Suzanne Leal's Blog, page 4

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
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Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
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Published on October 10, 2023 22:20

Festivals, longlists, shortlists and prizes

On 26 October, Sophie Masson will be coming to Thursday Book Club to introduce her new novel, The Paris Cooking School. To come online with us, just click on the link to my Zoom conference room at 8pm on 26 October:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends
Last week's Rose Scott Women Writers Festival was wonderful - inspiring, welcoming and varied. Artistic director, Augusta Supple, did a terrific job combining author talks with soirees and musical performances. On Saturday, I was in conversation with Kate Forsyth who had us all captivated. On Sunday, I did a reading from my novel The Watchful Wife. The other authors in our session included Lauren Aimee Curtis, who has a new novel out: Strangers at the Port. I loved Lauren's debut novel, Dolores.

In news that made me very happy last week, my novel Running with Ivan has been longlisted in the Children and Young Adult's section of the ARA Historical Novel Prize. You can find the full longlist below.

Tomorrow night, it's a double billing at Wollongong Library: I'll be onstage with Susan Duncan, author of the bestselling memoir, Salvation Creek. You can register for the event here. Wollongong is my hometown and a group of us are going for dinner afterwards - please let me know if you'd like to join us.

Thursday Book Club is on tomorrow night before we break for the school holidays, returning on 12 October. Happy reading until then!
NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

THE AIR RAID BOOK CLUB
Annie Lyons https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-air-raid-book-club-the-most-uplifting-world-war-2-historical-fiction-inspired-by-true-events-9781035401055.do

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Gertie's beloved husband has died, and she doesn't know how or why she should bother going on without him. The bookshop that was their dream has become her nightmare, and she plans to sell. It's 1938 though, and war is in the air again, so when she is asked to take in a young Jewish girl who has been evacuated from Munich, she decides it is the least she can do. Gertie always wanted children, but 15yo Hedy is not what Gertie had in mind - a seemingly sullen and ungrateful, headstrong miss. Books and reading, however, will provide the path to understanding for both of them… And as the war descends upon London, Gertie finds a new purpose in life, and another place in the community.

This is a sweetly gentle and diverting read, the sort that perfectly accompanies a pot of tea and a sunny corner on a Sunday afternoon. Lindy

Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivan and The Watchful Wife. JUNIOR READERS

AN ANTHOLOGY OF AESOP'S ANIMAL FABLES
Helen Ward https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/an-anthology-of-aesops-animal-fables-9781800786202.do

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- This was first published nearly twenty years ago, and it is a true delight to see it reissued, as it has always been one of my all-time favourite collections of Aesop's 'unwitting wisdom'. The retellings are poetic and capture the point of the stories quite beautifully, and cover a dozen of the best known fables. But it is the lush and gorgeous illustrations which are eye-catching and realistic that make this book a joy to own. Animals are portrayed in fine detail, insects and plants are depicted with great fidelity, and (in a nod to the supposed Greek origins) every now and then ancient vessels are gracefully rendered. A splendid book indeed! Lindy

RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Less Than Zero

by

Bret Easton Ellis

The blurb on the back of this Bret Easton Ellis novel (my first) describes its coming of age story as ‘fierce’. I’d describe it, poetically, as languid, frankly, as dull. Yet I still liked this book and think it’s successful. I loved the short snapshots of happenings around LA collected during eighteen-year-old narrator Clay’s return for the Christmas holidays. I loved the short sentences of uncomplicated words and their inventory of scenes. It’s just that Clay and his collection of rich, chemically affected friends are really boring. This may well be the author’s point. Even Clay’s psychiatrist tells him to stop being so mundane. The plot sort of goes: nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, things so violent I wanted to be sick happen, then nothing happens. I fear I’ve become very old and so will likely read more Ellis to convince me of my relevancy.

NEWS

The Longlist for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Adult Category is:

Limberlost – Robbie Arnott (Text Publishing)
The Fire and the Rose – Robyn Cadwallader (HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Nimblefoot – Robert Drewe (Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Random House)
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies – Alison Goodman (HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Salonika Burning – Gail Jones (Text Publishing)
The Sun Walks Down – Fiona McFarlane (Allen & Unwin)
Iris – Fiona Kelly McGregor (Pan Macmillan Australia)
The Settlement – Jock Serong (Text Publishing)
The Bookbinder of Jericho – Pip Williams (Affirm Press)

The Longlist for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Children and Young Adult (CYA) Category is:

The Great Gallipoli Escape – Jackie French (HarperCollins Publishers)
Running with Ivan – Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Killing Code – Ellie Marnie (Allen & Unwin)
The Bookseller’s Apprentice – Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press)
Waiting for the Storks – Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
The Upwelling – Lystra Rose (Hatchette Australia)
The Mud Puddlers – Pamela Rushby (Walker Books)
Iris and Me – Philippa Werry (Ahoy! An Imprint of The Cuba Press)
Tilda – Sue Whiting (Walker Books)

The winners of the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards are:

Best debut crime fiction
Wake (Shelley Burr, Hachette)

Best crime fiction
Exiles (Jane Harper, Macmillan)

Best true crime
Betrayed (Sandi Logan, Hachette)

Best international crime fiction
The Lemon Man (Keith Bruton, Cutting Edge).

The winners of the 2023 Davitt Awards for best crime books by Australian women are:

Adult novel
All That’s Left Unsaid (Tracey Lien, HQ Fiction)

Young adult novel
Seven Days (Fleur Ferris, PRH)

Children’s novel
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat (Charlie Archbold, Text)

Nonfiction book
Out of the Ashes (Megan Norris, Big Sky)

Debut book
Dirt Town (Hayley Scrivenor, Macmillan)

Readers’ choice
The Unbelieved (Vikki Petraitis, A&U).

The shortlisted titles for the 2023 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award are:

An Intimate History of Evolution: The story of the Huxley family (Alison Bashford, Allen Lane)
Anam (André Dao, Hamish Hamilton)
Emperors in Lilliput (Jim Davidson, Miegunyah)
The Age of Seeds (Fiona McMillan-Webster, Thames & Hudson)
Life So Full of Promise: Further biographies of Australia’s lost generation (Ross McMullin, Scribe)
Shirley Hazzard: A writing life (Brigitta Olubas, Virago).

****Cast your vote in support of your favourite finalist and you could win a Nib Award prize pack containing each of the six shortlisted books and a $100 gift voucher from Award community partner Gertrude & Alice Bookstore. The finalist with the most votes will receive the Nib People's Choice Prize ($4,000).

Author Talk with Susan Duncan and Suzanne Leal - Wollongong Library
6pm - 7pm Thursday 21 September 2023
You can register for this free event here.

Suzie Miller in conversation with Michaela Kalowski to discuss her new novel, based on her award-winning play, Prima Facie.
6.15pm for a 7pm start, Thursday 5 October 2023.
Paddington Uniting Church, 5 Oxford street, Paddington NSW
You can buy tickets here.

Writing Competitions

18 September: Jugiong Writers Festival Short Story and Poetry Competition
Presented by the Jugiong Writers Festival, the 2023 theme is ‘Moments on the Murrumbidgee’. There are sections for Primary and Secondary students as well as Adults (Local and Open) and one overall champion prize in both poetry and short story. There is a prize pool of $2000.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

27 September: KSP Poetry Competition
The KSP Writers' Centre presents this annual poetry competition for Australian writers, which is free for youth to enter. Entries must be original and unpublished, and all poetry styles and themes are acceptable. First prize is $300 plus a weekend residency at the KSP Writers' Centre in WA.

30 September: Ian Wilson Memorial Fellowship
This Fellowship is offered annually and supports an emerging contemporary Australian children's author or illustrator with creative time and professional development. IWM Fellows will spend two weeks working intensively on their creative project; a further week will be spent undertaking a co-constructed schedule of supported networking opportunities, visits, and professional development.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

30 September: Woorilla Poetry Prize
With poets of all backgrounds and styles able to enter their work into the international competition, entries for the Woorilla Poetry Prize are open once again. There are two categories in addition to the open section - Youth Section (12-18) and Youth CALD Section (12-18) - and a prize pool of $4300.

1 October: Chilling Pen Award
The Chilling Pen Award is a short story competition designed to unearth the hidden gems of unpublished authors and ignite their creative spark. Submissions are up to 1000 words under the theme 'Betrayal', and first prize is $500.

2 October 2023: Sydney Morning Herald/Dymocks Essay Prize.
This new prize is for persuasive non-fiction writing on a choice of topics and is open for entry in two age groups, those aged 14-18 years and 19-24 years. There will be six winners decided by senior editors at The Sydney Morning Herald and special guest judge, award-winning author Tara June Winch.

2 October: Mayoral Creative Writing Prize
The Mayoral Creative Writing Prize is a chance to showcase and foster the talents of Blacktown City’s aspiring writers. It is open to adults and children (aged 8 to 17 years), who live in Blacktown city, with submissions of poetry up to 25 lines and fiction up to 500 words.

2 October: Nillumbik Prize For Contemporary Writing 2024
The prize is open to short stories up to 2500 words under the theme 'Resistance', with Open, Local and Youth awards. There is also a memoir category with no theme.

20 October: 2023 Newcastle Short Story Award
The prize is open to short stories up to 2000 words. First prize is $3000, second prize is $1000 and third prize is $500.

20 October: 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize
The prize is open to short fiction of up to 3000 words themed around the notion of ‘travel.' The winning story will receive a $5000 first prize and be published in Overland.

31 October: FNAWN Varuna Fellowship Program
This program is open to all FNAWN writers, poets, and storytellers who have a manuscript in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. Six applicants will receive an all-expenses paid, fully catered residency at Varuna in the Blue Mountains.

27 January: Local Word Writing Prize
Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) and Deakin University (DU) present the Local Word Writing Prize. The prize is for an entry of up to 3000 words in prose fiction and creative nonfiction. The winner will receive $2000.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

Author Sophie Masson will be my guest on 26 October to introduce her new novel,The Paris Cooking School

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations My recommendation
Alchemy by Kate Forsyth and Wendy Sharpe

Hazel H
The Watchful Wife by Suzanne Leal

Campbell McC
The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Fern Tattoo by David Brooks

Noela A
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Watchful Wife, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 19, 2023 21:49

Giveaways, festivals and book news

On 26 October, Sophie Masson will be coming to Thursday Book Club to introduce her new novel, The Paris Cooking School. To come online with us, just click on the link to my Zoom conference room at 8pm on 26 October:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends
Last week, I was part of Story Room, an initiative of Karen Sander, where six speakers tell a ten-minute story to the audience. Dr Gareth Andrews, who is both an anaesthetist and an Arctic explorer, astonished me with the account of his gruelling 1400km, 66 day journey through some of the toughest and most remote terrain in Antarctica, battling temperatures of -40 degrees. Story Room is held each month in Brookvale and is well worth attending. You can find the details here.

