottom of the world, there is an island. It is a land of rugged wilderness, of ice and snow and blistering heat, of the oldest trees on earth . . . They say tigers still roam there. They say other things roam, too.  I was fortunate enough to chat with Kyle Perry, author […]

Australian Recent Release: Top End Girl by Miranda Tapsell. Sharing my story is important … I think it is true that you don’t aspire to be what you cannot see. I would like this book to show you that you can push yourself to do things you never dreamed you would do. Growing up, Miranda […]

If you’re not already following Claire Christian (@ClaireandPearl as she goes by on Twitter and Instagram) please do. You will not regret it. She will add a mountain’s worth of joy and wholesome goodness to your feed. Did I mention she also has the most adorable pug called Midge? If you’re not on social media […]

After reading the back cover I was ready for this to be a sad and depressing story. What I found was an uplifting and thought provoking read. A book I found hard to put down. I cared about the characters and how they would cope with the intricacies and disappointments of life. Amanda paints the […]

Australian Recent Release: Infinite Splendours by Sophie Laguna. “A bold new literary novel from the author of the award-winning The Eye of the Sheep and The Choke. Infinite Splendours is an extraordinary novel, incandescent with love and compassion, rich in colour and character” – Allen and Unwin. Lawrence Loman is a sunny, caring, curious boy […]

Celebrated Tasmanian children’s author Lian Tanner has done and lived through some amazing things. Tourist bus driver? Tick. Juggler? Tick. Teacher? Tick. Been accidentally dynamited while scuba diving in Papua New Guinea? Triple tick. I was lucky enough to have a chat to Lian about her hilarious and heart-warming new book, A Clue for Clara. I’m always curious about the ways […]

Australian Recent Release: Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr. “A funny-serious own-voices story about what happens when you stop trying to be the person other people expect you to be and give yourself a go.” Text Publishing. Erin is excited for schoolies, and maybe a little nervous. But her life is getting messy, which […]

Australian Recent Release:  Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty. At just fifteen, Dara McNulty became a published author with his debut, Diary of a Young Naturalist . This stunning book takes the reader on a sensory journey through Dara’s Northern Ireland home in the form of diary entries. Dara’s deep connection to the natural world […]

Australian Recent Release: The Viennese Girl by Jenny Lecoat. Lecoat weaves a riveting tale, inspired by the true story of Hedy Bercu, a young Jewish girl who fled to the island of Jersey seeking refuge from Nazi occupied Vienna, only to become trapped on the island during the German occupation. Hedy hides in plain sight, […]

Australian Recent Release: The Foundling by Stacey Halls. From the best-selling author of The Familiars comes a new tale set in Georgian London. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at a Foundling Hospital, Bess returns to bring her child home. But when she arrives she discovers, to her shock, that her daughter has already […]

Congratulations to Tasmania’s own Erin Hortle on the publication of her debut novel, The Octopus and I, which was released by Allen and Unwin yesterday. Read on for a fascinating insight into the inspiration behind the book. Where did the idea for this novel come from? I was inspired to write what became The Octopus and […]

Australian Recent Release: The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greeley. “Poignant, pensive and brilliant …” Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It. Charlotte Collins (nee Lucas) leads a quiet and respectable life as the wife of Hunsford’s vicar. She tends to the house, cares for her daughter and tolerates her husband’s dreary […]

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we thought why not celebrate the incredible female (and female identifying) literary greats, both past and present? So, every two weeks we will feature an extraordinary female writer and their work on the blog. Let’s kick off with Nikita Gill, a brilliant young poet whose fame began when she started […]

Australian Recent Release: The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman. Shortlisted for Best Crime Novel in the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Crime Fiction From the bestselling writer of See You in September, comes Secrets of Strangers – intense, persuasive, unputdownable. This story begins in an ordinary cafe on an even more ordinary day in […]

