An accidental kitten and festival giveaways!

A week of books and conversations Author Emily Bitto is my guest on Thu...

An accidental kitten and festival giveaways!

Dear Friends,
Depending on how well you know me, you may be mildly or even greatly surprised to discover that Leo the kitten has taken up residence in our house.

This was not by design. In welcoming Leo into her share house, my son's girlfriend realised she'd forgotten to clear him with her flatmates. Long story short, Leo needed a new home. It took a while for me to click that we were the target; that Leo wasn't simply being brought over for a visit. The thing is, I'm not a cat person. To be honest, I've never really been an animal person at all. Milly, our dog, only joined us once I'd been completely worn down and gave in.

But I was stronger now.

I hadn't expected Milly to be my undoing. It was love at first sight, I swear it was. Milly was completely beguiled by Leo: shadowing him to check he didn't come to grief, licking him clean, happily sharing her water bowl. In the face of such adoration, what could I do?

Long story short, Leo stayed.

NB - I have tickets to give away for sessions of the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival this Sunday and Monday. To be in the draw to attend a session of your choice, simply reply to this email with your book recommendation.
NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION

WAKE

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/wake-9780733647826.do ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Nineteen years ago nine-year-old Evelyn McCreery disappeared, never to be seen again. She vanished from the room she shared with her twin sister Mina, in the station house on a remote property, with no tracks, footprints, fingerprints or evidence of forced entry. She left behind a shattered family - a mother who refused to give up searching and posted a million dollar reward, a broken father and her sister who have suffered years of whispers, innuendo and trauma. When a private investigator, Lane Holland, who has had success in other cases and who has a need for the reward, contacts the reclusive Mina, his urgency masks other motives. What he knows and she doesn't is that all those years ago, he was in the area…

A twisty and evocative rural crime novel with characters who aren't particularly sympathetic or likeable but are all too understandable; one that not only delivers a seemingly intractable mystery but which examines the consequences of unsolved events, how they impact not only the immediate family but the wider community, and even those with no connection but fascination in others' misery. Lindy Jones
Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations and our For 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

WILD AUSTRALIAN LIFE

,

https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/wild-australian-life-9781760637224.do
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Australia is home to an astounding diversity of creatures, and this finely presented book introduces primary age readers to a fraction of them. Arranged in a way that fosters imagination and exploration, it is a book to open at whim and follow as curiosity dictates! From whales and dolphins to marine invertebrates, predators to masters of disguise, venomous critters to amazing architects, creatures that fly and those that crawl, it is packed full of interesting information, facts and fabulous illustrations. A lively and stimulating book. Lindy Jones
NEWS

ABIA Awards 2022
Congratulations to all the winners of this year's Australian Book Industry Awards!

ABIA Book of the Year
Love & Virtue (Diana Reid, Ultimo)

General fiction book of the year
Before You Knew My Name (Jacqueline Bublitz, A&U)

Literary fiction book of the year
Love & Virtue (Diana Reid, Ultimo)

Book of the year for older children (ages 13+)
The Prison Healer (Lynette Noni, Penguin)

Book of the year for younger children (ages 7–12)
The First Scientists: Deadly inventions and innovations from Australia’s First Peoples (Corey Tutt, Hardie Grant Explore)

Children’s picture book of the year (ages 0–6)
Somebody’s Land: Welcome to our Country (Adam Goodes & Ellie Laing, illus by David Hardy, A&U)

The Matt Richell award for new writer of the year
The Mother Wound (Amani Haydar, Macmillan)

You can find the full list here.

Author Evening with Shirley LaPlanche

Thursday bookclubber, Shirley LaPlanche, will be at Mosman Library on Monday 20 June to discuss her new novel, The Fatal Path. You can get tickets here.

Screening of The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness by Matt Ottley

Matt Ottley's film The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness will be screened on Thursday 23rd June at the Old Geology Lecture Theatre, Edgeworth David Building, Camperdown NSW. You can book tickets here.

International crime writers in conversation throughout June

Every Thursday in June at 6pm, BAD International Online Festival will feature a fabulous line up of international star crime writers. Don Winslow, Harlan Coben and Mick Herron will be talking about their latest books for the third annual BAD International Online Festival on 16, 23 and 30 June. You can register here.