It's the tenth anniversary of the Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival this week and I'm delighted to be part of it. The Sydney-based festival is held at The Women's Club in the CBD and I have free double passes both to my in-conversation event on Saturday with internationally bestselling author, Kate Forsyth, and to Sunday's panel discussion between authors Hayley Scrivenor, Jane Caro and crime reviewer, Sue Turnbull. To be in the draw, please reply to this email by 5pm tomorrow evening with a book recommendation. You can find the full festival program here.

For anyone who will be in Wollongong next Thursday (21 September), I'd be so pleased if you could come to my (free) author talk at Wollongong Library. It's a double billing: I'll be onstage with Susan Duncan, author of the bestselling memoir, Salvation Creek. You can register for the event here.

My next guest on Thursday Book Club is Sophie Masson. She's be joining us on 26 October to celebrate the release of her new novel, The Paris Cooking School. Here's a sneak preview of the cover.

I hope you are having a good week and I look forward to seeing you at Thursday Book Club tomorrow night. NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

THE LIBRARIANIST
Patrick deWitt
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- deWitt's novels are always quirky, sideways types of books about people who don't quite fit in with the world around them. In this new novel, his main character is 71-year-old Bob Comet, a retired librarian who likes to take long walks and read fiction. He doesn't have any friends or family, lives in the house he grew up in, was married once, very briefly and long ago, and keeps himself to himself. It's enough for him to look at the world around him, or to read books about it. But a chance encounter with a uncommunicative resident of an old folks' home gives him a reason to finally engage with other people - the perpetually grumpy Jill, the outrageous Linus, and the gentle supervisor Maria, who allows Bob to volunteer at the home. As the novel unfolds, the reader is taken back to the important times in Bob's life - when he met Ethan,his best and only friend, and Connie who became his wife - and the few days at the end of WWII when Bob had An Adventure. A compassionate and gently skewed story of a introverted man who has been content with his lot, but who finds that his lot can be more when he least expects it… - Lindy Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivan and The Watchful Wife. JUNIOR READERS

AUSTRALIA: COUNTRY OF COLOUR

Jess Racklyeft
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- This is a real rainbow of a book and teaches children to notice all the colours around them. Each colour is given a 'chapter' and begins with an Australian place that typifies it - Uluru for red and pink, Purnululu (The Bungle Bungles) for orange and red, the Great Barrier Reef for blue and so on. Then there are vivid and loose illustrations of different birds and animals, flowers and insects, that typify the colours. A bright and highly-keyed book that will appeal to the young artist as well as the young naturalist! Lindy

RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Less Than Zero

by

Bret Easton Ellis

The blurb on the back of this Bret Easton Ellis novel (my first) describes its coming of age story as ‘fierce’. I’d describe it, poetically, as languid, frankly, as dull. Yet I still liked this book and think it’s successful. I loved the short snapshots of happenings around LA collected during eighteen-year-old narrator Clay’s return for the Christmas holidays. I loved the short sentences of uncomplicated words and their inventory of scenes. It’s just that Clay and his collection of rich, chemically affected friends are really boring. This may well be the author’s point. Even Clay’s psychiatrist tells him to stop being so mundane. The plot sort of goes: nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, things so violent I wanted to be sick happen, then nothing happens. I fear I’ve become very old and so will likely read more Ellis to convince me of my relevancy.

NEWS

Congratulations to the winners of the NSW Premier’s History Awards

Australian History Prize ($15,000)
Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm by Alan Atkinson (NewSouth)

General History Prize ($15,000)
Under Empire: Muslim Lives and Loyalties Across the Indian Ocean World, 1775–1945 by Michael Francis Laffan (Columbia University Press)

NSW Community and Regional History Prize ($15,000)
He Belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)

Young People’s History Prize ($15,000)
The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale (Text Publishing)

Digital History Prize ($15,000)
The Australian Wars, Episode 1 by Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale, Jacob Hickey and Don Watson (Blackfella Films)

The Anzac Memorial Trustees Military History Prize ($10,000)
Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army’s employment companies during World War II by June Factor (Melbourne University Publishing)

The Longlist for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Adult Category is:

Limberlost – Robbie Arnott (Text Publishing)
The Fire and the Rose – Robyn Cadwallader (HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Nimblefoot – Robert Drewe (Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Random House)
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies – Alison Goodman (HarperCollins Publishers Australia)
Salonika Burning – Gail Jones (Text Publishing)
The Sun Walks Down – Fiona McFarlane (Allen & Unwin)
Iris – Fiona Kelly McGregor (Pan Macmillan Australia)
The Settlement – Jock Serong (Text Publishing)
The Bookbinder of Jericho – Pip Williams (Affirm Press)

The Longlist for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Children and Young Adult (CYA) Category is:

The Great Gallipoli Escape – Jackie French (HarperCollins Publishers)
Running with Ivan – Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Killing Code – Ellie Marnie (Allen & Unwin)
The Bookseller’s Apprentice – Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press)
Waiting for the Storks – Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
The Upwelling – Lystra Rose (Hatchette Australia)
The Mud Puddlers – Pamela Rushby (Walker Books)
Iris and Me – Philippa Werry (Ahoy! An Imprint of The Cuba Press)
Tilda – Sue Whiting (Walker Books)

The winners of the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards are:

Best debut crime fiction
Wake (Shelley Burr, Hachette)

Best crime fiction
Exiles (Jane Harper, Macmillan)

Best true crime
Betrayed (Sandi Logan, Hachette)

Best international crime fiction
The Lemon Man (Keith Bruton, Cutting Edge).

The winners of the 2023 Davitt Awards for best crime books by Australian women are:

Adult novel
All That’s Left Unsaid (Tracey Lien, HQ Fiction)

Young adult novel
Seven Days (Fleur Ferris, PRH)

Children’s novel
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat (Charlie Archbold, Text)

Nonfiction book
Out of the Ashes (Megan Norris, Big Sky)

Debut book
Dirt Town (Hayley Scrivenor, Macmillan)

Readers’ choice
The Unbelieved (Vikki Petraitis, A&U).

The shortlisted titles for the 2023 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award are:

An Intimate History of Evolution: The story of the Huxley family (Alison Bashford, Allen Lane)
Anam (André Dao, Hamish Hamilton)
Emperors in Lilliput (Jim Davidson, Miegunyah)
The Age of Seeds (Fiona McMillan-Webster, Thames & Hudson)
Life So Full of Promise: Further biographies of Australia’s lost generation (Ross McMullin, Scribe)
Shirley Hazzard: A writing life (Brigitta Olubas, Virago).

Author Talk with Susan Duncan and Suzanne Leal - Wollongong Library
6pm - 7pm Thursday 21 September 2023
You can register for this free event here.

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival
The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023
There's a great line-up of writers and you can book tickets here.

Writing Competitions

18 September: Jugiong Writers Festival Short Story and Poetry Competition
Presented by the Jugiong Writers Festival, the 2023 theme is ‘Moments on the Murrumbidgee’. There are sections for Primary and Secondary students as well as Adults (Local and Open) and one overall champion prize in both poetry and short story. There is a prize pool of $2000.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

27 September: KSP Poetry Competition
The KSP Writers' Centre presents this annual poetry competition for Australian writers, which is free for youth to enter. Entries must be original and unpublished, and all poetry styles and themes are acceptable. First prize is $300 plus a weekend residency at the KSP Writers' Centre in WA.

30 September: Ian Wilson Memorial Fellowship
This Fellowship is offered annually and supports an emerging contemporary Australian children's author or illustrator with creative time and professional development. IWM Fellows will spend two weeks working intensively on their creative project; a further week will be spent undertaking a co-constructed schedule of supported networking opportunities, visits, and professional development.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

30 September: Woorilla Poetry Prize
With poets of all backgrounds and styles able to enter their work into the international competition, entries for the Woorilla Poetry Prize are open once again. There are two categories in addition to the open section - Youth Section (12-18) and Youth CALD Section (12-18) - and a prize pool of $4300.

1 October: Chilling Pen Award
The Chilling Pen Award is a short story competition designed to unearth the hidden gems of unpublished authors and ignite their creative spark. Submissions are up to 1000 words under the theme 'Betrayal', and first prize is $500.

2 October 2023: Sydney Morning Herald/Dymocks Essay Prize.
This new prize is for persuasive non-fiction writing on a choice of topics and is open for entry in two age groups, those aged 14-18 years and 19-24 years. There will be six winners decided by senior editors at The Sydney Morning Herald and special guest judge, award-winning author Tara June Winch.

2 October: Mayoral Creative Writing Prize
The Mayoral Creative Writing Prize is a chance to showcase and foster the talents of Blacktown City’s aspiring writers. It is open to adults and children (aged 8 to 17 years), who live in Blacktown city, with submissions of poetry up to 25 lines and fiction up to 500 words.

2 October: Nillumbik Prize For Contemporary Writing 2024
The prize is open to short stories up to 2500 words under the theme 'Resistance', with Open, Local and Youth awards. There is also a memoir category with no theme.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

Author Sophie Masson will be my guest on 26 October to introduce her new novel,The Paris Cooking School

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My recommendation

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

Jane Caro
Sidelines by Karen Viggers (to be published by Allen & Unwin in January 2024)
How many more women by Jennifer Robinson & Keina Yoshida
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Hazel H
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Fabian J
Black Swan (movie)
Eyes Wide Shut (movie)

Katrina D
Less than Zero by Brett Easton Ellis

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Watchful Wife, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
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Published on September 13, 2023 13:50

Venturing out again

Tomorrow night, Jane Caro will be joining us to talk writing, reading and my new novel The Watchful Wife
To come online with us, just click on the link to my Zoom conference room at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends
This week I've been out and about most nights and, after those (now almost hazy) years of isolating and being reluctant to venture out, my delight in socialising has returned. It feels a bit like muscle memory.

On Sunday morning, I arrived at Bondi Pavilion for the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, well in time for my 10am session with Rabbi Ralph Genende, Ros Ben-Moshe and Joanne Fedler. After the session, I caught up with Melbourne and Sydney friends before eating too many smoked salmon bagels in the Green Room. In the afternoon, Scott Whitmont curated readings by eight writers - including me. I've always loved being read to and it was a delight to be both reader and listener. In the evening, the FourPlay String Quartet was astounding. They've been collaborating with writer Neil Gaiman to compose music to accompany poetry. The work Clock had me particularly spellbound. Later, UK writer, comedian and atheist David Baddiel debated and argued the existence of God with host of Radio National's Soul Search, Meredith Lake.