T.C Shelley, author of the wonderful new kids book, The Monster Who Wasn’t, answers some of our questions. Where did the idea for this book come from? My daughter and I were watching ‘Tinkerbell’ and she asked me ‘If fairies come from a first laugh, where do monsters come from?’ And so I answered it as […]

Australian Recent Release: Charlotte Pass by Lee Christine. “Hums with tension and long-held secrets… You won’t read better” – Fleur McDonald, bestselling author of Starting From Now. After human remains are found on Mount Sitwell in the Snowy Mountains by ski patroller Vanessa Bell, Detective Sergeant Pierce Ryder of the Sydney Homicide Squad is called […]

Favel Parrett, the award winning author of Past The Shallows and When The Night Comes, is a writer of astonishingly moving stories in rare, evocative prose. Arianne was lucky enough to speak with her about her latest novel, There Was Still Love, set between Prague and Australia. It is a tale of memory, family, and the […]

Australian Recent Release: A Murder at Malabar Hill  by Sujata Massey.   “Marvelously plotted, richly detailed . . . This is a first-rate performance inaugurating a most promising series.” The Washington Post. Fans of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher and Alexander McCall Smith’s Precious Ramotswe will love this brilliant new crime heroine. The scene is 1920’s Bombay, […]

Australian Recent Release: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton . Winner of four ABIA Awards this year, including the prestigious Book of the Year Award, the MUD Literary Prize 2019, UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and Book of the Year at the 2019 Indie Book Awards. Boy […]

Looking for summer reading or gift ideas? TasWriters members have been busy this year. They have published a grand variety of books, something for everyone. We’ve put together this flyer to make it easy for you to find just what you’re after. (Download link for ‘right click & save as’ lovers).

Australian Recent Release: My Life by Ted Egan. Outback Songman: The Remarkable Story of a Tasmanian Legend. Ted Egan, the quintessential bush storyteller, has kept company with some of the best-known and least-known of his fellow countrymen and women. In Outback Songman, Egan tells his extraordinarily rich life story, spanning his childhood during WW2 though […]

Australian Recent Release: There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett. Favel Parrett, the critically acclaimed and Miles Franklin short-listed author of Past The Shallows and When The Night Comes is back with her third novel, a profound and poignant story spanning generations and countries. There Was Still Love is a celebration of the power of […]

Australian Recent Release: The Breeding Season by Amanda Niehaus. “Astonishing. The writing is visceral and affecting, the sentences muscular and beating with a linguistic pulse which makes the book feel like a live creature. The Breeding Season is a creature that might in turn, rip your heart out or blanket you in a comforting hug. Craft like […]

Terry Whitebeach                                                                                                            […]

Australian Recent Release: Song Spirals by Gay’wu Group of Women. “A rare opportunity to connect with the living tradition of women’s songlines, as recounted by Yolngu women from far north Australia.” – Allen and Unwin. We want you to come with us on our journey, our journey of songspirals. Songspirals are the essence of people […]

Australian Recent Release: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. Khai Diep does not feel big, normal emotions like grief, and love. He feels irritation when people move his stuff, and contentment when his finances are in balance, but otherwise, he believe’s himself to be defective.  But Khai’s family know that his autism means he processes […]

In May 2019, Judith Kerr, one of the world’s most beloved children’s authors, passed away at the age of 95. To celebrate her life and the infinite delight her books gave to both children and adults, Arianne has (with great difficulty) chosen three of her most classic tales to feature.  Judith Kerr was born in […]

Arianne recently chatted with best-selling children’s author Davina Bell, about her gorgeous new picture book, All the Ways to be Smart, featured in this month’s Recommended Reads: https://taswriters.org/recommended-reads-june-3/ Read on for Davina’s own unqiue insight into the world of children’s book publishing, and the idea behind this delightful book. Firstly, congratulations on the publication of All […]

