Archie Roach and me
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Dear Friends,The NSW Premier's History Awards were announced on Friday. Singer, songwriter Archie Roach won the Young People's History Prize for his memoir Tell Me Why for Young Adults. Archie Roach first came to public attention with his haunting song, Took The Children Away, and I've been a fan for years. Imagine my delight, then, not only to be part of a (pre-Covid) writers' festival he was headlining but also to find myself on the table beside him at the hotel breakfast buffet the following morning. Leave him alone, I told myself, let him eat his breakfast in peace...but I didn't. Instead, balancing my (overladen) plate on the way back to my table I gushed out my admiration. Whatever I said must have been coherent - perhaps even memorable - for when I followed him on Twitter, he sent me a personal message asking how I was. I responded with enthusiasm telling him about my day and he told me about his and so we continued to converse. Until a few days later when I received word that Archie Roach's Twitter account had been hacked and any messages should be ignored.
All this to say, congratulations Archie Roach!
We had fun at Thursday Book Club last week. Hope you can join us this week. We meet online from 8pm to 830pm and here's the link to join us: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343
NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION
I SHOT THE DEVILRuth McIver
https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/i-shot-the-devil-ruth-mciver-9780733642760.do
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Ruth McIver's novel won the Richell Prize 2018 for emerging writers and the writing is of such quality and depth. The scenario is of a young journalist revisiting a traumatic part of her life for an article she's been convinced by her editor to write. The details surrounding this dark part of her life when, as a teenager, she was in the fold with wayward friends in a fug of drugs, bad sex and heavy metal that ended in a climactic murder that scandalised the nation. The media at the time spun stories of satanism and the novel is an unsettling journey towards knowing what really happened on that night. Overall, this novel masterfully manages to convey a feeling of danger, menace and unease, as if we are reading a gruesome true-life suburban tragedy. Craig
Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations and our For Kids By Kids recommendations.This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my latest novels, The Teacher's Secret and The Deceptions. FOR KIDS BY KIDS
HEROES OF THE SECRET UNDERGROUND
by Susanne Gervay
Heroes of the Secret Underground is about a little girl called Louie. She lives with her grandparents and brothers in a hotel that her grandparents own. One day when Louie has finished all her work she decides to go to the top of tower in the backyard of the hotel. In there she finds a necklace with a rose gold locket. Not knowing whose it is, she decides to keep it safe. She doesn't know it at first but the locket was actually more then just a locket. It was sort of a time machine and it took her back to 1944, a time when World War Two was happening. That's when Louie discovers that her grandparents have secrets of their own. If you like thrillers filled with drama, you'll really enjoy this book. Miranda, 10 For any young readers in lockdown (or out of lockdown) with a book to recommend, please email me a short review (100 - 150 words) to be included in the For Kids By Kids part of the newsletter. All entries will go into the raffle for a prize to be drawn on 16 September.
NEWS
2021 NSW Premier's History Awards Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 NSW Premier's History Awards
Australian History Prize ($15,000)
People of the River: Lost Worlds of Early Australia by Grace Karskens (Allen & Unwin)
General History Prize ($15,000)
The Wardian Case: How a Simple Box Moved Plants and Changed the World by Luke Keogh (The University of Chicago Press and Kew Publishing)
NSW Community and Regional History Prize ($15,000)
Landscapes of Our Hearts: Reconciling People and Environment by Matthew Colloff (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Young People’s History Prize ($15,000)
Tell Me Why for Young Adults by Archie Roach (Simon & Schuster Australia)
Digital History Prize ($15,000)
FREEMAN by Laurence Billiet (General Strike and Matchbox Pictures)
MWF Digital3—15 Sep 2021
Melbourne Writers Festival 2021 has gone digital with a terrific program of events to watch online until 15 September 2021. You'll find the full program of sessions here.
Talks@Willoughby Online presents Tom KeneallyJoin Booker Prize winner, Tom Keneally, online this Thursday at 12.30pm when he'll be discussing his new novel, Corporal Hitler's Pistol. The event is free and you can register for it here.
Immersion writing with Kathryn Heyman & Jill Dawson I enjoyed having Kathryn Heyman as my guest on Thursday Book Club and I know she loved the conversation with those of you who were there. As well as being a novelist and memoirist, Kathryn is a highly experienced teacher of writing. Next month she'll be leading a one-off masterclass with the British writer, Jill Dawson. Kathryn and Jill will be talking on how to get the final polish on your manuscript, how to get your synopsis right (and what to do next!) and they'll be joined by a top London literary agent who will be able to answer your questions about stepping up to the next level. The masterclass is on October 15th and you can find all the details here: https://immersionwriting.com/next-level/ 
Paula Hawkins in conversation with Suzanne Leal
Join me online on Wednesday 8 September when I'll be in conversation with Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train. We'll be talking about Paula's captivating new novel, A Slow Fire Burning. The event is part of BAD September International, an initiative of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival. You can book your tickets here.
Newcastle Writers Festival 2021Online Schools Program – Tuesday 14 September
To celebrate Australian Reading Hour and as part of its online schools program, Newcastle Writers Festival is providing a terrific opportunity for students to engage with their favourite authors and illustrators. The program is free and you can access it by going to Newcastle Writers Festival's YouTube channel.
I’ll look forward to your company at Thursday Book Club this week.
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 & books we’re reading. Once a month, a guest writer joins 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
On 23 September, Gabriel Bergmoser will be joining us to talk about his new novel, The Inheritance.
Thursday Book Cl
ub Recommendations
My Recommendation
The Chase by Candice Fox
Your Recommendations
Libby G
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison by Meredith Jaffe
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins
Noela A
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende
Greg W
The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Rowena E
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Helen R
Love Like Blood by Mark Billingham
Helen J
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Honeybee by Craig Silvey
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
Hazel H
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Ravi S
Love Like Blood by Mark Billingham
Dina D
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip
Ravi S
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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.
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback
The Deceptions Paperback
Audible Questions? Email me You can buy
The Deceptions
and
The Teacher’s Secret
on Booktopia and from your local bookshops, including https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/
https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/
https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do
https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-teachers-secret-book-9781760297053.do
Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
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All rights reserved. Copyright © 2021 Suzanne Leal
Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
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