AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 The True Story of Maddie Bright Mary-Rose MacColl The bestselling author of In Falling Snow returns with a spellbinding tale of friendship, love and loyalty Description 'This book has it all: an unforgettable first chapter, a fascinating insight into the Prince of Wales' visit to Australia in 1920 through the eyes of two women who worked for him, and a compelling mystery set in contemporary times, against the backdrop of Princess Diana's death. Truly wonderful storytelling.' - Natasha Lester, bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress In 1920, at seventeen years of age, Maddie Bright takes a job as a serving girl on the Royal Tour of Australia by Edward, Prince of Wales. She meets the prince's young staff - his vivacious press secretary Helen Burns, his most loyal man Rupert Waters - and the prince himself - beautiful, boyish, godlike. Maddie might be on the adventure of a lifetime. Sixty-one years later, Maddie Bright is living a small life in a ramshackle house in Paddington, Brisbane. But an unlooked- for letter has arrived in the mail and there's news on the television from Buckingham Palace that makes her shout back at the screen. Maddie Bright's true story may change. In August 1997, London journalist Victoria Byrd is tasked by her editor with the job of finding the elusive M.A. Bright, author of the classic war novel of ill-fated love, Autumn Leaves. It seems Bright has written a second novel, and Victoria has been handed the scoop. Recently engaged to an American film star, Victoria is horrified by her own sudden celebrity and keen to escape to Australia to follow the story. Written with real warmth and wit, these three evocative strands twist across the seas and over two continents, intersecting with the lives of Edward and Diana, two of the most loved and hated figures of the twentieth century. The True Story of Maddie Bright is a novel that tells stories and reveals truth; a novel that considers the inescapable ties of mothering, friendship, duty and love. About the Author Price: $29.99 ISBN: 9781760295240 The True Story of Maddie Bright is Mary-Rose MacColl's sixth novel. Her first novel, No Safe Place, was runner-up in the Format: Paperback - C format 1995 Australian/Vogel literary award and her first non-fiction book, The Birth Wars, was a finalist in the 2009 Walkley Dimensions: 234x153mm Awards. Her international bestseller, In Falling Snow, was published to great acclaim in 2012 in Australia and the US. Extent: 504 pages Bic1: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Swimming Home, published in 2015, won the People's Choice Award at the 2016 Queensland Literary Awards. MacColl's Bic2: memoir, For a Girl, was published in 2017 and was shortlisted in the Queensland Literary awards and the Victorian Illustrations: Premier's Literary awards. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and son. Previous Titles: Author now living: Paddington, QLD Allen & Unwin AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 Maddie Bright 12 copy pack Point of Sale Includes 12 copies of The True Story of Maddie Bright and a poster. Description About the Author Price: $359.88 ISBN: 9324551068564 Format: Dimensions: 0x0mm Extent: 0 pages Bic1: Miscellaneous items Bic2: Illustrations: Previous Titles: Author now living: Allen & Unwin AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 Losing the Plot Elizabeth Coleman Funny, charming and captivating, with a plot within a plot, and a girl who is looking for love in all the wrong places. Description 'I loved it! It's got a kind of Bridget Jones feel and such a page turner. Great fun but with such beautiful heart. I've already cast the film/series in my head!' Rebecca Gibney Vanessa Rooney is a thirty-something dental hygienist who finds herself a single mum with a hole in her heart where her husband had been. Somehow she finds the courage to fulfil her childhood dream of writing a romance novel but soon discovers that her novel has been plagiarised by her idol, celebrity author Charlotte Lancaster. Vanessa reluctantly sues Charlotte with the help of suburban solicitor Dave Rendall, who's nursing some unfulfilled dreams of his own. When gun QC Marcus Stafford agrees to join their legal team, Vanessa feels like her perfect man has stepped right out of the pages of her book and into her life. As all hell breaks loose publicly and privately, Vanessa confronts a painful past and realises what Dave already knew - that she's an intelligent, funny, amazing woman and Marcus Stafford is, well, a tosspot. Vanessa finally understands that what she wanted wasn't what she needed, but has this realisation come too late? About the Author Elizabeth Coleman is the author of four published plays, including the smash hits Secret Bridesmaids' Business and It's My Party (And I'll Die If I Want To). Her theatre writing has also appeared in several anthologies. As a screenwriter Elizabeth adapted Secret Bridesmaids' Business into