The 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires affected much of the East Coast of Australia. In the Eurobodalla, on the South Coast of NSW, over 500 houses were lost. The impact on people was both physical and emotional. The forward by Petrea King, best-selling author of 'Your Life Matters', she outlines the courage it takes to overcome trauma and write about the distress and fears. It is the first step toward healing.The stories and poems in 'Beneath and Ominous Sky' cover the immediate aft...

In every Australian country town there is a story. In Cocknell Creek, an exotic shop owner inviting friends and acquaintances to her end of Harvest Festival party; a new hair stylist recently arrived from Sydney under a cloud; a shy sculptor and his 'woman', a property owner prim and proper, and an international backpacker.What do they have in common? What emotions come out to play at the much anticipated party? What is this about a spangly dress and who that new priest in town?

When Zirth was a young Xolthie, he lost his father in an aborted mission to Earth to capture more shape-shifting and magical creatures for the their zoo on Xolthus. Before his parent's ship was attacked by pirates he found himself drawn to the hold, entirely fascinated by its strange but frightened occupants. Now he is Head Zookeeper at the long-established tourist destination and life should be good. Unfortunately, Yolaxsus, his bitter 2nd in Command, takes every opportunity to mistreat t...

The peace at Tranquility Golf Club on the beautiful South Coast of NSW is disrupted on a perfect Sunday morning by the discovery of a body in the sand trap on the first green.Detective Sergeant Hissteria Mitchell and her partner Detective Constable Phil Matrusca, must make sense of the crime scene. It appears that quite a number of guests at the wedding reception, held at the Club the previous evening, had a motive for murder. The victim, the groom, was less than well-liked, nor wa...

A fractured retelling of the classic fairy tale about a wolf's hunger and the temptation of seven little kid goats – or in this case 'goatlings,' left at home all alone. Mama Goat has to work to fend for herself and her goatlings. Mr. Wolf, a quick learner, turns to the local community to find assistance in tricking the goatlings so they will open the door. The question is, will he succeed? And if he does, what are there consequences?Told by seven authors, this story is, nonetheles...

Old Man's War author John Scalzi's sendup of the heroic fantasy genre, a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story.An over-the-top, humorous short story representing the prologue for a "future" book (written as an April Fool's Joke) published on Tor.com. The title of the series and book was created from an amalgamation of the most commonly used words in fantasy and science fiction novels over the previous decade.At the Publisher's request, t...

Sam’s boyfriend has made the worst decision ever. Now, she has five months to change his mind and the clock is ticking...Jamie is in love with Sam. But he’s also a free spirit and, after years in a job he despises, wants to travel.Sam isn't giving up without a fight. Unable to bear the idea of losing him, she enlists her closest friends to make him realise exactly what he's giving up.There is a lot of plotting, a few dirty tricks and a sing...

Welcome to Wychwood-on-Lea… a not-too-quaint village where frosty evenings, welcoming fires, and second chances will make this a Christmas you’ll never forget.Anna Vere has escaped to the Cotswolds for Christmas to try to heal from her broken engagement and, far worse, her broken dreams. When her reserved room at a bed & breakfast is flooded, she takes up the offer of camping out in Willoughby Close, the converted stables of the nearby manor house… and is taken under the wing of se...

The depth and breadth of what science fiction and fantasy fiction is changes with every passing year. The two dozen stories chosen for this book by award-winning anthologist Jonathan Strahan carefully maps this evolution, giving readers a captivating and always-entertaining look at the very best the genre has to offer.

The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.” But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he’s thinking there’s more to her than meets the eye, she’ s thinking that he’s not quite all he seemed.This is a classic romantic...

Sobi enjoys the solitude of darting animals to track behaviour and migration. When she heads home for a quick check-in, she is a little perturbed to find that her presence is required for the Anvin dignitary in need of a wife.She dresses appropriately, and when she faces the man behind the shadows, she recognises the man that she linked herself to years earlier.Midnight is a silly nickname, but Aloss is willing to let the Protheans call him whatever they like as long as the...

Star of the Seven Network's Today Tonight shares her truly inspiring story of triumph over almost unbeatable odds in a wonderfully warm, funny and honest memoir about her struggle to succeed in the cut-throat world of commercial television and her courageous battle with cancer.When Sally Obermeder woke up on 13th October 2011, she thought her life was perfect. She had a glamorous, successful career as a reporter for Today Tonight, she had a wonderful husband and sh...