HarperCollins Media Bites September 2020

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SEP TEMBER 2 02 0 – F ICT ION

The Tolstoy Estate S T E V E N CONT E

The Mystery Woman B E L I NDA A L E X ANDR A Rebecca Wood takes the role as postmistress in a sleepy seaside town, desperate for anonymity after a scandal in Sydney. But she is confronted almost at once by a disturbing discovery – her predecessor committed suicide. Against the backdrop of the turbulent sea, Rebecca is soon caught up in the dangerous mysteries that lie behind Shipwreck Bay’s respectable net curtains.

From the critically acclaimed and award-winning author Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate is ambitious, accomplished and astonishingly good: an engrossing, intense and compelling exploration of the horror and brutality of conflict, and the moral, emotional, physical and intellectual limits that people reach in wartime. It is also a poignant, bittersweet love story – and, most movingly, a novel that explores the notion that literature can still be a potent force for good in

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 432pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: HarperCollins

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 416pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: 4th Estate

stevenconte.com

F ICT ION

Sorrow and Bliss MEG MASON

‘A triumph. A brutal, hilarious, compassionate triumph’ Alison Bell, The Letdown

This novel is about a woman called Martha. She knows there is something wrong with her but she doesn’t know what it is. Her husband, Patrick, thinks she is fine. He says everyone has something, the thing is just to keep going. By the time Martha finds out what is wrong, it doesn’t really matter any more. It is too late to get the only thing she has ever wanted. Or maybe it will turn out that you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing – if you can find something else to want. The book is set in London and Oxford. It is sad and funny.

‘I just adored this book. It’s timely and dark and poignant and funny. It was filled with such eviscerating compassion and rage; I couldn’t get enough of it. I inhaled it in a single weekend, unable to put it down. Meg Mason is a searing talent’ Kate Leaver, The Friendship Cure ‘This is a romance, true, but a real one ... as devastating and sharply witty as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag ’ Bookseller+Publisher

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 352pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: 4th Estate

megmason.com

The Bird in the Bamboo Cage HA Z E L GAYNOR China, 1941. With Japan’s declaration of war on the Allies, Elspeth Kent’s future changes forever. When soldiers take control of the missionary school where she teaches, comfortable security is replaced by rationing, uncertainty and fear. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School. Now the enemy, separated indefinitely from anxious parents, the children must turn to their teachers – to Miss Kent and her new Girl Guide patrol especially – for help. But worse is to come when the pupils and teachers are sent to a distant internment camp. Unimaginable hardship, impossible choices and danger lie ahead. hazelgaynor.com

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 400pp AU $29.99 NZ $32.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

F ICT ION

Dawn of Empire K YL I E CHAN

Life seems settled for Jian in the Dragon Empire. She’s comfortable in her position as Captain of the Imperial Guard and content with her unusual domestic arrangements. But when trouble stirs at the edge of the Empire, they discover that the Cat Republic has been hiding a powerful and dangerous force that could destroy everything the Empire represents. Jian and her family must work together to save the Empire – and travel further than any dragon has ever

Who They Was GABR I E L KR AUZ E

This is a story of a London you won’t find in any guidebooks. This is a story about what it’s like to exist in the moment, about boys too eager to become men, growing up in the hidden war zones of big cities – and the girls trying to make it their own way. This is a story of reputations made and lost, of violence and vengeance – and never counting the cost. This is a story of concrete towers and blank-eyed windows, of endless nights in police stations and prison cells, of brotherhood and betrayal. This is about the boredom, the rush, the despair, the fear and the hope. This is about what’s left behind.

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 368pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: Harper Voyager

kyliechan.com

The Sea Gate JAN E JOHNSON

Following the death of her mother, Becky begins the sad task of sorting through her empty flat. Starting with the letters piling up on the doormat, she finds an envelope post- marked from Cornwall. In it is a letter that will change her life forever: a desperate plea from her mother’s elderly cousin, Olivia, to help save her home. As Becky sets to work, she uncovers secrets buried for more than 70 years. Secrets from a time when Olivia was young, the Second World War was raging, and danger and romance lurked round every corner ...

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 304pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: 4th Estate

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 448pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: Head of Zeus janejohnsonbooks.com

F ICT ION

Lonely in Longreach E VA SCOT T

The Women’s Pages V I C TOR I A PU RMAN From the bestselling author of The Land Girls comes a beautifully realised novel that speaks to the true history and real experiences of post-war Australian women. Sydney 1945 The war is over, the fight begins. Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 416pp

In the red heart of Queensland, two teenagers playing matchmaker are about to turn more than one life upside-down. Sleepless in Seattle meets rural Australia in this fresh romantic comedy about optimism, online dating and love at first sight.

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 384pp AU $29.99 NZ $32.99 Imprint: Mira

AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: HQ FICTION victoriapurman.com

evascottwriter.com

Last Tang Standing L AU R E N HO

Like all good Chinese children, Andrea Tang is doing her best to fulfil all her mother’s plans for her life: she’s on track to become partner at a top law firm in Singapore, she has a beautiful apartment in the right postcode and a perfect boyfriend who is practically made of husband material. Except that those plans are unravelling fast: there’s an unfairly attractive new lawyer out to steal her promotion, she has credit-card debt up to her eyeballs, her perfect boyfriend is now her perfect ex-boyfriend and the last single cousin in her family just got engaged, leaving her exposed to romantic meddling on all sides …

Released: 02/09/20 BPB | 416pp AU $22.99 NZ $24.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

F ICT ION

A Song For a New Day SAR AH P I NS K E R

Stranger in the Lake K I MB E R LY B E L L E

When Charlotte married the wealthy widower Paul, it caused a ripple of gossip in their small lakeside town. They have a charmed life together, but everything starts to unravel when she discovers a young woman’s body floating in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife tragically drowned. As Charlotte uncovers dark mysteries about the man she married, she doesn’t know what to trust - her heart, or her growing suspicion that there’s something he’s hiding in the water.

Explores life in a world permanently locked down in the aftermath of a pandemic. BEFORE. Luce Cannon is on the road. Success is finally within her grasp: her songs are getting airtime; the venues she’s playing are getting larger. But mass shootings, bombings and now a strange contagion are closing America down around her. The gig Luce plays tonight will turn out to be the last-ever rock show as the world’s stadiums, arenas and concert halls go dark for good. AFTER. Rosemary is too young to remember the Before. She grew up, went to school and works in the virtual world of Hoodspace. Only a few weeks ago she was a customer service rep for Superwally, the corporate monolith of automated warehouses and drone deliveries that services almost every consumer need, but now she’s about to do something she’s never done before ... she’s going to take to the road, in the real world. Working for StageHoloLive, which controls what is left of the music industry, her job is to find new talent, search out the illegal backroom jams and bring musicians into the Hoodspace hologaphic limelight they deserve. But when Rebecca sees how the world could actually be, that won’t be enough.

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 304pp AU $29.99 NZ $32.99 Imprint: HQ FICTION

Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 420pp AU $29.99 NZ $32.99 Imprint: Head of Zeus

kimberlybellebooks.com

sarahpinsker.com

F ICT ION

SEP TEMBER 2 02 0 – NON - F ICT ION

I Catch Killers GARY J U B E L I N

Here I am: tall and broad, shaved head, had my nose broken three times fighting. Black suit, white shirt, the big city homicide detective. I’ve led investigations into serial killings, child abductions, organised crime hits and domestic murders. But beneath the suit, I’ve got an Om symbol in the shape of a Buddha tattooed on my right bicep. It balances the tattoo on my left ribs: Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. That’s how I choose to live my life. As a cop, I got paid to catch killers and I learned what doing it can cost you. It cost me marriages and friendships. It cost me my reputation. They tell you not to let a case get personal, but I think it has to. Each one has taken a piece out of me and added a piece, until there’s only pieces. I catch killers – it’s what I do. It’s who I am.

Gary Jubelin was one of Australia’s most celebrated homicide detectives, leading investigations into the disappearance of William Tyrrell, the serial killing of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville and the brutal gangland murder of Terry Falconer. During his 34-year career, former Detective Chief Inspector Jubelin also ran the crime scene following the Lindt Cafe siege, investigated the death of Caroline Byrne and recovered the body of Matthew Leveson. In 2020, Jubelin was found guilty of illicitly recording conversations during the Tyrrell investigation. This is his story.

Released: 20/08/20 TPB | 352pp AU $34.99 NZ $36.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong SAMANTHA B LOOM , CAME RON B LOOM & BR AD L E Y TR E VOR GR E I V E The heart-warming Australian story Penguin Bloom – the miraculous tale of a baby magpie that helped save a young mother and her family – is a homegrown and international bestseller. Sam’s personal message at the end of the book has resonated powerfully with readers – where, pulling no punches, she writes about what it is really like to face life in a wheelchair. In Sam Bloom , Sam tells her own story for the first time – how a shy but determined Australian girl became a nurse and travelled across Africa. How she fell in love with a like-minded free spirit, raised three boys and built a life together on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. And then, in a single horrific moment, how everything changed. Sam’s journey back from the edge of death and the depths of despair is so much more than an account of overcoming adversity. Sam’s captivating true story - written by close friend New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive, and featuring extraordinary photographs taken by Sam’s husband, Cameron Bloom - is humbling, heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure.

Released: 02/09/20 NSH | 240pp AU $32.99 NZ $34.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

sambloom.com.au

penguinthemagpie.com

NON - F ICT ION

Think Like a Monk JAY SH E T T Y

‘His book is profound, poignant and practical’ Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith ‘I want to have Jay on all the time, every day. Jay is incredible’ Ellen DeGeneres ‘This book frees you from the hypnosis of social conditioning and helps you become the architect of your own life’ Deepak Chopra

Over the past three years, Jay Shetty has become a favourite in the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide. One of his clips (‘Dedicated to those trying to live their passion’) was the most watched video on Facebook last year, with over 360 million views. His social media following totals over 32 million, he has produced over 400 viral videos, which have amassed more than 5 billion views, and his podcast, ‘On Purpose’, is consistently ranked the world’s #1 health-related podcast. In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk in the Vedic tradition to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Drawing on ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lies within all of us.

Released: 09/09/20 TPB | 352pp AU $32.99 NZ $36.99 Imprint: Thorsons

jayshetty.me

Zero Negativity ANT M I DD L E TON

Liar’s Circus CAR L HOF FMAN

There are times when life feels like it has you cornered: financial difficulties, relationship issues, work problems, all of the above. Every one of us, at one time or another, will have to face up to the challenges that come our way. And there are two ways of meeting them: negatively, where blame is the answer, where other people are at fault, where you haven’t been treated fairly. Or positively, where you own the situation, learn and grow from it, and become a better person at the end of it. Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 320pp

This book proceeds from the premise that Donald J. Trump’s rallies are a singular and defining force – a kind of Rosetta stone to understanding the Age of Trump. Yet while much remarked upon, the rallies are, in fact, little examined, with the focus almost always on Trump’s latest outrageous statement. But who are the tens of thousands of people who fill America’s stadiums and arenas? What do they see in Trump? And what curious alchemy – between president and adoring crowd – happens there that might explain Trump’s rise? Released: 02/09/20 TPB | 288pp

AU $34.99 NZ $39.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

AU $29.99 NZ $34.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

NON - F ICT ION

What Can I Do? My Path From Climate Despair To Action JAN E FONDA

A call to action from Jane Fonda, one of the most inspiring activists of our time, urging us to wake up to the looming disaster of climate change and equipping us with the tools we need to join her in protest This is the last possible moment in history when changing course can mean saving lives and species on an unimaginable scale. It’s too late for moderation. Our climate is in a crisis. 2019 saw atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases hit the highest level ever recorded in human history, and our window of opportunity to avoid disaster is quickly closing. In the autumn of 2019, frustrated with the obvious inaction of politicians and inspired by contemporary activists, Jane Fonda moved to Washington, DC to lead weekly climate change demonstrations on Capitol Hill. On October 11, she launched Fire Drill Fridays (FDF), and has since led thousands of people in non-violent civil disobedience, risking arrest to protest for action. In What Can I Do?, Fonda’s deeply personal journey as an activist is weaved alongside interviews with leading climate scientists, and discussions of issues, such as water, migration, and human rights, to emphasise what is at stake. Throughout, Fonda provides concrete solutions and actions that everybody can take in order to combat the climate crisis in their community. Released: 09/09/20 TPB | 252pp AU $34.99 NZ $37.99 Imprint: HQ NON-FICTION janefonda.com

NON - F ICT ION

SEP TEMBER 2 02 0 – CHI LDREN’ S & YA

Funny Kid: Belly Flop MAT T S TANTON

Havoc!: The Untold Magic of Cora Bell R E B E CCA MCR I TCH I E ( I L L . SHARON O’ CONNOR ) From the talented author of Whimsy & Woe comes a series about Cora Bell. Cora Bell has discovered she is full of magic. But without her protection bracelet, she is struggling to hold onto all the powers she has gained, especially the dark magic she took from the warlock, Archibald Drake. When It is a race against time for Cora and her fairy friends to not only find a way to fix her magic, but also escape the hunters now chasing Cora, and search the magical world for her family.

Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen. Max and Abby hardly ever agree on anything ... until now! They are both desperate to get out of this Friday’s swimming carnival. Max is the funny kid, and there’s a swimming carnival that needs cancelling! A sea-monster, the maths olympiad, spotty rashes, good twin vs bad twin and a swimming instructor named Chad are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends in this brand-new Funny Kid adventure.