an award-winning ABC telemovie and has written for many of Australia's most popular dramas, including Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Bed of Roses, which she co-created with Price: $29.99 ISBN: 9781760633431 Jutta Goetze. Losing the Plot is her first novel. Format: Paperback - C format Dimensions: 234x153mm Extent: 384 pages Bic1: Romance Bic2: Illustrations: Previous Titles: Author now living: Northcote, VIC Allen & Unwin AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 Losing the Plot 12 copy pack Point of Sale Includes 12 copies of Losing the Plot and a display piece. Description About the Author Price: $359.88 ISBN: 9324551068748 Format: Dimensions: 0x0mm Extent: 0 pages Bic1: Miscellaneous items Bic2: Illustrations: Previous Titles: Author now living: Allen & Unwin AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 Without a Doubt Fleur McDonald Detective Dave Burrows finds himself on the wrong side of the law as he searches for the link between a murdered man and illegal stock trading in this suspenseful rural crime novel. Description 'The entrance to Nundrew was like any country town Dave had ever been to. He revved the engine of the bike and upped his speed. That should get the attention of a few people as he flew down the main street.' Detective Dave Burrows had never even heard of Nundrew in Queensland before. He'd certainly never have guessed that this was where he'd be risking his life. In Barrabine, as Dave's workload skyrockets, Melinda, Dave's wife, is unhappy about being left alone so much to raise their eighteen-month-old daughter. It's not how Dave wants it either, but crimes still have to be investigated - it's what he joined the force for - and he's the only one able to do it. Melinda's interfering father isn't helping. He's never thought that Dave is right for his daughter and he's not shy about telling Dave what he's doing wrong. When things come to a head at home, Dave's policing mate, Spencer, comes up with a plan. In the most dangerous mission of his life, Dave knows what he's risking. If he's found out, he'll never see Melinda or Bec again. Of that he's sure. About the Author Fleur McDonald has lived and worked on farms for much of her life. After growing up in the small town of Orroroo in South Australia, she became a jillaroo before spending twenty years farming 8000 acres, east of Esperance, WA. Fleur likes to write about strong women overcoming adversity, drawing inspiration from her own experiences in rural Australia. She is the best-selling author of <i>Red Dust, Blue Skies, Purple Roads, Silver Clouds and Crimson Dawn, Price: $29.99 ISBN: 9781760633158 Emerald Springs, Indigo Storm, Sapphire Falls, The Missing Pieces of Us, Suddenly One Summer</i> and <i>Fool's Format: Paperback - C format Gold, which </i>began the story of the popular Detective Dave Burrows, as well as the ebook exclusives If You Were Dimensions: 234x153mm Here</i> and A Farmer's Choice</i>. Extent: 328 pages Bic1: Thriller / suspense Bic2: Crime & mystery Fleur currently lives in Esperance with her two children, an energetic kelpie and a Jack Russell terrier. Illustrations: Previous Titles: Author now living: Esperance, WA Allen & Unwin AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 Loving Sylvie Elizabeth Smither Elizabeth Smither takes us into the richly imagined worlds of three women, written with such beautifully deft skill as to make them vivid and alive. Description A sensual, witty novel that cleverly weaves in the stories of three generations of women: Sylvie, her mother Madeleine and grandmother Isobel, focusing most strongly on the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. The narrative shifts between the points of view of each main character, telling their stories with gentle, deeply observant humour, through their love affairs, food, rivalries, marriages, pets and all the beautiful minutiae of everyday life. Elizabeth draws the threads of each story together subtly and surprisingly to achieve a perfectly resolved ending. Fans of Elizabeth's writing will love this new novel and those new to her writing will discover the delights of her careful, sensual prose. Described as having 'a gift for wry comedy combined with an eye for pinpoint detail', Elizabeth is one of New Zealand's finest writers. About the Author Elizabeth Smither MNZM is a multi-award winning poet, short story writer and novelist. She most recently won the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Poetry Award. Price: $32.99 ISBN: 9781988547114 Format: Paperback - C format Dimensions: 234x153mm Extent: 328 pages Bic1: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Bic2: Illustrations: Previous Titles: Author now living: New Plymouth, NZ A&U New Zealand AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019 Scrublands Chris Hammer Set in a fictional Riverina town at the height of a devastating drought, Scrublands is one of the most powerful, compelling and original crime novels to be written in Australia.