Monday night was the Sydney launch of Doll's Eye, Leah Kaminsky's new novel. It's the fascinating story of a German woman and a Yiddish poet who, having fled war-torn Europe, meet in the remote (now abandoned) town of Birdum in the Australian outback. Tom and Meg Keneally launched the book, Jane Turner from Gertrude and Alice Bookstore hosted the event and Scott Whitmont showcased his skills as MC.

Tuesday night was the launch of Jeanne Ryckmans memoir, Trust: A Fractured Fable. It's a wry and darkly funny account of Jeanne's encounter with the Irish professor who wasn't. Jo Dyer launched the book with a witty, hilarious and touching speech while Upswell publisher, Terri-Ann White, shone with pride.

Tomorrow night, the ever generous Jane Caro is joining us on Thursday Book Club. To my delight, Jane will be interviewing me about my new novel, The Watchful Wife. We'll also be chatting about our writing and our reading. You can join us at 8pm here.

Hope your week has been filled with fun and friendship and a good book! NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

THE OTHER SIDE OF MRS WOOD
Lucy Barker
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Mrs Violet Wood is a highly celebrated medium in 1870s London. With the assistance of her faithful companion, Miss Sarah Newman, her seances and gatherings are attended by society's finest, but Mrs Wood is starting to feel a little worried. Her finances need bolstering, and she wants to attract new followers. When a rather ragged and uneducated young girl, Emmie Finch, appears, Mrs Wood sees something attractive and biddable in her, and takes her under her tutelage. Despite Miss Newman's misgivings, Mrs Wood pushes Emmie into the spiritualist world - but is Emmie really all she seems? A colourful and evocative novel, with well-rounded characters and a satisfying story arc that looks kindly on the Victorian urge to reach those on the other side. - Lindy
Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivan and The Watchful Wife. JUNIOR READERS

THE FORTUNE MAKER

Catherine Norton
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Maud Mulligan lives in a rat-infested and poverty stricken part of London, but she and her father are saving their hard-earned pennies to enable them to emigrate one day. When tragedy strikes, Maud gives up her last treasured possession to have her fortune told. This is a city where soothsayers of all sorts flourish, but the grandest of all are the Seers, and when Maud is taken off the streets by a wealthy industrialist's wife it turns out she is part of someone else's Seeing. So starts a fabulous adventure set in 1913, where striking workers, suffragettes, chemists and bakers all play their part. Equal parts gritty historical detail and imaginative world-building, this was an engrossing and magical read! Lindy

RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

An Autobiography

by

Janet Frame

I have a section of my home library dedicated to mad memoirs. As a mad person myself I want to know how others make meaning and art from their experience. Sometimes, as in Janet Frame’s three volume autobiography, the writing processes the horrors of the mental health system. It is chilling but these books offer much more besides. Volume one documents a childhood full of poetry, words, nature and a burgeoning imagination. There’s also poverty and deep family wounds. Frame publishes from an early age and, as she recounts in volume two, it is writing that saves her life. Having become one of the ‘secret people’ locked away in a New Zealand asylum Frame’s scheduled leucotomy (lobotomy) is cancelled when the hospital superintendent learns of Frame winning an important literary award. Volume three charts Frame’s journey overseas and broadening experience in life, love and literature. Frame’s writing is dense and full of metaphor; I found it cluttered at first but settled into its rhythm and the heart-bursting pleasure at seeing someone so misunderstood fully inhabiting their rightful place in the world. NEWS

Readings has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Readings New Australian Fiction Prize.

This year’s six shortlisted books are:

Time and Tide in Sarajevo (Bronwyn Birdsall, Affirm)
A Country of Eternal Light (Paul Dalgarno, Fourth Estate)
Hydra (Adriane Howell, Transit Lounge)
Funny Ethnics (Shirley Le, Affirm)
All That’s Left Unsaid (Tracey Lien, HQ)
Search History (Amy Taylor, A&U).

Kirsty Everett in conversation with Patti Miller
6.30pm - 7.30pm
Monday 4 September 2023
Better Read Than Dead
265 King St Newtown

The Story Room: Never Stop Believing
The ancient art of storytelling comes to life on the stage when six storytellers (including me)
share a true & deeply personal story.
7pm - 9pm
Tuesday 5 September 2023
Bucketty's Brewing Co
26 Orchard Rd, Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia

Northern Beaches Readers Festival Trivia Fundraising Night
6.30pm
Saturday 9 September
Balgowlah RSL Club

This looks like fun! You can book your tickets here.

.

An Afternoon with Susan Duncan and Suzanne Leal
Join Susan Duncan in conversation with Suzanne Leal for an afternoon talk with tea, champagne and cakes to celebrate the release of Sleepless in Stringybark Bay.
3pm - 4.30pm
2 September 2023
Better Read Than Dead
265 King St, Newtown

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival
The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023

The program for this year's Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival is out. There's a great line-up of writers. You can book tickets here here.

The winners of the 2023 NSW Premier’s History Awards will be announced next week. Here are the shortlisted works:

Australian History Prize ($15,000)

Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm by Alan Atkinson (NewSouth)Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia by Frank Bongiorno (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.)Political Lives: Australian prime ministers and their biographers by Chris Wallace (NewSouth)

General History Prize ($15,000)
Visions of Nature: How Landscape Photography Shaped Settler Colonialism by Jarrod Hore (University of California Press)
Under Empire: Muslim Lives and Loyalties Across the Indian Ocean World, 1775–1945 by Michael Laffan (Columbia University Press)
Singing the News of Death: Execution Ballads in Europe 1500–1900 by Una McIlvenna (Oxford University Press)

NSW Community & Regional History Prize ($15,000)
The Naturalist: The remarkable life of Allan Riverstone McCulloch by Brendan Atkins (NewSouth, in association with the Lord Howe Island Historical Society and Museum)
He Belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)
Whitefella Way by Jon Rhodes (Self-published)

Young People’s History Prize ($15,000)
The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale (Text Publishing)
Running with Ivan by Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Wearing of the Green by Claire Saxby (Walker Books Australia)

Digital History Prize ($15,000)
Still We Rise by Anna Grieve and John Harvey (Tamarind Tree Pictures)
The Australian Wars, Episode 1 by Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale, Jacob Hickey and Don Watson (Blackfella Films)
Ayahs and Amahs: Transcolonial Journeys by Lauren Samuelsson (University of Newcastle, Australia)

The Anzac Memorial Trustees’ Military History Prize ($10,000)
The Scrap Iron Flotilla: Five Valiant Destroyers and the Australian War in the Mediterranean by Mike Carlton (William Heinemann, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia)
Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army’s Employment Companies during World War II by June Factor (Melbourne University Publishing)
He belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)

Writing Competitions

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

31 August 2023: 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short crime and mystery stories turn 30 this year and are offering a record $12,720 in prizes. The focus is on women's crime and mystery short stories, and the competition is open to all women, whether cisgender, transgender, or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. More information on the competition in the link above.

4 September: Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship 2023
The Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship is awarded annually to a writer with a work of fiction, creative non-fiction, a play, or a suite of poems that is ready for the next stage of development. Applicants must be Writing NSW members and be willing to commit to developing their work.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

2 October 2023: Sydney Morning Herald/Dymocks Essay Prize.
This new prize is for persuasive non-fiction writing on a choice of topics and is open for entry in two age groups, those aged 14-18 years and 19-24 years. There will be six winners decided by senior editors at The Sydney Morning Herald and special guest judge, award-winning author Tara June Winch.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

Tomorrow night, I'll be in the hot seat when Jane Caro will be interviewing me about my novel The Watchful Wife

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My recommendation

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

Barbie R

Neverlanders by Tom Taylor (CBCA Book of the Year)
Bitter & Sweet by Amal Awad
How to Pay Your Mortgage off in 10 Years by Serina Bird
Ripper by Shelley Burr
Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments by Hema Sukumar
The Things That Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud

Hazel H

Blood on the Wattle by Bruce Elder

Louise R

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
Only Murders in the Building created by Steve Martin & John Hoffman
Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Watchful Wife, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
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Published on August 30, 2023 04:14

A play, a gallery and a festival week

Sydney Jewish Writers Festival 2023

On 31 August, Jane Caro will be joining us to talk writing, reading and The Watchful Wife
To be there, just click on the link to my Zoom conference room on Thursday 31 August at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends

I went to see a play at Sydney's Griffin Theatre on the weekend: Jailbaby by Suzie Miller. It's the story of AJ, a young man - scarcely more than a teenager - whose life spirals after he becomes part of a robbery and is sent to prison. Suzie Miller explores AJ's vulnerability in a prison system that gives him little protection from the danger he faces inside. Having acted for prisoners when I worked at the Legal Aid Commission, the violence AJ encounters in prison didn't surprise me. It still shocked me, though. Jailbaby is an important work highlighting yet another form of violence that occurs out of sight and is very much underreported. Although Jailbaby's season is finished now, if you are interested in the issues it raises, there's a list of resources on Griffin Theatre's website.

And still on the topic of prisons, if you haven't been to the Boom Gate Gallery at the entrance to Long Bay Correctional Centre, you've been missing some wonderful art produced by the inmates. You can have a look at samples of their work here.

The Sydney Jewish Writers Festival kicks off tonight culminating in a full day of events on Sunday. I'm delighted to be reading from my novel, Running with Ivan, and will be onstage with a host of fellow writers including Lee Kofman and Leah Kaminsky, with the wonderful Scott Whitmont as our moderator. Earlier that day, I'll be interviewing Rabbi Ralph Genende, Ros Ben-Moshe and Joanne Fedler in our session Laughter and Grief. You can book tickets here.

Next week at Thursday Book Club, the wonderful Jane Caro will be talking to me about my novel The Watchful Wife. Hope you can join us then. In the meantime, I'll look forward to seeing you at Thursday Book Club tomorrow night.

NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

THE LAST DANCE
Declan Miller
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Detective Declan Miller is the sort of bloke who talks to his rats (the four-legged kind) argues with the radio and discusses the day with his wife, also a detective. He's not exactly politically correct, or understood by his colleagues, most of whom he holds in high disdain, if not active dislike. He also loves ballroom dancing, and his best friends are the weird assortment of fellow dance club members, who turn out to be useful in unexpected ways. Miller is also one of the best detectives in Blackpool, so when there's a double murder in a local hotel involving a random guest and a member of Blackpool's criminal underground, he's on the case. It's going to get very messy before he cleans it all up… A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable novel because of the brilliantly quirky main character and his supporting cast, with a few surprises tucked away to add depth to the narrative. - Lindy Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivanand The Watchful Wife. JUNIOR READERS

THE WORLD'S MOST ATROCIOUS ANIMALS
Philip Bunting
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Philip Bunting has the talent of mixing subtle wit with obvious humour, both in his illustrations and his text. This enjoyable book takes approximately 75 creatures of various and dubious reputations - some expected (Grizzly bear, redback spider, bull shark, saltwater crocodile) and some less so (geography cone snail, Hawaiian carnivorous caterpillar, hooded pitohui). Depicted in his usual flattened graphic-art style that nonetheless conveys expression and liveliness, this is a compendium of interesting animals that may inspire fear, but are only doing the things they need to do in order to survive and thrive. Lindy

RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by

Maya Angelou
How much do you remember of your childhood? I feel like I’ve got about three sketchy memories, maybe half a dozen if I really apply myself. In this canonical American text, Maya Angelou vividly narrates the course of her childhood and adolescence as a black American in the 1930s and 40s. The scenes she writes are intricate and novel-like in presentation, full of dialogue and life. I think there must be a particular name for this type of memoir; the internet tells me her style is ‘pioneering’, ‘innovative’ and ‘complicated’. Whatever it is called, I liked this book very much. Angelou has endured and relates unthinkable trauma, but also adventure, achievement and profound familial love. Interestingly, despite her virtuosity with its traditions, Angelou did not write any novels. Happily, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is the first of seven volumes of autobiography all promising a mesmerising recount of an extraordinary life.
NEWS

Leah Kaminsky's new novel, Doll's Eye, is terrific. Meg and Tom Keneally will be launching Doll's Eye at the Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore in Bondi on Monday 28 August at 7pm. You can book your tickets here.

Northern Beaches Readers Festival Trivia Fundraising Night
6.30pm on Saturday 9 September
Balgowlah RSL Club

This looks like fun! You can book your tickets here.

PITCHING APPOINTMENTS

The Historical Novel Society of Australasia (HNSA) is delighted to announce pitching appointments are now open for booking. Here’s your chance to pitch your manuscript to a stellar list of industry professionals:

ANNETTE BARLOW (Allen & Unwin)
TARA WYNNE (Curtis Brown Australia)
MEREDITH CURNOW (Penguin Random House Australia)
ROCHELLE FERNANDEZ (Alex Adsett Agency)
SUZANNE O'SULLIVAN (HQ)
ALEX CRAIG (Ultimo Press)
KATHERINE HASSETT (Pantera Press)
KRISTY VAN DER VEER (Pantera Press)

You can book your appointment here.

The 2023 NSW Premier’s History Awards shortlists have been announced:

Australian History Prize ($15,000)

Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm by Alan Atkinson (NewSouth)Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia by Frank Bongiorno (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.)Political Lives: Australian prime ministers and their biographers by Chris Wallace (NewSouth)

General History Prize ($15,000)
Visions of Nature: How Landscape Photography Shaped Settler Colonialism by Jarrod Hore (University of California Press)
Under Empire: Muslim Lives and Loyalties Across the Indian Ocean World, 1775–1945 by Michael Laffan (Columbia University Press)
Singing the News of Death: Execution Ballads in Europe 1500–1900 by Una McIlvenna (Oxford University Press)

NSW Community & Regional History Prize ($15,000)
The Naturalist: The remarkable life of Allan Riverstone McCulloch by Brendan Atkins (NewSouth, in association with the Lord Howe Island Historical Society and Museum)
He Belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)
Whitefella Way by Jon Rhodes (Self-published)

Young People’s History Prize ($15,000)
The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale (Text Publishing)
Running with Ivan by Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Wearing of the Green by Claire Saxby (Walker Books Australia)

Digital History Prize ($15,000)
Still We Rise by Anna Grieve and John Harvey (Tamarind Tree Pictures)
The Australian Wars, Episode 1 by Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale, Jacob Hickey and Don Watson (Blackfella Films)
Ayahs and Amahs: Transcolonial Journeys by Lauren Samuelsson (University of Newcastle, Australia)

The Anzac Memorial Trustees’ Military History Prize ($10,000)
The Scrap Iron Flotilla: Five Valiant Destroyers and the Australian War in the Mediterranean by Mike Carlton (William Heinemann, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia)
Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army’s Employment Companies during World War II by June Factor (Melbourne University Publishing)
He belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)

Explore the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival program with three streams of exceptional writers, poets, musicians, playwrights, comedians, and thinkers. I'm delighted to be part of it.

23 - 27 August 2023
Bondi Pavilion
$15 - $40

.

An Afternoon with Susan Duncan and Suzanne Leal
Join Susan Duncan in conversation with Suzanne Leal for an afternoon talk with tea, champagne and cakes to celebrate the release of Sleepless in Stringybark Bay.
3pm - 4.30pm
2 September 2023
Better Read Than Dead
265 King St, Newtown

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival
The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023

The program for this year's Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival is out. There's a great line-up of writers. You can book tickets here here.

Writing Competitions

25 August 2023: Maureen Freer Literary Competition 2023
Sponsored by the Fellowship of Australian Writers Queensland, this competition invites short story works up to 2,000 words on the topic 'A Line in the Sand'. First prize is $300, and a short list of 10 will be offered future publication in SCOPE.

25 August: Australian Short Story Festival Mentorship
Open to emerging writers who do not have a full-length, published collection. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a three-month long remote mentorship with award-winning Irish short story writer and playwright, Paul McVeigh.

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

31 August 2023: 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short crime and mystery stories turn 30 this year and are offering a record $12,720 in prizes. The focus is on women's crime and mystery short stories, and the competition is open to all women, whether cisgender, transgender, or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. More information on the competition in the link above.

4 September: Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship 2023
The Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship is awarded annually to a writer with a work of fiction, creative non-fiction, a play, or a suite of poems that is ready for the next stage of development. Applicants must be Writing NSW members and be willing to commit to developing their work.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

On 31 August, Jane Caro will be joining us to talk writing, reading and The Watchful Wife

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My recommendation

Fanatic Heart by Tom Keneally

Ravi S

Tank Water by Michael Burge
The Barrier by Shankari Chandran
Dear Edward by Anne Napolitano

Hazel H

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Katrina D

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
An Autobiography by Janet Frame

Dina D

The Watchful Wife by Suzanne Leal
After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell
Abomination by Ashley Goldberg

Louise R

Strangers at the Port by Lauren Aimee Curtis

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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Published on August 23, 2023 04:07

Crime, History, Barbie and the Matildas

Sydney Jewish Writers Festival 2023

On 31 August, Jane Caro will be joining us to talk writing, reading and The Watchful Wife
To be there, just click on the link to my Zoom conference room on Thursday 31 August at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends

It was terrific to have Michael Burge as my guest on Thursday Book Club last week. Our conversation ranged from journalism to fiction writing to growing up gay in rural Australia. If you weren't able to join us, you can watch our interview here.

When I arrived in Canberra yesterday, the sight of new Parliament House was, as always, so arresting, especially at dusk. I'm in Canberra for a couple of days and tonight I'll be in conversation with Barbie Robinson at The Book Cow in Kingston. I'd love to see you there. The event is free and you can register for it here.

The shortlists for the Ned Kelly awards were announced last week, as were those for the NSW Premier's History Awards. To my delight, Running with Ivan has been included on the shortlist for the Young People's History Prize, together with The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale (Text Publishing) and The Wearing of the Green by Claire Saxby (Walker Books). You'll find a full list of the shortlisted titles below.

I've never really understood the appeal of watching sport on TV but the Matildas seem to have turned me around. What a team! And so, on Saturday evening, I'll be at the local park watching them on the big screen as they take on France - after I accompany sixteen girls to the Barbie movie for my twelve-year-old's birthday. And to my utter astonishment, I can't wait for the game or the pink dream house.

NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

TOM LAKE
Ann Patchett

BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- It's the summer of 2020, and Lara and her three adult daughters, who have returned home during the pandemic, are picking cherries on the family farm in Michigan. To pass the time, the girls beg Lara to tell a story they have always known - that when she was younger, she was an actress and for one season worked in a summer theatre with a man who went on to become a very famous actor. Each of the girls have a romantic and differing vision of this time, but as Lara retells the old story, she corrects their assumptions - but is she telling the whole story even now? This is a beautiful novel about love and family, of how children never see their parents as anything else but parents, and certainly not as people with complicated pasts and desires. It is warm and wise and wholly engrossing, and because it's Patchett, full of gorgeous imagery and quietly impressive turns of phrase and characters you believe in. Every new Patchett book that comes out, I think is better than the last, but this one - this is her best. Lindy

Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivanand The Watchful Wife.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATION

RETURN TO VALETTO
Dominic Smith

BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Hugh Fisher is a middle-aged historian, known for his book on vanishing Italian towns - a personal interest stemming from his complicated family history. His eccentric Italian aunts and nearly 100 year old grandmother live in a town on the crumbling edge of a cliff accessible only by an ancient bridge. Widowed four years previously, Hugh is still in deep mourning for his lost wife, and unable to fully finish his next work. When he returns to Valetto to take up his inheritance - a cottage behind the family villa - he is confronted by Elisa Tomassi, who claims it was left to her family by his long disappeared grandfather. As they unravel the convoluted strands of history that led them to Valetto, he diffidently steps into a new relationship with Elisa, and with his family. I found this was the perfect companion for a cold weekend, the evocation of Italian landscape and the melancholy of history were enticing and transporting! Lindy
RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a newish but firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Infidelity and Other Affairs

by

Kate Legge
How did this 2023 publication end up on the op-shop shelves so quickly? Was it read before being discarded? Were the wounds too fresh for a reader, newly spurned, to bear some meaning making? Was it given in contempt by a wronged spouse to their cheating partner? All I can know for sure is that it wasn’t passed on because it’s a bad book. It’s a brilliant book. Kate Legge writes interesting sentences full of arresting words. A most unique family history is exhibited in the first part of the book as Legge documents not only the infidelity of her husband, but also of his grandmother, his father, and his (and her) son. It is devastating and Legge’s hurt is clear, but while spite is present, it isn’t the central driver of the narrative. The latter parts of the book turn to other affairs as Legge examines her own family history for the forces that shaped her and grounds her current life with mediations on topics from her cat to climate change. NEWS

2023 National Biography Award

Congratulations to Ann-Marie Priest, winner of the 2023 National Biography Award for My Tongue Is My Own: A life of Gwen Harwood (La Trobe University Press)

The Michael Crouch Award for a Debut Work, worth $5000, had been awarded to Tom Patterson forMissing (A&U).

The winning authors will appear in conversation with last year’s winner for Leaping into Waterfalls: The Enigmatic Gillian Mears, Bernadette Brennan, and judge Rick Morton at the State Library of NSW on Saturday 19 August. You can book your free ticket here.