Australian Recent Release: The Electric Hotel by Dominic Smith. “Beautifully imagined and researched, enthralling and sometimes shocking, The Electric Hotel is a glorious tribute to the birth of movies” – Heather Rose. From the bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos comes a beautiful, compelling story of intertwined fates and unexpected discovery. […]

Australian Recent Release: Daughter of Bad Times by Rohan Wilson. “It’s impossible not to consider, as you read Daughter of Bad Times, that everything in 2075 is already here now and we are doing nothing to stop it. An utterly compelling vision by one of our finest writers.” Heather Rose, bestselling author of The Museum […]

Margo Lanagan is the award winning author of both novels and short stories. Her writing is astonishingly beautiful, powerful, strange and lyrical. Arianne was lucky enough to ask her some questions, which the TWC would now like to share with you. Do you have a favourite novel or short story from the collections you have […]

If you haven’t yet read Star Crossed, the big hearted and hilarious romantic comedy by Tasmania’s Minnie Darke (aka Danielle Wood), perhaps this interview will whet your appetite. Pop on over to our https://taswriters.org/april-recommended-reads/ page to discover more. When did you get the first inkling of the idea for this novel? The idea for the […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: Star Crossed by Minnie Darke. One of Australia’s most well loved and acclaimed storytellers, Tasmania’s own Danielle Wood, is back under the pseudonym Minnie Darke with her first ever work of commercial fiction. Star Crossed is set to become an instant favourite, with publication rights already sold to nineteen countries, and negotiations for […]

With The Australian/Vogel Literary Award now open for entries, get into the mood for the 2019 announcement by reading some of the past winners. If you are a writer and would like more information on how to submit your manuscript, click here   The Yellow House by Emily O’Grady – 2018 winner. Ten year old Cub […]

Arianne recently interviewed award winning and internationally published author Karen Viggers about her most recent book, The Orchadist’s Daughter, which is featured in our Recommended Reads for March here https://taswriters.org/recommended-reads-march-3/  Karen’s books have been translated into French, Italian, Norwegian, Slovenian and Spanish. Her work has enjoyed great success in France, selling more than 800,000 copies to date. […]

Australian Recent Release: The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village by Joanna Nell. “…This book is a joy – it’s a celebration of age instead of an apology for it, and a reminder that life is always an adventure if you let it be. I loved this uniquely endearing book” Kelly Rimmer, from the Hachette Australia webpage. […]

Arianne recently chatted with Esther Campion, author of Leaving Ocean Road, about her second novel, The House of Second Chances, and of course, everything to do with writing in between.   I asked Esther where her idea for The House of Second Chances came from. Esther says after completing her first novel, she didn’t feel […]

Australian Recent Release: The House of Second Chances by Esther Campion. “Can a house heal heartache? From coastal Australia to the rugged beauty of Ireland, an enchanting novel of starting over, in the tradition of Maeve Binchy and Monica McInerney” – Hachette Australia. Ellen and Aiden O’Shea always loved staying at their grandmother’s cottage in Ireland during […]

Australian Recent Release: Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. “Zusak is a writer of extraordinary empathy and he excels in his understanding of adolescent boys…in his portrayal of the gently traumatised Clay he has created a memorable character to savour… in Bridge of Clay, as earlier in The Book Thief, Zusak has succeeded in creating a story […]

Arianne was lucky enough to interview award winning author Markus Zusak about his new novel, Bridge of Clay, and chat about all things writing. Read on for the full conversation.     I’m always curious about where writers find inspiration for their novels. Markus says the idea for Bridge of Clay began quite a while ago, […]

Australian Recent Release: Inappropriation by Lexi Freiman. “A search for belonging in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs turns into a riotous satire of identity politics in this wildly irreverent coming-of-age story” – Allen and Unwin. In her first days at a prestigious Australian girls school, fifteen year old Ziggy is thrust into an alienating social hierarchy that pushes her […]

