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Samuel Leighton-Dore WOW ITS ALL A LOT Samuel Leighton-Dore is an artist, author and screenwriter based on the Gold Coast, and the creator of the Smile Tiles. He has written for publications including SBS Voices and produced illustrated mental-health campaigns for ReachOut, Man Cave and the University of Queensland. His ceramic works have been acquired as part of the Gold Coast City Collection and twice selected for the biennial North Queensland Ceramic Awards. He and his husband run Sad Man Studio, a boutique animation studio focussed on creating queer centric animated stories with heart and humour.

David Walliams WORLDS WORST MONSTERS

David Walliams has revolutionised reading for children and has become one of the most influential children’s writers today. Since the publication of his ground-breaking first novel, The Boy in the Dress (2008), Walliams has seen unprecedented growth with global sales exceeding 50 million copies. David’s publishing has evolved into one of the biggest multi-media entertainment brands in the world today.

Karen Brooks is the author of fourteen books - historical fiction, historical fantasy, YA fantasy, and one non-fiction. She was an academic for over 20 years, a newspaper columnist and social commentator. She has a Ph.D. in English/Cultural Studies and has published internationally. An award-winning teacher, she’s taught internationally, and keynoted at education conferences. Nowadays, she finds greatest contentment studying history and writing, and helping her husband in his Brewstillery. Karen Brooks The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson

Steph Lentz

Steph Lentz is a former advertising writer and secondary school teacher. She came to public attention in 2021 after she was sacked from her job as a teacher because of her sexuality. Steph is based in Sydney. IN OUT

JULY 2023 – FICTION

After That Night KARIN SLAUGHTER

Drowning Girls VERONICA LANDO

The unmissable new thriller in the Will Trent series – now a major TV adaptation. Watch Will Trent on Disney+! After that night, nothing was ever the same again... Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton’s life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her. Until one evening, on call in the ER, everything changes. Sara battles to

Cast a stone. Aim true. Let her sink. Nate can’t believe he’s dragged himself up to this backwater town. Port Flinders would have fallen off the map years ago, except for one thing. Tourists flock to its mangrove-lined shores for the annual Drowning Girl festival: sacrifice a girl at sea, and the fishing hauls that keep the town afloat will prosper. Or don’t and the whole town will sink. But it’s just a legend, a gimmick. Everybody knows that.

As fireworks light up the night sky, a woman’s body is pulled from the inky waters of the gulf. Shock waves threaten to tear Port Flinders apart when she’s identified as Kelsey Webb: a local teenager thought dead for twenty-five years. As Nate tries to find the truth about what happened to Kelsey, he uncovers a string of deadly accidents over the decades. All women. All drowned. And always during the festival. In his search for answers, the legend of the Drowning Girl begins to take hold of Nate, weaving its way into his head and threatening to pull him under, and he begins to question which sacrifices are truly necessary. Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 352pp veronicalando.com

save a broken young woman who’s been brutally attacked. But as the investigation progresses, led by GBI Special Agent Will Trent, it becomes clear that Dani Cooper’s assault is uncannily linked to Sara’s. And it seems the past isn’t going to stay buried forever ... Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 432pp karinslaughter.com

AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: HarperCollins

AU $32.99 NZ $34.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

FICTION

Dreaming In French VANESSA M C CAUSLAND

Chase Me: A Broke and Beautiful Novel TESSA BAILEY From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker comes a sexy and hilarious rom-com trilogy about three broke and beautiful strangers who share an apartment in NYC...

A remote French island. A crumbling villa. A reclusive film star. And an inheritance Saskia never expected. The stunning new novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Beautiful Words. Saskia Wyle spent one sultry European summer on Île de Re when she was nineteen. The bright salt flats and sun-soaked beaches are now a distant memory, and one she made herself forget after an unspeakable tragedy. But the French heiress she befriended over twenty years ago has left half of her magnificent home to Saskia and the other half to Felix Allard, the now

College drop-out Roxy Cumberland moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress, but her dwindling bank account is quickly putting the kibosh on that fantasy. To make some quick cash, she signs up to perform singing telegrams. Her first customer is a gorgeous, cocky Manhattan

trust-funder if she ever laid eyes on one. And what could be more humiliating than singing an ode to his junk, courtesy of his recent one night stand Maybe the fact that she’s dressed in a giant pink bunny costume... After a night out to celebrate winning his last case, lawyer Louis McNally II isn’t prepared for the pounding in his head or the rabbit serenading him from the front door. But the sassy wit and sexy voice of the girl behind the mask intrigue him, and one look at her stunning face – followed by a mind-blowing kiss against his doorjamb – leaves Louis wanting more. Roxy doesn’t need a spoiled rich guy who’s had everything in life handed to him on a Tiffany platter. But there’s more to Louis than his sexy surface and he’s determined to make Roxy see it...even if it means chasing her all over NYC. Released: 19/07/23 B+P | 304pp tessabailey.com

reclusive film star living on the island. How did Simone Durant die? Was it the family curse that haunted her? And why has she included Saskia in her will after all this time? Saskia returns to the place of dry-stone walls and ancient olive trees to find that Simone has left her another unexpected gift – a manuscript written in French. Like the lyrical language embedded somewhere in Saskia’s subconscious, she must find a way to understand what Simone is telling her. As Saskia once again falls under the island’s spell, she must reckon with her past to save what is most precious to her. Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 352pp vanessamccausland.com.au

AU $32.99 NZ $34.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

AU $22.99 NZ $22.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

FICTION

Shadow Cabinet JUNO DAWSON The follow-up to the sensational #1 Sunday Times bestseller Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Despite thinking they’ve thwarted the prophecy, the witches are still reeling from the events of the past few months. Ciara now occupies her twin sister’s body as she prepares to take on the role of High Priestess. But why are the sinister government agents of the Shadow Cabinet so invested in her coronation? And then there’s the small matter of Dabney Hale: freshly escaped from Grierlings prison, he’s on the hunt for a mythical object that will give him unimaginable power. Leonie’s brother is on the trail, but doesn’t know the danger he now faces, and so she sets off to bring him home and bring Hale to justice. Meanwhile, Theo and Holly are left to their own devices. Theo to work out how her miraculous transformation took place and Holly to discover what’s going on with her mum and dad. Elle’s Instagram-perfect world is about to come crashing down in the most terrifying way. Payback’s a witch as Ciara, Leonie, Elle, Theo and Holly are about to find out.

junodawson.com

The Evergreen Heir Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 528pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: Voyajer

AK MULFORD

BOOK FOUR IN THE FIVE CROWNS OF OKRITH SERIES Neelo Emberspear, heir to the throne and realm, would never leave the library if they could help it. They certainly never asked for a kingdom or a husband to rule it with. But when their mother, the troubled queen, disastrously lights the castle on fire Neelo knows duty can be put off no longer. No matter how charming everyone else finds fae warrior Talhan Catullus, this is not what Neelo chose. Fighting to save their mother’s life and throne, Neelo is astonished when the written word brings them closer than ever to their cavalier new fiancé. But a dark force is rising, which not only threatens their love, but the entire continent.

akmulford.com

Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 416pp AU $32.99 NZ $35.00 Imprint: Voyajer

FICTION

It’s 1679 and into the tumult, politics and colour of Restoration London and its lively theatre scene comes the fierce and opinionated Tribulation Johnson. Cast out from her family as ungodly and unworthy, Tribulation is determined to forge her own remarkable path. Arriving in London, Tribulation is astonished to discover that the widowed cousin she’s been sent to live with is none other than the most infamous woman in London: the former spy and traitor’s mistress, the playwright and polemical poetess, Aphra Behn. Tribulation cannot believe her good fortune as she is thrust into city life and the heady, mercurial The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson KAREN BROOKS

Mystic Ridge

LUCY LEVER Is love on the cards?

Reading the tarot is in Claire’s blood. It’s a gift she inherited from her late mother. But her genius in helping others discover their path fails her when it comes to finding her own, especially once she learns of plans to bulldoze her carefully regenerated rainforest home and build a high-end wellness centre. She vows to rally her small community and save Mystic Ridge, although she has no idea where to start...

Perhaps her first port of call should be the local newspaper, but after a fake dating misadventure with the new editor,

milieu of the theatre. Under Aphra’s guidance, Tribulation is encouraged to write, think and speak for herself. But women aren’t supposed to have a voice, or ideas, let alone wield a pen and write for a living, and there are harsh consequences for those who don’t obey society’s rules. Together, Aphra and Tribulation must not only face vilification and mockery but terrible danger as plots to overturn the monarchy gather pace. When someone from Aphra’s complicated past reappears, the women’s loyalties - to King, country, and ultimately each other - are bitterly tested. Can their relationship survive the burning fires of religious hatred, suspicion and deceit? When everyone plays a part, and all the world’s a stage, who you trust? Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 560pp AU $32.99 NZ $34.00 Imprint: HQ

Leo, rising tensions - and chemistry - get in the way. Meanwhile, her old love, soapie actor Jake, promises to help protect her home. Yet Claire suspects his loyalties lie elsewhere, and she doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Will Claire find the courage to fight for the rainforest, her family and her chance at love? With a colourful ensemble of small-town characters, and a dash of ghostly intervention, Mystic Ridge offers surprises at every turn.

Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 352pp AU $32.99 NZ $34.99 Imprint: HQ

FICTION

Just Between Us ADELE PARKS

The Last Dragon King LEIA STONE

The Dragon King is looking for a wife… The news causes a frenzy for the women in my village. The king will be sending out the royal guard to bring women of childbearing age to his castle in Jade City. There is only one requirement: his wife-to-be must carry enough magic to produce an heir for him. I know I won’t be chosen: I’m only

Lost. Missing. Murdered? How do you find a woman who didn’t exist? Kylie Gillingham’s disappearance has gripped the nation: The woman with a shocking secret – married to two men at the same time – is missing, presumed dead. And both her husbands are suspects. DCI Clements knows the dark side of human nature and that love can make people do treacherous things; you can’t presume anything when it comes to crimes of the heart. While Kylie’s two husbands remain prime suspects, her sons won’t accept that she is dead. Until a body is found, this scandalous

human with a mere ten percent dragon magic lineage, but for some reason the magic sniffers command me to present myself to the king as a possible wife. I’m ready to go to Jade City until my mother tells me a terrifying secret. A secret that could get me killed… by the king himself.

and sad case remains wide open. Stacie Jones lives a quiet life in a small village, nursed by her father as she recovers from illness, and shielded from any disquieting news of the outside world. But their reclusive life is about to be shattered. How are these families linked, and can any of them ever rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy? This explosive thriller from Number One bestseller Adele Parks examines what it is to be a family and the dangerous lengths that people will go to for those they love.

Released: 05/07/2023 BPB |400pp AU $22.99 NZ $22.99 Imprint: HQ

Released: 05/07/2023 TPB | 448pp AU $32.99 NZ $32.99 Imprint: HQ

FICTION

Vita and the Birds POLLY CROSBY 1938: Lady Vita Goldsborough lives in the menacing shadow of her controlling older brother, Aubrey. But when she meets local artist Dodie Blakeney, the two women form a close bond, and Vita finally glimpses a chance to be free. 1997: Following the death of her mother, Eve Blakeney returns to the coast where she spent childhood summers with her beloved grandmother, Dodie. Eve hopes that the visit will help make sense of her grief. The last thing she expects to find is a bundle of letters that hint at the heart-breaking story of Dodie’s relationship with a woman named Vita, and a shattering secret that echoes through the decades. What she discovers will overturn everything she thought she knew about her family – and change her life foreve Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 384pp AU $32.99 NZ $34.99 Imprint: HQ

FICTION

OCTOBER 2022 – NON-FICTION JULY 2023 – NON-FICTION

In/Out

STEPH LENTZ

Knockout: Great Australian Boxing Stories GRANTLEE KIEZA A no-holds-barred collection of Australian boxing yarns by one of Australia’s bestselling storytellers and boxing aficionado, Grantlee Kieza. Boxing has given Australian sport some of our most inspiring champions and captivating tales. Stories of underdogs overcoming heartbreaks and hurdles, of endless courage and dedication, triumph and tragedy, of bitter feuds and fatal showdowns, and of tough Australian battlers who became giants in the ring. Some of our most celebrated sporting legends have been fighters – from the heroes Les Darcy and Dave Sands, to the iconic Lionel Rose and Johnny Famechon, to the huge modern drawcards such as Jeff Fenech, George Kambosos, Kostya and Tim Tszyu, and the flamboyant female stars Sharon Anyos and Ebanie Bridges. For many, tenacity and sheer grit ran like molten steel in their veins – Lionel Rose rising from poverty in the bush to being mobbed by a quarter of a million people after his 1968 world title win. Jai Opetaia ignoring agony to win a world title with a broken jaw in 2022. Jeff Horn, a bullied schoolboy, out-toughing Filipino Manny Pacquiao, one of the most ferocious sluggers of all time. From the first brawls in old Sydney Town, the travelling boxing tents across the country and the first black world heavyweight champion to today’s most celebrated fighters, Australia’s pre-eminent boxing journalist and former assistant trainer to some of the ring’s most talented champions presents our nation’s greatest boxing stories. Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 336pp AU $34.99 NZ $39.99 Imprint: ABC Books At once a gripping recount, a heartfelt apology and a scathing take-down, In/Out charts Steph’s course from inside Christian fundamentalism, out of the closet and into a fuller sense of herself. Questioning what she once believed and bearing witness to the grief that can accompany radical change, her story ultimately attests to the truth, beauty and goodness of reclaiming agency over our own lives. In the midst of ongoing debates about religious freedom and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in Australia, Steph’s story is timely and necessary. Released: 19/07/23 TPB | 320pp AU $34.99 NZ 37.99 Imprint: ABC Books In January 2021, Steph Lentz was fired from her job as an English teacher at a Sydney Christian school after she came out as a lesbian. A hardcore Christian during her teens and twenties, Steph once preached against homosexuality and defended her church’s conservative teachings about marriage and sex – that is, until she fell in love with a woman at her church, and her world turned upside-down. Being honest about her sexuality cost Steph her marriage, her job and her community.

NON-FICTION

The Basis of Everything: Rutherford, Oliphant and the Coming of the Atomic Bomb ANDREW RAMSEY

Before the Manhattan Project , before nuclear warfare and the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was the twentieth century’s great scientific quest to fathom the secrets of the atom. The unlikely story of an Antipodean friendship that changed the world forever. Before the Manhattan Project , before nuclear warfare and the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was the twentieth century’s great scientific quest to fathom the secrets of the atom. It was through that search for the inner workings of matter that a unique friendship was forged, a partnership that defied academic orthodoxy and altered the course of history. Centred on the inter-war years – within the ivy clad walls of Cambridge University’s famed Cavendish Laboratory, amid the windswept valleys of north Wales, and in the industrial heartland of Birmingham – The Basis of Everything is the story of the coming of the atomic bomb, and how the unlikely union of two scientists – Ernest Rutherford, the son of a New Zealand farmer, and Mark Oliphant, a peace-loving vegetarian from a tiny Australian hills village – would change the world.

Released: 21/06/23 TPB | 384pp AU $34.99 NZ $39.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

Wow It’s All A Lot: 32 reminders to SMILE while navigating your way through life SAMUEL LEIGHTON-DORE

This is a book for anyone going through a tough time. It’s about celebrating the middle bits – the messy, awkward, uncomfortable bits – while navigating our way through the uncertainties of life. When Samuel Leighton-Dore began rolling out clay tiles and engraving words into them, he had just been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. After years spent in therapy waiting rooms, searching for meaning, encouragement and guidance, he turned to art to better understand who he was and why he was, slowing down to rediscover the joy and humour in the everyday. Samuel’s artwork and writing celebrate all the messy bits of trying to navigate our busy lives. Life, like the tiles themselves, can be hard and fragile, so it’s okay to be a ‘work in progress’ and not have everything figured out all the time. His writing is relatable and comforting, like the world’s biggest hug from a friend. It’s also funny, sad, hopeful, inspirational and ultimately drawn from his own experiences with mental health and human connection.