The 2023 NSW Premier’s History Awards shortlists have been announced:

Australian History Prize ($15,000)

Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm by Alan Atkinson (NewSouth)Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia by Frank Bongiorno (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.)Political Lives: Australian prime ministers and their biographers by Chris Wallace (NewSouth)

General History Prize ($15,000)
Visions of Nature: How Landscape Photography Shaped Settler Colonialism by Jarrod Hore (University of California Press)
Under Empire: Muslim Lives and Loyalties Across the Indian Ocean World, 1775–1945 by Michael Laffan (Columbia University Press)
Singing the News of Death: Execution Ballads in Europe 1500–1900 by Una McIlvenna (Oxford University Press)

NSW Community & Regional History Prize ($15,000)
The Naturalist: The remarkable life of Allan Riverstone McCulloch by Brendan Atkins (NewSouth, in association with the Lord Howe Island Historical Society and Museum)
He Belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)
Whitefella Way by Jon Rhodes (Self-published)

Young People’s History Prize ($15,000)
The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale (Text Publishing)
Running with Ivan by Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Wearing of the Green by Claire Saxby (Walker Books Australia)

Digital History Prize ($15,000)
Still We Rise by Anna Grieve and John Harvey (Tamarind Tree Pictures)
The Australian Wars, Episode 1 by Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale, Jacob Hickey and Don Watson (Blackfella Films)
Ayahs and Amahs: Transcolonial Journeys by Lauren Samuelsson (University of Newcastle, Australia)

The Anzac Memorial Trustees’ Military History Prize ($10,000)
The Scrap Iron Flotilla: Five Valiant Destroyers and the Australian War in the Mediterranean by Mike Carlton (William Heinemann, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia)
Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army’s Employment Companies during World War II by June Factor (Melbourne University Publishing)
He belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town by Ian Hodges (Australian Scholarly Publishing)

Congratulations to those authors shortlisted for this year's Ned Kelly Awards:

Best true crime
Rattled (Ellis Gunn, A&U)
Betrayed (Sandi Logan, Hachette)
Out of the Ashes (Megan Norris, Big Sky Publishing)
Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! (Officer A, The End Publishing)
Death Row at Truro (Geoff Plunkett, Big Sky Publishing)

Best international crime fiction
Paper Cage (Tom Baragwanath, Text)
The Lemon Man (Keith Bruton, Cutting Edge)
The Favour (Nicci French, S&S)
The Hitchhiker (Gerwin van der Werf, Text)

Best debut crime fiction
Wake (Shelley Burr, Hachette)
The House of Now and Then (Jo Dixon, HarperCollins)
How to Kill a Client (Joanna Jenkins, A&U)
Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder (Kerryn Mayne, Bantam)
Denizen (James McKenzie Watson, Viking)
Dirt Town (Hayley Scrivenor, Macmillan)
Black River (Matthew Spencer, A&U)
No Country for Girls (Emma Styles, Sphere)

Best crime fiction
When We Fall (Aoife Clifford, Ultimo)
The Tilt (Chris Hammer, A&U)
Exiles (Jane Harper, Macmillan)
Soulmate (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan)
Seven Sisters (Katherine Kovacic, HarperCollins)
Lying Beside You (Michael Robotham, Hachette)
Those Who Perish (Emma Viskic, Echo)
The Carnival Is Over (Greg Woodland, Text).

Congratulations to Shankari Chandran, winner of the 2023 Miles Frankin Literary Award for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens.

Suzanne Leal in conversation with Barbie Robinson

Thursday, 10 August at 6pm The Book Cow Bookshop 47 Jardine St, Kingston ACT

2023 South Coast Writers Festival
Wollongong Town Hall, Wollongong Library, Wollongong Art Gallery
18-20 August 2023

Secrets hiding in plain sightJoin Lucy Campbell (author of Lowbridge) & Rae Cairns (author of Dying to Know) in conversation
Better Dead than Read, 265 King St, Newtown
Saturday 19 August, 10 am – 11 am

.

23 - 27 August 2023
Bondi Pavilion
$15 - $40

Explore the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival program with three streams of exceptional writers, poets, musicians, playwrights, comedians, and thinkers. I'm delighted to be part of it.

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival

The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023

For its 10th anniversary, the Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival is seeking donations to cover appearance fees for guest artists. If you'd like to support the festival, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

Writing Competitions

13 August 2023: 2023 Storyfest Storytelling Competition
This year's theme is INHALE!
Primary school students: 250 word limit
Secondary school students: 500 word limit
Open age: 1000 word limit.

20 August 2023: Mentoring Program for Emerging Writers from Diverse Backgrounds
Up to six emerging writers from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds will be given the opportunity to work on a short piece of fiction or non-fiction (2,000-5,000 words) under the guidance of award-winning author Eugen Bacon and with support from Writing NSW.

25 August 2023: Maureen Freer Literary Competition 2023
Sponsored by the Fellowship of Australian Writers Queensland, this competition invites short story works up to 2,000 words on the topic 'A Line in the Sand'. First prize is $300, and a short list of 10 will be offered future publication in SCOPE.

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

31 August 2023: 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short crime and mystery stories turn 30 this year and are offering a record $12,720 in prizes. The focus is on women's crime and mystery short stories, and the competition is open to all women, whether cisgender, transgender, or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. More information on the competition in the link above.

4 September: Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship 2023
The Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship is awarded annually to a writer with a work of fiction, creative non-fiction, a play, or a suite of poems that is ready for the next stage of development. Applicants must be Writing NSW members and be willing to commit to developing their work.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

On 31 August, Jane Caro will be joining us to talk writing, reading and The Watchful Wife

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My Recommendation

Fanatic Heart by Tom Keneally

Michael Burge's Recommendations
Maurice by E.M. Forster
Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor
A Wife's Heart: The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson by Kerrie Davies

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
Add us to your address book

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Published on August 09, 2023 16:47

I'm in conversation with Michael Burge at Thursday Book Club this week - hope you can join us!

My guest this week is.... Michael Burge
Journalist, artist and author of the coming-of-age crime thriller, Tank Water.
To join us, click on the link to my Zoom conference room on Thursday at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends

Michael Burge is my guest on Thursday Book Club tomorrow night. Many of you will know him from his journalism for Guardian Australia’s Rural Network, a platform for regional reporting in Australia’s country regions. Or perhaps you might know him from his articles on the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes. For others of you, Michael will have come to your attention with his debut novel, Tank Water. You may also know him as the co-owner of The Maker's Shed. Situated in Glen Innes, The Maker's Shed is a gallery and book shop that is both the central hub of High Country Books and the home of the High Country Book Club, hosted by Michael each month.

So there's clearly lots to discuss at Thursday Book Club tomorrow night! I hope you can join us.

On Thursday 10 August, I'll be coming to Canberra to be in conversation with Barbie Robinson at the beautiful Book Cow independent bookshop in Kingston. Canberra people, I'd love your company. The event is free and you can register for it here.

Finally, for those of you who weren't able to make my book launch in Sydney, Orange (Shiang-Yuan) Kao kindly videoed the speeches by Jane Palfreyman (my publisher), Tom Keneally and me. You can watch them on my YouTube channel.

Hope your week has been a good one so far - and if it hasn't been, I hope it's getting better.

NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

THE HEART IS A STAR
Megan Rogers

BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

Layla Barnes is at a point of complete and utter exhaustion. It's approaching Christmas. She's an anaesthetist in a busy hospital and has made a fatal mistake that threatens her career. Her underemployed husband doesn't pull his weight in the home and constantly resents her busyness, even though his financial incompetence is one of the reasons she has to work so hard. Their two children are responding to the household tensions in differing ways, none positive. She has a lover who shares her passion for astronomy but is becoming possessive. The aunt she looks out for is 'acting up,' her sister is dismissive and unreachable, and then her mother - who Layla has never really understood, and who she blames for her much-loved and adored father's death - has yet again threatened suicide. This time Layla thinks she really is serious, because her mother has said she will reveal something she has kept secret all these years. On the point of breaking, Layla heads to the remote Tasmanian town to finally confront her mother… A powerful novel of a complicated woman who has to break apart before she can get herself together. Absorbing and lyrically written. Lindy

Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivanand The Watchful Wife.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATION

THE RUSH
Michelle Prak
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Quinn works for the outback pub a few hours from her family's old property. It's a famous stop on the overland route from Adelaide to Darwin, but as the wet season approaches, trade falls away. The wife of the pub's owner, Andrea, is pregnant and dreading having another child in the remote region as she finds it hard enough with a toddler. As the heat builds, and the monsoonal weather closes in with threats of flash flooding, a party of inexperienced travellers is heading that way. Hayley and Scott are universtiy students, and Hayley has their life planned out - graduation, good jobs, marriage and all - but whose planning for the trip is perhaps similarly unreal. They are accompanied by two overseas students found through the internet - Joost from the Netherlands, whose odd behaviour might be interpreted in light of his youth and less-than-perfect English, and slightly older Brazilian Livia, who is an eco-warrior in the making. As this mismatched bunch head north, and Andrea is unexpectedly left to fend for herself as her husband goes to help a neighbouring property owner prepare for the oncoming floodwaters, a series of events threatens them separately… I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the rural crime novel. There's no cops, no detectives, just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The reader isn't even sure what crimes are committed until the clever ending. A great read and a breath of fresh air! Lindy RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a newish but firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Howards End

by

E.M. Foster
I suspect it was obvious some time ago that I don’t have a degree in literature. Nor do I really know how to write book reviews. So I am just going to let myself off the hook of having to write something learned about EM Forster’s work. I picked up this book at the op shop because I saw the TV adaptation and I thought the main character, Margaret Schlegel, was an interesting woman. I remain interested in her after reading the 1910 novel; she and her sister spend their time going to dinner parties that incorporate essays and structured informal debates. After a brief acquaintance, Mrs Wilcox of Howards End expresses her wish that Margaret inherit her home upon her death. A lot of work in the book’s first half is taken setting up the Schlegels, the Wilcoxes, and a third family, the Basts. I enjoyed the novel a lot more in its second half when twisty interesting things started to happen (and there was more flirting). Forster often tells rather than shows which seems less common in modern novels but I rather liked it. NEWS

Congratulations to those writers longlisted for this year's Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award

An Intimate History of Evolution: The Story of the Huxley Family by Alison Bashford (Allen Lane)
One Illumined Thread by Sally Colin-James (Harper Collins)
My Giddy Aunt and her sister comedians by Sharon Connolly (Upswell Publishing)
We Come with This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)
Anam by André Dao (Hamish Hamilton)
Emperors in Lilliput by Jim Davidson (The Miegunyah Press)
The Bell of the World by Gregory Day (Transit Lounge)
Reckless by Marele Day (Ultimo Press)
The Great Dead Body Teacher by Jackie Dent (Ultimo Press)
The Plant Thieves: Secrets of the herbarium by Prudence Gibson (NewSouth)
Aphrodite's Breath by Susan Johnson
(Allen & Unwin)
Ghosts of the Orphanage
by Christine Kenneally (Hachette Australia)
Staging a Revolution: When Betty Rocked the Pram by Kath Kenny (Upswell Publishing)
Graft by Maggie MacKellar
(Hamish Hamilton)
The Age of Seeds by Fiona McMillian-Webster (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Life So Full of Promise: further biographies of Australia’s lost generation by Ross McMullin
(Scribe Publications)
Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life
by Brigitta Olubas (Virago)
The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About: Exposing Our Untold Mental Health Crisis by Elfy Scott (Pantera Press)
Political Lives: Australian prime ministers and their biographers by Chris Wallace
(UNSW Press)
The Passion of Private White by Don Watson (Scribner Australia)

Congratulations to Shankari Chandran, winner of the 2023 Miles Frankin Literary Award for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens.