Australian Recent Release: The Lost Man by Jane Harper. “I started it at noon and at 2am that night I closed it and totally understood what all the fuss was about. It was even better than The Dry” – The Age The Bright Family’s quiet life is thrown into turmoil after their son Cameron is found dead. […]

Island Story, edited by Ralph Crane and Danielle Wood, is a beautiful book compiling items from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery with a selection of original writing. Arianne recently interviewed Danielle and Ralph about what inspired this unique book, and its journey from idea to publication.   What inspired you to embark on this project? Ralph […]

Arianne recently interviewed Kate Gordon, one of Tasmania’s most well loved storytellers, about her life as a writer and the publication of her new book, Girl Running, Boy Falling, a brave and heartfelt exploration of teen suicide that contributes to the breaking of persistent taboos around the nature of suicide and mental illness.     Where did […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: Island Story by Danielle Wood and Ralph Crane. Island Story pairs stunning photographs of unique items from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery with a selection of original pieces of writing from authors such as Anthony Trollope, Marie Bjelke-Petersen, Helene Chung, Jim Everett, Heather Rose and Ben Walter. These marvellous objects include elaborate shell necklaces, […]

Australian Recent Release: Man Out of Time by Stephanie Bishop. From the award winning author of The Other Side of the World comes the moving and provocative story about self destruction and the complications of inheritance. After Stella’s Father disappears in September 2001, the police come knocking on her door. She doesn’t know how to answer their […]

Australian Recent Release: Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee. “Scorching, self scouring; a young woman finds her steel and learns to wield it.” Helen Garner. If you haven’t already read Bri Lee’s powerful and heartbreakingly honest memoir, now is the time. Eggshell Skull tracks Lee’s journey through the Australian legal system. From the daughter of a policeman, to […]

Australian Recent Release: The Far-Back Country by Kate Lyons. The Far-Back Country tells the story of Ray McCullough. After an altercation with his father, seventeen year old Ray ran away from home, leaving his whole family behind. Now forty-one and living in the remote outback of New South Wales, Ray lives his life in solitude, certain […]

Australian Recent Release– We See The Stars – Kate Van Hooft. We See The Stars tells the story of Simon, an eleven year old boy who, for reasons even he cannot understand, hasn’t spoken for years. His only friends are his brother Davey and Superman, but after sharing his Vita-Wheats with Cassie, the scary girl […]

Tasmanian Recent Release – Flames by Robbie Arnott. Tasmanian born Robbie Arnott’s debut novel Flames tells a number of strange yet poignant stories: Levi McAllister has decided to build a coffin for his twenty-three year old sister, Charlotte who understandably, runs for her life. A fisherman called Karl hunts for tuna in partnership with a seal. […]

Tasmanian Recent Release: Eyptian Enigma by L.J.M. Owen. “Egyptian Enigma by L. J. M. Owen is highly original, smart and suspenseful with plenty of humour and page-turning intrigue. But more than that, it’s a book that tilts the mystery genre in an interesting new direction, by an Australian author whose special talent is to a shine […]

Colin Dray is an author and teacher of English literature and creative writing. His short stories have appeared in Meanjin and his non-fiction in Australian Literary Studies and Antipodes. I had the pleasure of interviewing him to chat about his debut novel Sign, published in 2018 by Allen & Unwin and shortlisted for the Australian […]

Australian Recent Release   The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. Bestselling author of Room Emma Donoghue now brings us the story of eleven year old Anna O’Donnell. After disappearing into the Irish wilderness for months she has miraculously returned, and is claiming she lived off Manna from heaven during her absence. Now fighting for her life, English […]

Tasmanian Recent release – Big Red Rock by David Owen. A Pufferfish Tasmanian Mystery. David Owen is back with another great Pufferfish crime novel. Big Red Rock sees Detective Inspector Franz Heineken heading to the Red Centre to investigate yet another crime seen. The story also delves into Heineken’s ethically questionable past, need we say […]

