Books published by Hachette Australia

In the pent-up heat of Colombo, piece by piece, a family comes apart.A stunning debut novel from a fresh voice in Australian fiction, for fans of Zadie Smith and Rohinton Mistry.'RUINS is a stirring and skilfully crafted debut, and Savanadasa's characters are so vividly drawn they feel like family. With his sharp and masterful observations of race, class and gender in the "e;new"e; Sri Lanka, Savanadasa takes his seat beside Omar Musa, Alice Pung and Michael Mohammed Ahmad to usher in the brave and stunning new dawn of diverse Australian fiction.' Maxine Beneba Clarke, award-winning author of FOREIGN SOILA country picking up the pieces, a family among the ruins.In the restless streets, crowded waiting rooms and glittering nightclubs of Colombo, five family members find their bonds stretched to breaking point in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war.Latha wants a home. Anoushka wants an iPod. Mano hopes to win his wife back.Lakshmi dreams of rescuing a lost boy.And Niranjan needs big money so he can leave them all behind. '[Savanadasa's] writing recalls Christos Tsiolkas' recent work ... distinct and convincing, RUINS heralds the arrival of a gifted new talent in Australian fiction.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING'An absolute must-read' WOMAN'S DAY'An outstanding debut novel' WEST AUSTRALIAN'RUINS is an impressive debut. Savanadasa joins other important contemporary Australian-Sri Lankan novelists . . . in enriching the globalised phenomenon that is Australian literature.' THE SATURDAY PAPER'RUINS stands out from other Australian debuts for its ambitious structure, its vibrant setting, and the depth and complexity of the Sri Lankan family at the centre of the story.' READINGS'an intelligent, engaging novel' DARK MATTER ZINE'A rich and colourful story of family and country, its complexity revealed in layers . . . Only through the eyes of others can we begin to see a place.' Inga Simpson, author of the critically acclaimed WHERE THE TREES WERE

Craig Munroe is the kind of man legends are written about. Escape to the high country in this passionate love story of a young doctor and a legendary horseman whose lives become inextricably linked, by the bestselling author of RYDERS RIDGE, Charlotte NashIt's been eleven years since Dr Peta Woodward, born into a horse-breeding dynasty, fled the family stud in the wake of a deadly tragedy that split her family apart. Carrying wounds that have never truly healed, Peta has focused on helping others. But when an injury during a solo trip through the Australian high country leaves her stranded, the man who comes to her rescue is Craig Munroe, a born and bred high-country horseman, and the kind of man legends are written about.Stuck in the tiny town of Yarraman Falls while she recovers, Peta is surrounded by prying eyes and heartbreaking reminders of all she has lost. But while she resolves to leave as soon as she can, fate has other ideas . . .Fans of Rachael Johns will devour THE HORSEMAN, the passionate new novel of romance, medicine and drama from much-loved author Charlotte Nash.**INCLUDES an extract from Charlotte's novel THE PARIS WEDDING**'Nash's skilled storytelling will keep you turning the pages until the very end.' FLEUR MCDONALD on CRYSTAL CREEK'This breakout novel is a skilful mix of rural charm and gripping medical drama.' West Australian on RYDERS RIDGE'Will satisfy those who love Australian stories with heart.' A Readers's Heaven on IRON JUNCTION

Quentin Kenihan is living proof that superheroes don't need capes, just the right attitude. FOREWORD BY RAY MARTINWhen he was a kid, Quentin Kenihan loved Superman. Ironic, really. Quentin didn't need kryptonite to reveal his weakness - born with a rare bone disorder, osteogenesis imperfecta, his bones broke all on their own.When Quentin was seven, Mike Willesee made a documentary about him. Australians fell in love with his wit, and never-say-die attitude. Over the years he grew up before our eyes. But there was a dark side to his life. The true story was never told ... until now. A story of abandonment, drug addiction, dark days and thoughts of suicide. Battling through it all, Quentin's resilience is inspiring.Quentin is now determined to live life the best he can. Just turned 41, he is a filmmaker, stand-up comedian, radio host, actor and film critic; he's hung out with Angelina, accidentally ripped Jennifer Lopez's dress, talked sex with Jean-Claude Van Damme, appeared in MAD MAX and interviewed Julia Gillard, all the while showing that living in a wheelchair doesn't mean staying still.This is an unforgettable, brutally honest, at times heartbreaking memoir. Quentin Kenihan is living proof that superheroes don't need capes, just the right attitude!'Quentin is a hero of mine. Probably the toughest man I have ever met. Read this book and reconsider how hard you think your life is. It is a liberating experience to face life through his eyes.' - RUSSELL CROWE