Rachel Franks in conversation with Paula Hamilton
On 22 June at 12.30pm, true crime expert Rachel Franks will be in conversation with historian Paula Hamilton about An Uncommon Hangman, Rachel's new book on Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard, NSW’s longest-serving executioner. You can register for this free event here.

ALS Gold Medal 2022 shortlist

Congratulations to those authors shortlisted for the 2022 Australian Literature Society (ALS) Gold Medal, with yet another accolade for this month's Thursday Book Club guest, Emily Bitto.

Wild Abandon (Emily Bitto, A&U)
Human Looking (Andy Jackson, Giramondo)
Pushing Back (John Kinsella, Transit Lounge)
Permafrost (S J Norman, UQP)
Homecoming (Elfie Shiosaki, Magabala)
Trigger Warning (Maria Takolander, UQP).

Writing Competitions

15 June 2022: ARA Historical Novel Prize
The ARA Historical Novel Prize awards $50000 to the Adult category winner, with $5000 awarded to each of the remaining two shortlisted authors. In the Children and Young Adult category, the winner will receive $30000 while the two shortlisted authors will receive $5000 each.

17 June 2022: Writing for the Environment Prize
The 2022 Sutherland Shire Environment Centre’s national invites writers to submit a fictional piece of prose on the topic of peace and sustainability.
4 July 2022: Copyright Agency's Author Fellowship
The Copyright Agency’s Author Fellowship will support an established Australian author to create a new work for publication or performance and is open to novelists, playwrights, poets, children’s and young adult writers, picture book illustrators and journalists.

4 July 2022: Copyright Agency's Fellowship for Non-Fiction Writing
The Fellowship will provide sustained support for a year to one Australian writer to create an important work for publication.

4 July 2022: The ACU Prize for Poetry
The theme for the 2022 ACU Prize for Poetry is 'Hope.' The winner will receive $10 000, with a $5000 second prize and a $3000 third prize.

29 July 2022: Ray Koppe Residency
The ASA/Varuna Ray Koppe Young Writers Residency is a two-week residential fellowship offered each year to a writer under the age of 35 who is as yet unpublished. The residency has been established by the Koppe family as a tribute to their mother, Ray Koppe, who was a passionate supporter of young writers.

29 August 2022: Woollahra Digital Literary Award
The 2022 Woollahra Digital Literary Award seeks submissions of a literary nature that were published in the first instance online, or in an electronic format. Categories include Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry and Digital Innovation, and word counts range from 3,000 to 30,000 words. Cash prizes are offered for the winners in each category.

Writers and Readers Festivals

Shalom Sydney Jewish Writers Festival 2022
Taking place at Double Bay Library on 19 and 20 June, this year's SJWF will celebrate works of fiction and non-fiction by Australian authors. I'll be interviewing Natasha Sholl about her beautiful memoir, Found, Wanting. You can find the full festival program here.

2022 Kids & YA Festival

The 2022 Kids & YA Festival is being held at Writing NSW, Callan Park, Lilyfield on Saturday 25 July 2022. The festival will examine emerging trends, engage with celebrated authors, and offer informative and inspiring sessions on writing for children and young adults.

NT Writers' Festival 23-26 June 2022

The NT Writers Festival is on from 23 - 26 June in Darwin and will feature authors including Larissa Behrendt, Hannah Kent and Thursday Book Club regular, Dina Davis. Interstate visitors can apply for a $250 rebate off flights and accommodation. You can find more details here.

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, 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 886 196

On 30 June, we'll be joined by Emily Bitto, winner of the Stella Prize for her debut novel The Strays. I'll be talking to Emily about her terrific new novel, Wild Abandon.

Thursday Book Club Recommendations

My Recommendation

Believe In Me by Lucy Neave

Ravi S
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Noela A
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Nine Lives by William Dalrymple
Piano Lessons by Anna Goldsworthy

Hazel H
Book of Colours by Robyn Cadwallader

Barbie R
The Winter Dress by Lauren Chater
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Shirley L
Stepping Lightly On Australia:A Traveller's Guide to Ecotourism by Shirley LaPlanche
The Magician by Colm Tóibín
Hitler's Horses by Arthur Brand

Dina D
The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs
Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes

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. Click here for my Zoom Meeting You can buy The Deceptions and The Teacher’s Secret
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback