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Spheres of influence: Ronnie Scott on ‘The Adversary’

3 February 2020
Ronnie Scott’s debut novel The Adversary (Hamish Hamilton) follows an unnamed protagonist as he navigates gay friendship and wrestles with self-doubt over the course of a hot Melbourne summer. Scott spoke...

Among the animals: Donna Mazza on ‘Fauna’

31 October 2019
Donna Mazza’s novel Fauna (A&U, February) is set in a near-future in which a woman is enticed into an experimental program that mixes her embryo with genetically edited cells. Reviewer...

Unlikely heroes: R W R McDonald on ‘The Nancys’

19 March 2019
R W R McDonald’s debut novel The Nancys (A&U in June) was highly commended in the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards unpublished manuscript prize. Reviewer Fiona Hardy spoke to the author...

Written in the stars: Minnie Darke on ‘Star-crossed’ 

30 October 2018
Minnie Darke’s Star-crossed (Michael Joseph, March) follows an aspiring journalist who begins to tinker with her paper’s astrology section after learning that her crush consults his horoscope whenever he’s faced with making...

Bound together: Kate Richards on ‘Fusion’ 

30 October 2018
Kate Richards’ Fusion (Hamish Hamilton, February 2019) tells the story of conjoined twins, their carer, and an injured stranger who is brought into their isolated bush home. Reviewer Jacqui Davies described...

Literary direct action: Meera Atkinson on ‘Traumata’

3 April 2018
Meera Atkinson’s exploration of the effects of trauma, Traumata (UQP, May), is a powerful, personal memoir doubling as a philosophical treatise. ‘This is a humane, thought-provoking and heartbreaking addition to...

Shining a light: Laura Elvery on ‘Trick of the Light’

25 January 2018
Laura Elvery’s debut short-story collection Trick of the Light (UQP, March) comprises 24 ‘meticulously crafted’ short stories ranging in style from ‘stark realism to light speculative fiction’, writes reviewer Alan...

Laughing matters: Tony Martin on ‘Deadly Kerfuffle’ 

31 August 2017
Writer and comedian Tony Martin’s debut novel Deadly Kerfuffle (Affirm, November) is a ‘rip-roaring ride through suburban Australia, its anxieties, obsessions and weird imaginings’, writes reviewer Chris Saliba. He spoke...

Myth and legends: Sulari Gentill Q&A

25 May 2017
Sulari Gentill (S D Gentill) is the author of the ‘Rowland Sinclair’ mystery series, as well as ‘The Hero Trilogy’, which retells the Iliad and the Odyssey for a YA...

Modern love: Jean Flynn on ‘Lovesick’

25 May 2017
Jean Flynn’s debut novel Lovesick is the first title from Xoum Publishing’s new romance imprint XO Romance. Reviewer Kat Mayo describes it as a ‘fun romantic comedy’ with a ‘modern...

Many voices: Jennifer Down on ‘Pulse Points’

25 May 2017
Jennifer Down’s first book of short stories, Pulse Points (Text), captures the lives of its characters with ‘an emotional clarity and intensity that is truly impressive,’ writes reviewer Kate McDonnell. She spoke...

Heart to heart: Melanie Cheng on ‘Australia Day’

27 April 2017
Melanie Cheng’s Australia Day (Text, July) is a ‘bittersweet, beautifully crafted collection’ about the conflicts and realisations that occur when people of different backgrounds are brought together. She spoke to reviewer...