The story of grog is the story of Australia. This is how it all began.Even before James Squire set sail as a convict aboard the First Fleet, liquor was playing its part in shaping the colony-to-be. Who was entitled to it and who wasn't; who could make and sell it and who couldn't; and how the young and thirsty colony could make itself self-sufficient in booze. As the colony grew, rum became both a currency and a source of political strength and instability, culminating in the Rum Rebellion in 1808, and what one observer said was a society of 'drunkenness, gaming and debaucheries'.Now, with Grog, writer Tom Gilling presents a compelling bottled history of the first three decades of European settlement: how the men and women of New South Wales transformed the colony from a squalid and starving convict settlement into a prosperous trading town with fashionable Georgian street names and a monumental two-storey hospital built by private contractors in exchange for a monopoly on rum.Grog is a colourful account of the unique beginnings of a new nation, and a unique insight into the history of Australia's long love affair with the hard stuff.

For fans of Sheryl McCorry's Diamonds and Dust and Sara Henderson, this is the story of Toni Tapp Coutts's extraordinary childhood on the legendary Killarney cattle station in the Northern Territory as the eldest of ten children and daughter of cattle king Bill Tapp.Toni Tapp grew up on the massive Killarney Station, where her stepfather, Bill Tapp, was a cattle king. But there was no 'big house' here - Toni did not grow up in a large homestead. She lived in a shack that had no electricity and no running water. The oppressive climate of the Territory - either wet or dry - tested everyone. Fish were known to rain from the sky and sometimes good men drank too much and drowned trying to cross swollen rivers.Toni grew up with the Aboriginal people who lived and worked on the station, and got into scrapes with her ever-increasing number of siblings. She loved where she grew up - she was happy on the land with her friends and siblings, observing the many characters who made up the community on Killarney. Then she was sent to boarding school and all she wanted to do was go back to the land she loved, despite the fact that her parents' marriage was struggling as Bill Tapp succumbed to drink and June Tapp refused to go under with him.Toni's love of the natural world and of people alike has resulted in a tender portrait of a life that many people would consider tough. She brings vividly to the page a story seldom seen: a Territory childhood, for good and bad.

You are a miracle waiting to happen.When everyday life seems tiring, unfulfilling or just plain hard, it can be almost impossible to believe that anything will change. Life is so full of tasks to be ticked off that finding a moment of peace, let alone living a spiritual life, may never figure on your list. But it's when life is like this that it's even more important to awaken the miracle of you.In this inspiring book, Judith Collins has created a 52-week course of affirmations to help you develop long-term self-awareness and growth. You do not need to have practised affirmations or meditation before to benefit from the wisdom inside.AWAKENING THE MIRACLE OF YOU also contains affirmations to help you deal positively with specific challenges that can occur in life, including career change, pain management, stress relief, childlessness, fear and mourning.Uplift, heal and affirm yourself, day by day.

SHORTLISTED FOR NSW PREMIERS LITERARY AWARDS MULTICULTURAL NSW AWARD 2018'tough and compelling' - Christos Tsiolkas 'He touched my face. When his hand went along my bruised top lip and my almost broken nose, I winced from the pain. His fist went into a deep denim pocket. Pulled out a Syrinapx bottle, twisted the cap off and handed me two light blue pills.'How did Bucky get here? A series of accidents. A tragic love for a violent man. An addiction to painkillers he can't seem to kick. An unlikely friendship with an ageing patient. Drugs, memories and the objects of his desire are colluding against Bucky. And when it hits him. Bam. A ton of bricks ... The shadowy places of Western Sydney can be lit up with the hope of love, but no streetlight can illuminate like obsession.A novel of addiction, secrets and misplaced love, this is an Australian debut not to be missed.'Down the Hume [is] essential reading in these times of "e;border protection"e;' - The Saturday Paper'Down the Hume's propulsive rhythm feels like entering a strong current. Its fast pace and escalating plot are typical of the noir genre, but it is also filled with unexpected and precise turns of phrase, which can shift quickly from the menial to the lyrical.' - The Guardian'Down the Hume should rightly take its place alongside the fiction of Christos Tsiolkas [and] Maxine Beneba Clarke... as work that reflects the reality and occasional ugliness of Australia's multiculturalism.' - AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW'Down the Hume is a robust study of ethnic, class and sexual identities in contemporary Australia.'- The Weekend Australian

Be so good they can't ignore you. How to succeed at business and life by one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs and founder of The Remarkables Group.