Tasmanian Recent Release – The Sisters Song by Louise Allan   Set in rural Tasmania from the 1920s to the 1990s, this novel tells the story of two very different sisters. A story about motherhood and family ties, connected by a musical thread that binds these elements together. The Sisters Song is a story that […]

Australian Recent Release – The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman.                 Fans of Phillip Pullmans beloved His Dark Materials trilogy will be thrilled to dive back into his magical world of daemons and parallel worlds with his latest novel, the Book of Dust. Set when Lyra Belacqua […]

Come along to Fullers Bookshop on Friday the 8th of December at 5.30pm to celebrate the launch of Tasmanian author Stephanie Parkyn’s new novel, Into the World. 

Recent Australian release – The Toy Maker by Liam Pieper Adam Kulakov’s seems to have the perfect life. He loves his job as a toy maker, has more money than ever before and a loving wife and child. But secrets lie in the wings, waiting to topple the privileged life Adam holds dear. The Toy […]

Recent Australian Release – The Pleasures of Leisure by Robert Dessaix In this thoughtful book, Dessaix guides us through how to balance work and play in the 21st century. Most of us live extremely busy lives, making time for ourselves and appreciating the little things in life is therefore more important than ever. Dessaix shows […]

Australian Recent Release – Crying Place by Lia Hills This is a beautiful, haunting novel about the love of people and of country, and explores the different ways we grieve. It tells the story of Saul after he receives the news that his oldest friend Jed has died. He discovers in Jed’s belongings the photo […]

Esther Campion grew up in Cork, Ireland, but has since lived in Scotland, Norway and South Australia. She currently resides in Tasmania’s picturesque Port Sorrell. Esther’s debut novel Leaving Ocean Road was published in July by Hachette Australia. This is a story set across the landscapes of Greece, Ireland and small-town coastal Australia and follows the […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Welcome to our new blog series, What We’re Reading. Each blog features a member of the Tasmanian Writers Centre team, shedding light on their literary journey by giving you a taste of the story they’ve welcomed into their lives. What are you reading? Marion Stoneman, Member Services I love reading widely and I’m one of those […]

It’s hard to believe we have reached the end of 2016 already! How has your year in reading been? We asked some of the Tasmanian Writers’ Centre staff and supporters to tell us about their favourite books from the year – hopefully this will give you some ideas for last minute Christmas presents. If you’re […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Welcome to our new blog series, What We’re Reading. Each blog features a member of the Tasmanian Writers Centre team, shedding light on their literary journey by giving you a taste of the story they’ve welcomed into their lives. What are you reading? Ruth Dawkins, Community Engagement I’m such an enthusiastic reader (or perhaps just such […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Welcome to our new blog series, What We’re Reading. Each blog features a member of the Tasmanian Writers’ Centre team, shedding light on their literary journey by giving you a taste of the story they’ve welcomed into their lives. What are you reading? Stephanie Eslake, Marketing and Communications Manager: I’m half-way through a book by Bret […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Welcome to our new blog series, What We’re Reading. Each blog features a member of the Tasmanian Writers’ Centre team, shedding light on their literary journey by giving you a taste of the story they’ve welcomed into their lives. What are you reading? Arianne James, intern: A few months ago, I read The Other Side of […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Welcome to our new blog series, What We’re Reading. Each blog features a member of the Tasmanian Writers’ Centre team, shedding light on their literary journey by giving you a taste of the story they’ve welcomed into their lives. What are you reading? Zoe Cooney, intern: I have just started reading I Am Malala by Malala […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

Each month the TWC publishes four recommended reads on our website. Three of the recommendations are recent releases by a local Tasmanian writer, an Australian writer and a children’s writer. The fourth is a Tasmanian classic that you may not have got round to reading, or that you may not have read for a long time. If […]

The Tasmanian Writers’ Centre is delighted to announce A Novel Journey - nine sessions over the course of 2015 designed to guide you through writing your very own masterpiece.