Congratulations to those authors shortlisted for the 2023 Davitt Awards

Adult novels
Lucy Christopher, Release (Text Publishing)
Aoife Clifford, When We Fall (Ultimo Press)
Margaret Hickey, Stone Town (Penguin Random House Australia)
Tracey Lien, All That’s Left Unsaid (HQ Fiction)
Dinuka McKenzie, The Torrent (HarperCollins Publishing Australia)
Vikki Petraitis, The Unbelieved (Allen & Unwin)
Hayley Scrivenor, Dirt Town (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Emma Styles, No Country for Girls (Sphere, an imprint of Hachette Australia)

Young Adult novels
Louise Bassett, The Hidden Girl (Walker Books)
Sarah Epstein, Night Lights (Fourteen Press)
Fleur Ferris, Seven Days (Penguin Random House Australia)
Ellie Marney, The Killing Code (Allen & Unwin)

Children’s novels
Deborah Abela, The Book of Wondrous Possibilities (Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia)
Charlie Archbold, The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat (Text Publishing)
Lian Tanner, Rita’s Revenge (Allen & Unwin)

Non-fiction books
Wendy Davis, Don’t Make a Fuss: It’s only the Claremont Serial Killer (Fremantle Press) Debut
Katrina Marson, Legitimate Sexpectations: The power of sex-ed (Scribe Publications)
Megan Norris, Out of the Ashes (Big Sky Publishing)

Debut books
Maryrose Cuskelly, The Cane (Allen & Unwin)
Tracey Lien, All That’s Left Unsaid (HQ Fiction)
Dinuka McKenzie, The Torrent (HarperCollins Publishing Australia)
Vikki Petraitis, The Unbelieved (Allen & Unwin)
Hayley Scrivenor, Dirt Town (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Emma Styles, No Country for Girls (Sphere, an imprint of Hachette Australia)

Coastal Poetry:Libby Hathorn & Elizabeth Cummings 8 August at 6.30pmWaverley Library Theatrette

Poetry at SMSA 2023: Les Murray Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts6pm Tuesday 8 August 2023

Suzanne Leal in conversation with Barbie Robinson Thursday, 10 August at 6pmThe Book Cow Bookshop47 Jardine St, Kingston ACT

2023 South Coast Writers FestivalWollongong Town Hall, Wollongong Library, Wollongong Art Gallery18-20 August 2023

Secrets hiding in plain sightJoin Lucy Campbell (author of Lowbridge) & Rae Cairns (author of Dying to Know) in conversation
Better Dead than Read, 265 King St, Newtown
Saturday 19 August, 10 am – 11 am
.

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival
The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023
For its 10th anniversary, the Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival is seeking donations to cover appearance fees for guest artists. If you'd like to support the festival, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

Writing Competitions

4 August: Newcastle Poetry Prize
The prize embraces the long form poem, allowing poets to explore their craft across up to 200 lines, with a first prize of $15,000. The accompanying anthology also offers a platform for poets to be published.

7 August: Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize
The prize is open to submissions of unpublished nature-themed poetry up to 80 lines, with a major prize of $1,000. The winner will be announced at the Words in Winter festival in Victoria on 27 August.

13 August 2023: 2023 Storyfest Storytelling Competition
This year's theme is INHALE!
Primary school students: 250 word limit
Secondary school students: 500 word limit
Open age: 1000 word limit.

20 August 2023: Mentoring Program for Emerging Writers from Diverse Backgrounds
Up to six emerging writers from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds will be given the opportunity to work on a short piece of fiction or non-fiction (2,000-5,000 words) under the guidance of award-winning author Eugen Bacon and with support from Writing NSW.

25 August 2023: Maureen Freer Literary Competition 2023
Sponsored by the Fellowship of Australian Writers Queensland, this competition invites short story works up to 2,000 words on the topic 'A Line in the Sand'. First prize is $300, and a short list of 10 will be offered future publication in SCOPE.

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

31 August 2023: 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short crime and mystery stories turn 30 this year and are offering a record $12,720 in prizes. The focus is on women's crime and mystery short stories, and the competition is open to all women, whether cisgender, transgender, or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. More information on the competition in the link above.

4 September: Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship 2023
The Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship is awarded annually to a writer with a work of fiction, creative non-fiction, a play, or a suite of poems that is ready for the next stage of development. Applicants must be Writing NSW members and be willing to commit to developing their work.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

Tomorrow night I'll be interviewing Michael Burge, journalist, artist and author of the coming-of-age crime thriller, Tank Water

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My Recommendation

Fanatic Heart by Tom Keneally

Your Recommendations
Michael Burge
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Noela Alexander

The Watchful Wife by Suzanne Leal
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville

Gillian Hunt

The Watchful Wife by Suzanne Leal
The Third Chopstick by Biff Ward

Hazel H
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Katrina Davis
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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Published on August 02, 2023 01:49

Journalist and author Michael Burge is my guest next week

My next guest on Thursday Book Club is.... Michael Burge
Journalist, artist and author of the coming-of-age crime thriller, Tank Water.
To join us, click on the link to my Zoom conference room on Thursday 3 August at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends

Shankari Chandran has won this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens. It's a novel the judges described as 'alive with character, dialogue and action' but one Shankari herself feared would never be published after sales of her earlier novel, The Barrier, were low. It's one of the pitfalls of being a writer: the possibility that a work, having taken so much time, thought. energy and passion, may never be published. What a cause for celebration, then, that Chai Time in Cinnamon Gardens has not only been published by the vibrant Ultimo Press but has now won Australia's most distinguished literary award.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at my Sydney launch last week. Tom Keneally launched my novel The Watchful Wife and regaled us all. I had the best time and will post a recording of highlights from the evening very soon.

On a sombre note, I was saddened to hear of the death of Sinead O'Connor, whose songs have carried me through much of my life. As they have for many of you, too, I suspect.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at Thursday Book Club tonight - and next week, too, when journalist and author, Michael Burge, will be joining us. And if you're in Newtown on Saturday, hope you can join us for An Afternoon with Suzanne Leal and Petronella McGovern. at Better Read Than Dead. It should be fun.

NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

ECHO LAKE
Joan Sauers

BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- There have been crime novels set in the rural reaches of Australia, and plenty in the cities. Not so many set in the Southern Highlands, as this one is. Rose McHugh has always wanted to live in a cottage in the picturesque surrounds of the highlands, and uses most of her savings to buy a ricketty house in a deserted stretch. She settles into the lifestyle, bonds with a local over their dogs, discovers the best coffee, and runs into the resident sociopath. When she also discovers a buried cannister of film in her garden and has it developed, it reveals photographs of a missing woman - so of course, she starts to investigate despite being warned off by the attractive, but enigmatic, police detective… Whilst there are a lot of standard cliches in this novel, it is an entertaining and undemanding read, full of local colour, best consumed on a lazy wintry Sunday afternoon! Lindy

Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release and junior reader recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivanand The Watchful Wife. GENERAL RECOMMENDATION

LIFE AFTER TED
Rick Feneley
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Ted McCall was a local legend, a gentle well-regarded man who was the backbone of the local Bondi lifesavers' community, until he drowned in a freak accident. His wife, Connie, who hates the ocean, saw it happen and in her grief, is incapable of offering solace to their only son, Seb. He is a born-again Christian of a particularly evangelical streak, and worshipped his father - so when he finds Connie in bed with Ted's best friend a few days after the funeral, he is incensed. But what he doesn't know is the secret that shaped his parents' marriage - and what Connie comes to discover is that Ted, who shared everything with her, actually didn't… An examination of grief, love and belief, with wry touches of humour and keen observations. Lindy RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a newish but firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Such a Fun Age

by

Kiley Reid
Has anyone else been watching And Just Like That, the Sex and the City return series? I’m not proud of it but I can’t look away. I feel much less qualmish about reading and recommending Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age. The two texts cover similar territory of race, class and privilege within stories of dating and women’s friendships. Both are chock-full of all the visual detail I love – big cities, domestic interiors, and fashion. The chapter one set up in Such a Fun Age gives Reid a lot to work with: late one night authorities approach twenty-five year old Emira in a supermarket and accuse her of stealing the white child she is babysitting. While some of the supporting cast read as types, the book’s heroine refuses to be contained. Emira’s boss, her friends, her boss’ friends and her boyfriend all try to save her, but she will learn her own lessons and school others along the way.
NEWS

Congratulations to Shankari Chandran, winner of the 2023 Miles Frankin Literary Award for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens.

I have a soft spot for the Davitt Awards, having been on the 2021 shortlist for my novel, The Deceptions. I still get a bit of a thrill when the new shortlists are announced. And here they are for 2023:

Adult novels
Lucy Christopher, Release (Text Publishing)
Aoife Clifford, When We Fall (Ultimo Press)
Margaret Hickey, Stone Town (Penguin Random House Australia)
Tracey Lien, All That’s Left Unsaid (HQ Fiction)
Dinuka McKenzie, The Torrent (HarperCollins Publishing Australia)
Vikki Petraitis, The Unbelieved (Allen & Unwin)
Hayley Scrivenor, Dirt Town (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Emma Styles, No Country for Girls (Sphere, an imprint of Hachette Australia)

Young Adult novels
Louise Bassett, The Hidden Girl (Walker Books)
Sarah Epstein, Night Lights (Fourteen Press)
Fleur Ferris, Seven Days (Penguin Random House Australia)
Ellie Marney, The Killing Code (Allen & Unwin)

Children’s novels
Deborah Abela, The Book of Wondrous Possibilities (Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia)
Charlie Archbold, The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat (Text Publishing)
Lian Tanner, Rita’s Revenge (Allen & Unwin)

Non-fiction books
Wendy Davis, Don’t Make a Fuss: It’s only the Claremont Serial Killer (Fremantle Press) Debut
Katrina Marson, Legitimate Sexpectations: The power of sex-ed (Scribe Publications)
Megan Norris, Out of the Ashes (Big Sky Publishing)

Debut books
Maryrose Cuskelly, The Cane (Allen & Unwin)
Tracey Lien, All That’s Left Unsaid (HQ Fiction)
Dinuka McKenzie, The Torrent (HarperCollins Publishing Australia)
Vikki Petraitis, The Unbelieved (Allen & Unwin)
Hayley Scrivenor, Dirt Town (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Emma Styles, No Country for Girls (Sphere, an imprint of Hachette Australia)

Congratulations to those writers shortlisted for the 2023 National Biography Award

Unknown: A Refugee’s Story by Akuch Kuol Anyieth (Text Publishing)
The Ghost Tattoo: Discovering the hidden truth of my father’s Holocaust by Tony Bernard (Allen & Unwin)
How to End a Story: Diaries 1995–1998 by Helen Garner (Text Publishing)
Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper (Scribner Australia, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia)
Missing by Tom Patterson (Allen & Unwin)
My Tongue Is My Own: A Life of Gwen Harwood by Ann-Marie Priest (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.