sadmanstudio.com

Released: 05/07/23 NSH | 144pp AU $24.99 NZ $27.99 Imprint: Harper By Design

NON-FICTION

Power is not working – for women, for men, or for the world. We don’t need to remake women. We need to remake power. New York Times bestselling authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman are on a mission to reclaim power for women. In the wake of sweeping changes in the way we work, the veteran journalists challenge preconceived notions of what power is and what it’s good for, along with the insidious, mostly hidden structures of the status quo that hold women back. What started as a straightforward examination of best practices has The Power Code: More Joy. Less Ego. KATTY KAY

become a manifesto for a new form of power, a distinctly female version that is already emerging in workplaces, in politics, and on the home front. It’s a version that is more appealing to women (and most men as well). It offers women a blueprint for shaping their own professional futures, maximizing their impact for the benefit of others, and experiencing the real joy that comes from taking the reins and influencing outcomes. Both a prescription for societal change and a pro-fessional guidebook for individual women, The Power Code shows you how to leverage the power you already have, find new sources of power in yourself and your community, and remodel your workplace and your home-life to produce less ego, more joy, and maximum impact. Released: 05/07/23 TPB | 304pp

AU $34.99 NZ $37.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

NON-FICTION

JULY 2023 – CHILDREN’S & YA

World’s Worst Monsters

The Lucky Shack

DAVID WALLIAMS

APSARA BALDOVINO AND JENNIFER FALKNER

The beloved World’s Worst series has captivated millions of readers. You’ve met the world’s worst children, the world’s worst parents, the world’s worst teachers and the world’s worst pets – but are you ready for the world’s worst monsters? If you don’t like ghosts, ogres, zombies, vampires, aliens, werewolves or mummies, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. Laugh along to these ten terrifying tales of marvellous monsters, brought to you by David Walliams, and illustrated in glorious technicolour by Adam Stower.

I am a lucky shack. I spend my days watching boats bob gently under puffy clouds, on a sparkling sea Surrounded by natural beauty, a seaside shack is lovingly cared for by a fisherman, until one day everything changes. The Lucky Shack is a heartfelt and uplifting journey through the seasons, the cycle of life, and the beauty and power of nature. If you are brave enough to let the light in, love and gratitude will triumph.

Released: 05/07/22 NSH| 32pp AU $24.99 NZ $26.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

Released: 26/7/23 NSP | 288 pp AU $24.99 NZ $26.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

One Little Duck KATRINA GERMEIN AND DANNY SNELL One little duck went out one day, over the hills and far away. Mother Duck said ... ‘Moo Moo Moo Moo,’ and Cow said, ‘Wait! Now I’m coming too.’

Oh no, Mother Duck has forgotten how to quack! Every day, she tries a new barnyard call, and every night Little Duck returns with a new farm friend.

A fun twist on the song ‘Five Little Ducks’, this delightful story from the award-winning duo Katrina Germein and Danny Snell is destined to become a new classic.

Released: 05/07/2023 NSH| 32pp AU $22.99 NZ $24.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

CHILDREN’S

Amazing Dad ALISON BROWN

Edward the Emu - 35th Anniversary Edition

One of Australia’s best-loved classics that is now celebrating its 35th anniversary! SHEENA KNOWLES AND ROD CLEMENTS

Amazing dads are all around! Dads can be busy, whizzy, caring, sharing . . . and so much more. But there’s just ONE dad who gives the best hugs of all. Can you guess who it is? This super-cute new book from brilliantly talented picture book creator Alison Brown is the ULTIMATE inclusive, joyful celebration of dads and care-givers - and the love they give us every day. Explore the adorable rhyming text, illustrated with a whole host of irresistible, relatable and hilarious animal characters. Perfect to share with YOUR amazing dad on Father’s Day, or at any time of year!

Tired of his life as an emu, Edward decides to try being something else for a change. He tries swimming with the seals, he spends a day lounging with the lions, and even slithers with the snakes. But Edward soon discovers that being an emu may be the best thing after all. Sheena Knowles’s upbeat, rhyming text and Rod Clement’s expressive illustrations are sure to make readers laugh out loud in this whimsical picture book by the creators of Edwina the Emu.

Released: 05/07/23 BPB| 208pp AU $17.99 NZ $19.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

Released: 05/07/23 NSH | 32pp AU $19.99 NZ $21.99 Imprint:HarperCollins

That’s Not My Rocket FIONA WATT AND RACHEL WELLS Zoom into space in this exciting new ‘That’s not my...’ book. Babies and toddlers with love exploring the textured patches in this delightful addition to the best-selling touchy-feely series. The bold illustrations and tactile patches are specially designed to develop sensory and language development. Released: 05/07/23 BOA | 10pp AU $14.99 NZ $16.99 Imprint: Usborne

CHILDREN’S