Join me this Thursday before we take a two-week break

Dear Friends,It was terrific to have Ron McCallum as my guest on Thursday Book Club last week and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation about his memoir Born at the Right Time. Congratulations to Minoti H who was the winner of the evening's giveaway, courtesy of Allen & Unwin. This week, Thursday Book Club is back as usual before we break for the school holidays, returning on 22 April.

Thanks to everyone who entered the draw for tickets to my online interview with Debra Oswald on Wednesday event. The lucky winners were Noela A and Libby G. To anyone who missed out, you can still register for the event here. Courtesy of BAD Sydney Crimes Writers Festival, I'll be talking to Debra about her captivating new novel The Family Doctor.

There are lots of online events coming up over the next couple of weeks. Below you'll find links to a couple of sessions that particularly caught my eye. I've also provided details for a couple of writing competitions. Meanwhile, there's been continuing interest in starting a Thursday Book Club Writers group. Email me if you're interested and I'll put you in touch with each other.

Enjoy the holidays and see you back again on 22 April.

  NEWS

Debra Oswald is a two-time winner of the NSW Premier’s Literary Award and creator of the successful TV series Offspring. Her latest novel, The Family Doctor, is a gripping contemporary thriller about whether a good person can justify taking a life to save a life.

As part of the BAD All Year program brought to you by BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival, I'll be talking to Debra Oswald about The Family Doctor.

Book your ticket here to watch the event online.

EVENT: Debra Oswald in Conversation with Suzanne Leal

WHEN: On Wednesday, 31st of March 2021 at 6:00 PM

TICKETS: $10

WHERE: Zoom (Online Platform)

The Ultimo Prize 2021

The Ultimo Prize aims to find the best young writers of fiction and poetry in Australia. The prize is open to writers between the age of 18 and 30 writing short fiction or poetry. The 2021 prize is seeking writing that explores a specific theme – IDENTITY. Thirty winners will be chosen and published in an anthology collection by Ultimo Press in November 2021. Each winning entry will receive $200 and a copy of the published book on publication. Applications close on 8 April 2021 and you can find all the details here.

2021 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

Entries are currently open for the 2021 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize, closing on 3 May 2021. The Jolley Prize is worth a total of AU$12,500 – first place will receive $6,000, second place will receive $4,000, and third place will receive $2,500. Short stories must be between 2000-5000 words. Further details can be found here.

Online now: Toxic Families.

Families can be havens of love and affection, but they can also be crucibles of crime where abuse and resentment create an explosive mix. At the core there can be deep, dark secrets. Nicola Moriarty, Erina Reddan and Lyn Yeowart discuss the secrets of toxic families in an introduction to their new novels. The event is free to watch through YouTube. You can find the details here.

Emily Maguire - Love Objects
Wednesday 14 April 2021
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
In store at Avid Reader Bookshop / ZOOM Online
You can register here.

Congratulations to the writers shortlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize. The winner will be announced on 22 April 2021

I’ll look forward to your company at Thursday Book Club this week before we break for the school holidays.

What is Thursday Book Club? Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. Each Thursday we meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like and books we’re reading. Every now and then, I invite a guest writer to join us.

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 on Thursdays 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: 886196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations

My Recommendation

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald

Prof Ron McCallum's Recommendations

Clara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Truth-Telling: History, Sovereignty and the Uluru Statement by Henry Reynolds
One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown

Your Recommendations

Libby G

The Beekeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Noela A

Josephine Rowe on Beverley Farmer (Writers on Writers) by Josephine Rowe
Born at the Right Time by Ron McCallum

Ravi S

The Underground Railway by Colson Whitehead

Take care,

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?

If your book club has chosen to read The Deceptions or The Teacher’s Secret, 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.