Congratuiations to Debra Dank, winner of the 2023 Australian Literature Society (ALS) Gold Medal for her much-lauded work, We Come With This Place (Echo Publishing)

An Afternoon with Suzanne Leal and Petronella McGovern3pm-4.30pm 29 July 2023Better Read Than Dead

Coastal Poetry:Libby Hathorn & Elizabeth Cummings 8 August at 6.30pmWaverley Library Theatrette

2023 South Coast Writers FestivalWollongong Town Hall, Wollongong Library, Wollongong Art Gallery18-20 August 2023

Poetry at SMSA 202 3:Les Murray Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts6pm Tuesday 8 August 2023

Secrets hiding in plain sightJoin Lucy Campbell (author of Lowbridge) & Rae Cairns (author of Dying to Know) in conversation
Better Dead than Read, 265 King St, Newtown
Saturday 19 August, 10 am – 11 am
.

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival
The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023
For its 10th anniversary, the Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival is seeking donations to cover appearance fees for guest artists. If you'd like to support the festival, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

Writing Competitions

31 July 2023: Varuna Fellowships 2024
More than 25 fellowships will be awarded for residencies in 2024, offering writers in all creative genres two to three weeks’ full board and accommodation, with a private writing space and a one-hour conversation with a Varuna consultant.

31 July 2023 Children's Peace Literature Award
The Children’s Peace Literature Award is for books intended for children up to 18 years of age. The books’ themes or main characters should encourage the peaceful resolution of conflict and/or promote peace at the global, local or interpersonal level.The award is conducted by Psychologists for Peace, a Special Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society.

1 August 2023: Walker Books Manuscript Prize
This is a new biennial prize to be awarded to an unpublished manuscript, from 5000 to 70000 words for a readership of children over 8 years. The winner will be offered a publishing contract with an advance against royalties.

13 August 2023: 2023 Storyfest Storytelling Competition
This year's theme is INHALE!
Primary school students: 250 word limit
Secondary school students: 500 word limit
Open age: 1000 word limit.

20 August 2023: WritingNSW Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers from Diverse Backgrounds
Applications are currently open for a mentoring program for emerging writers from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds. Up to six writers will be given the opportunity to work on a short piece of fiction or non-fiction (2000-5000 words) under the guidance of award-winning author Eugen Bacon with support from Writing NSW. The aim of the program is to ready the works for publication on the Writing NSW website or other leading journals or platforms.

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

31 August 2023: 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short crime and mystery stories turn 30 this year and are offering a record $12,720 in prizes. The focus is on women's crime and mystery short stories, and the competition is open to all women, whether cisgender, transgender, or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. More information on the competition in the link above.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

On 3 August, I'll be interviewing Michael Burge, journalist, artist and author of the coming-of-age crime thriller, Tank Water

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My Recommendation

WIfedom by Anna Funder

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
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Published on July 27, 2023 01:56

It's my book launch!

My next guest on Thursday Book Club is.... Michael Burge
Journalist, artist and author of the coming-of-age crime thriller, Tank Water.
To join us, click on the link to my Zoom conference room on Thursday 3 August at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends

Tom Keneally is launching my new novel this evening and I'm so excited about it! Tom has long been one of my writing heroes and it's such an honour to have him launch The Watchful Wife. Hope you can come - you'll find the details below.

This means that Thursday Book Club won't be on tonight. For those of you who can't make the book launch, the speeches will be recorded and published on my website. My thanks to Orange (Shiang-Yuan) Kao and Hazel Hogarth for making this possible.

I've also got a number of events coming up over the next week. On Saturday afternoon, I'll be at Gordon Library, on Tuesday evening at Leichhardt Library, on Wednesday evening at Margaret Martin Library in Randwick and on Thursday evening I'll be at Woollahra Library. It would be lovely to have your company!

Thanks so much for taking the time to vote in the Better Reading Top 50 Kids' Books The fifty books chosen will be stocked in Big W for the next year. This gives books like my novel Running with Ivan a new lease of life and the chance to find new readers. Voting closes on Sunday. If you are yet to vote, you can do it here. I really appreciate your support.

Many of you will know Jacinta Parsons as the host of Afternoons on ABC Melbourne. I've just read her book A Question of Age, which came out late last year. It's the most thoughtful, intimate and beautifully written work on women, ageing and those two selves; the inside self and the outside self. I found it fascinating - let me know what you think.

NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

THE WAKES
Dianne Yarwood

BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Clare's husband has upped and left after vaguely notifying her of his unhappiness. Her job is demanding, she's left with the house and the teenaged kids and a feeling of disconnectedness. Chris' wife has left him after one too many unsuccessful rounds of IVF and his rather ironic heart attack - as a doctor, he knows about keeping healthy. Louisa has moved into the house next door to Clare; she's larger than life and disorganised and has fallen into an accidentally catering for her friend Tim's funeral business. All these wonderfully ordinarily complicated people come together over the course of four funerals and the perfect chicken sandwiches and lemon tart… A warm and generous novel about life and living it in spite of everything that gets in the way, and the friends you make who make it all worthwhile. Lindy

Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release and junior reader recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivanand The Watchful Wife. FOR JUNIOR READERS

ROCKS, FOSSILS AND FORMATIONS
Thomas R.H. Woolrych
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Aimed at older readers 10-14, this is an excellent and accessible introduction to geoscience, with an Australian focus. It tells how rocks and landscapes hold the stories of Earth's origins, and how scientists can interpret these clues. The chapters start with eons: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic - then eras: Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic, taking the reader for a journey through these important time periods. It explains concepts of geology and tectonics with enthusiasm and easily understood language that conveys the wonder of the processes. Well illustrated by Anna Madeleine Raupach, this is just the sort of book to hook readers in to the joys of science! Lindy
RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a newish but firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger

by

Fiona Wright

I have to confess. I didn’t find this book at an op-shop or book sale. This makes sense as I can’t imagine anyone passing on their copy of Small Acts of Disappearance after reading it. I leave this review here, as a Rescue Read, as the record of my 2023 reading life must include this peak experience. Subtitled Essays on Hunger, this collection of ten personal essays moves seamlessly between memoir, literary criticism, travel writing and more. Wright deploys these techniques in her work to understand her experience of Anorexia over a ten year period. Over the recent years of my own disability I have found myself interrogating the books I read, the conversations I have and the deliberations of my soul to make sense of how I live now. Wright validates this way of acting and makes from her alertness to the world and deep intelligence a masterpiece.NEWS

Congratulations to those writers shortlisted for the 2023 National Biography Award

Unknown: A Refugee’s Story by Akuch Kuol Anyieth (Text Publishing)
The Ghost Tattoo: Discovering the hidden truth of my father’s Holocaust by Tony Bernard (Allen & Unwin)
How to End a Story: Diaries 1995–1998 by Helen Garner (Text Publishing)
Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper (Scribner Australia, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia)
Missing by Tom Patterson (Allen & Unwin)
My Tongue Is My Own: A Life of Gwen Harwood by Ann-Marie Priest (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.

Congratuiations to Debra Dank, winner of the 2023 Australian Literature Society (ALS) Gold Medal for her much-lauded work, We Come With This Place (Echo Publishing)

Ku-ring-gai Creative Showcase
Gordon Library
2pm-5pm 22 July 2023

Speaker Series: The Watchful Wife - Suzanne Leal in conversation with Rae Cairns
Leichhardt Library
6.30pm - 7.30pm 25 July 2023

Author Talks: Suzanne Leal in Conversation with Eleanor Limprecht
Margaret Martin Library, Randwick
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm 26 July 2023
(light catering provided from 6pm)

Writers & Readers: Woollahra Library
Suzanne Leal in conversation with Catherine du Peloux Menagé
Woollahra Library
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Thursday, 27 July 2023

An Afternoon with Suzanne Leal and Petronella McGovern3pm-4.30pm 29 July 2023Better Read Than Dead

2023 South Coast Writers FestivalWollongong Town Hall, Wollongong Library, Wollongong Art Gallery18-20 August 2023

Poetry at SMSA 202 3:Les Murray Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts6pm Tuesday 8 August 2023

Secrets hiding in plain sightJoin Lucy Campbell (author of Lowbridge) & Rae Cairns (author of Dying to Know) in conversation
Better Dead than Read, 265 King St, Newtown
Saturday 19 August, 10 am – 11 am
.

Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival
The Women's Club,179 Elizabeth St Sydney
15-17 September 2023
For its 10th anniversary, the Rose Scott Women Writers' Festival is seeking donations to cover appearance fees for guest artists. If you'd like to support the festival, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

Writing Competitions

23 July 2023: Vote to Win 50 Kids' Books
Vote for the Better Reading Top 50 Kids' Books. To enter, all you need to do is vote for your all-time favourite kids or YA book. It can be international or local, old or new, classic or debut.

31 July 2023: Varuna Fellowships 2024
More than 25 fellowships will be awarded for residencies in 2024, offering writers in all creative genres two to three weeks’ full board and accommodation, with a private writing space and a one-hour conversation with a Varuna consultant.

31 July 2023 Children's Peace Literature Award
The Children’s Peace Literature Award is for books intended for children up to 18 years of age. The books’ themes or main characters should encourage the peaceful resolution of conflict and/or promote peace at the global, local or interpersonal level.The award is conducted by Psychologists for Peace, a Special Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society.

1 August 2023: Walker Books Manuscript Prize
This is a new biennial prize to be awarded to an unpublished manuscript, from 5000 to 70000 words for a readership of children over 8 years. The winner will be offered a publishing contract with an advance against royalties.

13 August 2023: 2023 Storyfest Storytelling Competition
This year's theme is INHALE!
Primary school students: 250 word limit
Secondary school students: 500 word limit
Open age: 1000 word limit.

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

20 August 2023: WritingNSW Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers from Diverse Backgrounds
Applications are currently open for a mentoring program for emerging writers from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds. Up to six writers will be given the opportunity to work on a short piece of fiction or non-fiction (2000-5000 words) under the guidance of award-winning author Eugen Bacon with support from Writing NSW. The aim of the program is to ready the works for publication on the Writing NSW website or other leading journals or platforms.

31 August 2023: 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short crime and mystery stories turn 30 this year and are offering a record $12,720 in prizes. The focus is on women's crime and mystery short stories, and the competition is open to all women, whether cisgender, transgender, or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. More information on the competition in the link above.

22 September 2023: POEM FOREST Writing Prize
Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

On 3 August, I'll be interviewing Michael Burge, journalist, artist and author of the coming-of-age crime thriller, Tank Water

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations
My Recommendation

A Question of Age by Jacinta Parsons

Your Recommendations

Noela Alexander

Homecoming by Kate Morton

Barbie Robinson

The Unearthed by Lenny Bartulin
Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell
The House With All The Lights On by Jessica Kirkness
The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
Such a Fun Age by Kylie Reid

Ravi Samuel
Broken Light by Joanne Harris
She said (film)
Jane Eyre by Michael Fassbender (film)

Louise Ryan
Only Murders in the Building (TV)
Black Mirror (TV)
Dina Davies
Bad Art Mother by Edwina Preston
The Fire and the Rose by Robyn Cadwallader
Schitt's Creek (TV)
Katrina Davis
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible

QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME You can buy The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret and Running With Ivan online and from your favourite bookshops, including

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do

https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/

https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/

Booktopia

Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Copyright © 2023 Suzanne Leal, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the latest novel, The Deceptions

Our mailing address is:
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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Published on July 19, 2023 14:53

Reasons to read

My next guest on on Thursday Book Club is....  Sulari Gentill
Internationally bestselling author of The Woman in the Library   On 31 August 2023, Sulari Gentill will be joining us at Thursday Book Club to talk about crime writing and cracking the American market.

To join us, simply click on the link to my Zoom conference room on Thursday 31 August at 8pm:

JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM Dear Friends

I don't know about you, but I read books differently depending on the reason I'm reading them at all.

If I'm on a judging panel, I'm reading to examine, to work out which of the many, many books entered should be part of a longlist or a shortlist or be the winner. When I'm reading to prepare to interview a fellow writer about their new book, I read to find questions and to look for a passage that might work well for a reading. If I read to review, it's with a critical, curious eye.

When I read to relax, I let myself go and just immerse myself in the story. And when I read my own books, it's often with my breath held, for fear of finding the typo I'd failed to pick up in the manuscript.

By contrast, I love listening to the audiobooks of my novels and have just started listening to Anthea Greco's fantastic narration of The Watchful Wife.  Because the voice is not mine, my mind is tricked into thinking the writing isn't mine either and it's such a treat to be able to simply sit back and to enjoy the story. (if you like, you can listen to a sample ofThe Watchful Wife here, or read a sample here.)

It was terrific to have screenwriter and novelist, Frank Chalmers on Thursday Book Club last week. If you weren't able to be there, you can watch our interview here. Earlier in the week,I loved chatting to Thursday Book Club regular, Barbie Robinson. You can listen to our interview on Living Arts Canberra.

I'm in conversation with Jane Caro at the State Library of NSW tomorrow and would love to see you there. And on Tuesday, I'll be at Waverley Library in conversation with Marion Frith, journalist and author of Here In The After. Both events are free and, courtesy of Allen & Unwin, there will be lucky door prizes at both events - simply register to be in the draw.

We're not taking a break over school holidays this time, so please keep joining us throughout July.

PS Hope you've received your invitation to my book launch (with the magnificent Tom Keneally coming to launch it). Just send me a quick note if your invitation has been lost somewhere in cyberspace and I'll send you another one. The launch is a thank you for all your support and I'm looking forward to your company.

NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

TAKEN
Dinuka McKenzie

BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- This is the second novel featuring DS Kate Miles (the first being The Torrent). It takes place a few months later, with Kate having resumed work earlier than planned after the birth of her second child. She's permanently sleep-deprived, fighting the guilt of leaving her husband Geoff to be the primary caregiver, and his resentment at not being the breadwinner. Her boss is just waiting for her to make a mistake, the detective who filled her position whilst she was on maternity leave is not pleased to be relegated down the chain, and her ex-cop father's private life is going to be splashed everywhere, adding to the layers of muck she has to wade through. A serial domestic violence offender is once again getting away with his cruelty - and then a baby is snatched from its cot, and Kate is really in the deep end… Another cleverly plotted storyline with flawed characters (Kate is her own worst enemy) and an atmospheric and believable setting. I look forward to more from this talented author! Lindy
Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release and junior reader recommendations. This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions, Running With Ivanand The Watchful Wife. FOR JUNIOR READERS

TWENTY QUESTIONS
Mac Barnett, Christian Robinson
BUY FROM ABBEY'S BOOK SHOP

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- This clever picture book isn't so much a story as a wonderful prompt for engaging in storytelling. Not all questions have answers, and the questions posed within the pages are accompanied by expressive illustrations that effectively encourage participation. What did the lion get the lamb for her birthday? Who is on the other side of this door? How did the cow get all the way up there? An excellent aid for the imagination, one that could appeal to the young pre-schoolers up to middle primary aged readers. Lindy RESCUE READS

I’m Katrina Davis and I’m a newish but firmly stuck-on member of Thursday Book Club. All my life I have loved reading. After spending the best part of a year helping out in the not insubstantial book section of a local op-shop, I have developed a passion for bolstering my to-be-read pile with second-hand literary gems. Every week I'll review one of these not-so-newly released treasures. You'll also find me on @RescueReads and @rescuereadsau.

Peace by Garry Disher
I gave the latest Disher to my Mum for Christmas and received such acclaim for my good taste that I popped the author on my must-read-more-crime-fiction reading list. Under the surveillance of Peaces’s protagonist, Constable Hirsch, collectively the cast of the small township of Tiverton is made vivid along with its dry bush-scape. I grew up in a tiny country town and the work of the bush-noirists I’ve sampled feels astute; the front cover endorsement for Peace describes Disher as the ‘gold standard’ for the genre. Peace is above all pacey. I eschewed the pinging invitations of multiple devices and massaged hand cramps in the race to this novel’s reveals - would the villains be home-grown bad guys or big city interlopers?  Like I often do when I read crime fiction (and I’m very much a novice here) I wanted more of the inner life of the main players, but on place, pace and plot Disher doled it out.

   NEWS

Trivia in The Library Bar
Library Bar, State Library of NSW
6pm - 8pm. 5 July 2023

Suzanne Leal: The Watchful Wife
In conversation event with Jane Caro
State Library of NSW
12.30pm - 1.30pm, 6 July 2023

Classic Film Matinee: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts
1.30pm - 4.30pm, Thursday 6 July 2023

The Watchful Wife
Author talk by Suzanne Leal
Waverley Library
6pm - 7.30pm 11 July 2023

Feast: Emily O'Grady in-conversation with Michelle Barraclough
Better Read Than Dead, 265 King St, Newtown
6.30pm - 8.30pm 13 July 2023

Speaker Series: The Watchful Wife - Suzanne Leal in conversation with Rae Cairns
Leichhardt Library
6.30pm - 7.30pm 25 July 2023

Author Talks: Suzanne Leal in Conversation with Eleanor Limprecht
Margaret Martin Library, Randwick
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm 26 July 2023
(light catering provided from 6pm)

Writers & Readers: Woollahra Library
Suzanne Leal in conversation with Catherine du Peloux Menagé
Woollahra Library
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Thursday, 27 July 2023

2023 South Coast Writers Festival
Wollongong Town Hall, Wollongong Library, Wollongong Art Gallery
18-20 August 2023

Secrets hiding in plain sightJoin Lucy Campbell (author of Lowbridge) & Rae Cairns (author of Dying to Know) in conversation
Better Dead than Read, 265 King St, Newtown
Saturday 19 August, 10 am – 11 am .

Writing Competitions

7 July 2023: Richell Prize for Emerging Writers
Entries are open to unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. Writers do not need to have a full manuscript at the time of submission, though they must intend to complete one. The Prize will be judged on the first three chapters of the submitted work, along with a synopsis outlining the direction of the proposed work and detail about how the author’s writing career would benefit from winning the Prize.

23 July 2023: Vote to Win 50 Kids' Books
Vote for the Better Reading Top 50 Kids' Books. To enter, all you need to do is vote for your all-time favourite kids or YA book. It can be international or local, old or new, classic or debut.

31 July 2023: Varuna Fellowships 2024
More than 25 fellowships will be awarded for residencies in 2024, offering writers in all creative genres two to three weeks’ full board and accommodation, with a private writing space and a one-hour conversation with a Varuna consultant.

31 July 2023 Children's Peace Literature Award
The Children’s Peace Literature Award is for books intended for children up to 18 years of age. The books’ themes or main characters should encourage the peaceful resolution of conflict and/or promote peace at the global, local or interpersonal level.The award is conducted by Psychologists for Peace, a Special Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society.

1 August 2023: Walker Books Manuscript Prize
This is a new biennial prize to be awarded to an unpublished manuscript, from 5000 to 70000 words for a readership of children over 8 years. The winner will be offered a publishing contract with an advance against royalties.

13 August 2023: 2023 Storyfest Storytelling Competition
This year's theme is INHALE!
Primary school students: 250 word limit
Secondary school students: 500 word limit
Open age: 1000 word limit.

31 August 2023: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The award seeks original literary submissions that are digitally born - originating online or in electronic or multi media form.

31 August 2023: Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award 2023
Australian writers are invited to submit short stories to a maximum of 3000 words.

30 September 2023; Bridport Memoir Award
This is an international award for writers embarking upon a memoir. To enter, submit a 300 word overview in addition to a 5000 to 8000 excerpt.

What is Thursday Book Club?

Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. We meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, I interview a guest writer.

On 31 August, I'll be interviewing internationally best-selling author of The Woman in The Library, Sulari Gentil.

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm (between 10am and 10.30am if you're in central Europe) by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID:852 104 2343
Password 886 196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations

My Recommendation

A Question of Age by Jacinta Parsons

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

How to Be Second Best by Jessica Dettmann

Take care,
Suzanne

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Watchful Wife, The Deceptions, The Teacher’s Secret or Running With Ivan, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
JOIN BOOK CLUB ON ZOOM

My new novel, The Watchful Wife, is out now You can buy it from Allen & Unwin here or at your favourite bookshop.

You can buy Running with Ivan here

You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback

*****Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout at Abbey's for a 15% discount on my novels, The Teacher's Secret, The Deceptions and Running With Ivan.

The Deceptions Paperback

Amazon Paperback
Kindle

Audible