Released: 02/09/20 BPB | 272pp | Ages 7+ AU $14.99 NZ $16.99 Imprint: ABC Books

Released: 02/09/20 BPB | 320pp | Ages 8+ AU $17.99 NZ $19.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

mattstanton.net

The Tindims of Rubbish Island SA L LY GARDN E R ( I L L . LYD I A CORRY )

Turn rubbish into treasure with the tiny Tindims. Mother and daughter duo, prizewinning Sally Gardner and Lydia Corry, team up to create a fun and funny cast of characters and adventures in their empowering new series for 5-8 year olds inspiring conservation and inventive ways to recycle. Since the days of the Vikings, the Tindims have lived on Rubbish Island, recycling debris salvaged from sunken pirate ships and galleons. They have always lived in secret, caring for the creatures of the sea and helping messages in bottles to find the right tides. But now as plastic threatens to overwhelm their island home, the Tindims make contact with children for the first time ever to show them how to turn rubbish into treasure... Join Captain Spoons, Mug, Jug, Brew, Skittle and friends on Rubbish Island: wander through its warren of underwater rooms, including a toothbrush library and a hospital for sick fish, climb its terraces overlooking the sea and scale Rubbish Mountain. Set sail with the Tindims on their first ocean adventure as they show keen young human ecologists how to help protect our planet for the future. sallygardner.co.uk

Released: 02/09/20 BPB | 128pp | Ages 5+ AU $12.99 NZ $14.99 Imprint: Head of Zeus

CH I LDR EN ’ S & YA

B E CK & ROB I N F E I N E R A polar bear in Sydney Harbour? When Hannah spots a polar bear in Sydney Harbour, she knows something isn’t right ... But even worse, none of the adults seem to notice him at all. Can Hannah help her new friend find his way back home? From the creators of If I Was Prime Minister comes an empowering and inspiring new picture book about standing tall and shining bright. Sleep 101: How to Sleep Like a Baby B E CK & MAT T S TANTON Self-Help for Babies: If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. Dear Baby, Do you feel like sleeping is a dream, but getting to sleep is a nightmare? Don’t worry. A lot of babies feel this way. We’re here to help you get the sleep you deserve, in the places you love. Sweet dreams! If you’ve had a baby, you’ve no doubt had some well-meaning parent smugly say, ‘You know, babies don’t come with a manual.’ Well, now your newborn can READ the manual with Self-Help for Babies, a hilarious new series from Beck and Matt Stanton. The Polar Bear in Sydney Harbour

Whine Guide: Find Your Voice and Start Sweating the Small Stuff B E CK & MAT T S TANTON The second book in the hilarious new Self-Help for Babies series from bestselling authors Beck and Matt Stanton. Dear Baby, Do you feel like you’re speaking a million words a minute, but no one truly understands you? Don’t worry. A lot of babies feel this way. We’re here to help you get your message across, when it matters most. Chat soon! The Great Realisation TOMOS ROB E R T S ( I L L . NOCOMO) A post-pandemic bedtime tale that has captured the hearts of millions. From simple acts of kindness, to the creativity within us all, this poem is a celebration of the many things that have brought us together during the Coronavirus pandemic. It captures, with magical resonance, the thoughts and feelings of millions worldwide as we adapt to a new way of life, cast aside old habits and reflect on what truly matters to us. It is a story for all readers, young or old, who dare to dream of a fairer, kinder, more loving world.

Released: 02/09/20 NSH | 24pp | Ages 0-2 AU $14.99 NZ $16.99 Imprint: ABC Books

Released: 02/09/20 NSH | 24pp | Ages 0-2 AU $14.99 NZ $16.99 Imprint: ABC Books

beckstanton.com

mattstanton.net

Released: 17/09/20 NSH | 32pp | Ages 4+ AU $24.99 NZ $24.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

Released: 02/09/20 NSH | 32pp | Ages 3+ AU $24.99 NZ $29.99 Imprint: ABC Books

beckfeiner.myportfolio.com robinfeiner.com.au

probablytomfoolery.com

CH I LDR EN ’ S & YA

Punching the Air I B I ZOBO I & YUS E F SA L A AM From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Perfect for fans of the Noughts & Crosses series and The Hate U Give. One fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. ‘Boys just being boys’ turns out to be true only when those boys are white. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal Shahid’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? With spellbinding lyricism, award- winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.

Blood & Honey SH E L BY MAHU R I N

The stakes are higher. The witches are deadlier. And the romance is red-hot. The eagerly anticipated sequel to the New York Times and Indiebound bestseller Serpent & Dove is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas. Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church- fugitives with nowhere to hide. To survive, they need allies. Strong ones. But as Lou becomes increasingly desperate to save those she loves, she turns to a darker side of magic that may cost Reid the one thing he can’t bear to lose. Bound to her always, his vows were clear: where Lou goes, he will go; and where she stays, he will stay. Until death do they part.

Released: 02/09/20 BPB | 400pp | Ages 12+ AU $19.99 NZ $22.99 Imprint: HarperCollins ibizoboi.net

Released: 02/09/20 BPB | 544pp | Ages 14+ AU $19.99 NZ $22.99 Imprint: HarperCollins shelbymahurin.com

yusufspeaks.com

CH I LDR EN ’ S & YA