The #1 bestseller. One night of passion with a sinfully hot stranger will change everything. By the author of the #1 bestseller BASTARD, J. L. PerryJade's young life was tough. After her mother died during childbirth and her father could no longer look after her, she was placed in foster care where she stayed for the next ten years. She grew up feeling unloved and unwanted as she was passed around from one screwed up home to the next. Things began to look up for her when she was adopted by a wealthy socialite at the age of eleven. Sometimes, though, things aren't always what they seem. Jade didn't know it at the time, but her new adoptive mother had big plans for her . . . Brock grew up privileged. He had everything going for him. Money, looks, charm, success and an endless array of beautiful women. He wasn't interested in commitment. To him women were easy. They practically threw themselves at his feet. All they wanted was to do something nobody had ever managed before. Snare the hot, rich bachelor. Then he met Jade. She was like a breath of fresh air. A challenge. Nothing like the women he was used to. Their one night together ignited something within him. A burning desire to own her, possess her, but Jade had other plans. Nobody says no to Brock Weston, nobody.But, when fate brings them together again, will he get what he wants? Or will Jade's secrets crush him, and destroy any chance they have of being together?

Over one-tenth of Australians suffer from an anxiety-related condition. Elisa Black is one of them - and her story could make life better for those millions of other people just like her.Since journalist Elisa Black wrote an article about her lifelong struggle with anxiety in March 2015, it has been read by hundreds of thousands of people. Clearly, what Elisa had to say found a readership far bigger than she could have expected - and with millions of Australians suffering from anxiety, it's little wonder.There is far more to Elisa's story, though, than one article can cover. In this book, weaving memoir with science, Elisa uses the stages of her own life to relate to stages in everyone's lives and the types of anxiety that may be experienced during each phase. She includes the latest in research and other scientific information about anxiety, its causes and treatment. Elisa's story will inspire fellow anxiety sufferers to believe that there is a way to manage their condition and live more freely. From her own experience she also offers hope that anxiety does not have to dominate a life, or even dent it - it can be managed and conquered.

Meet venomologist Bryan Grieg Fry, the man with one of the most dangerous job in Australia - working with the world's most deadly creatures.Welcome to the strange and dangerous world of Doctor Venom.Imagine a first date involving three weeks in Siberia catching venomous water shrews, and later a wedding attended by Eastern European prime ministers and their bodyguards wielding machine guns. Then a life of living and working with snakes. Lots of very, very poisonous snakes and other venomous creatures ... everything from the Malaysian king cobra to deadly scorpions.In this action-packed ride through Bryan Grieg Fry's life you'll meet the man who's worked with the world's most venomous creatures in over 50 countries. He's been bitten by 26 poisonous snakes and three stingrays - and, while deep in the Amazon jungle, survived a near-fatal scorpion sting. He's also broken 23 bones, including breaking his back in three places, and had to learn how to walk again. He only works on venom that he has collected himself - so the adventures, and danger, will just keep coming...Bryan now divides his time between scientific research and teaching at the University of Queensland, and TV filming and collecting expeditions around the world.

'Deeply moving story of self-sacrifice and pride' - Jennifer Byrne, Australian Women's WeeklyOne family's epic tale of survival in tumultuous twentieth-century China.Li Feng grew up in Mao's communist China with her mother's motto burning in her ears - Success demands two things: unconditional sacrifice and absolute mental focus. Finally breaking free of her mother's overbearing clutches and fleeing to Sydney as an adult, Li struggled to make sense of her own lost childhood by piecing together her family's history.What she found was a heartbreaking tale of love and loss that echoed across four generations of women - from Silver Dollar, who fought to regain her dignity and change her destiny after being sold into a loveless marriage at the age of 13; to Ming Xiu, who was forced to make a choice no mother should ever have to make following the execution of her husband; to Li's mother Rong, who grew up as an outcast on the periphery of society but never gave up hope of a better life for herself and for her daughters.Despite economic and political upheaval, these women battled to offer their children a better future through sheer determination in the face of unimaginable adversity. Forged From Silver Dollar is an inspiring true story about Modern China, iron will and the strength of a mother's love.

'[Mat McLachlan's] knowledge of the front is comprehensive' - Sydney Morning HeraldA complete guide to the Australian battlefields of the Western Front 1916-18.Walking with the ANZACs aims to become the new essential companion for Australians visiting the Western Front. Each of the 14 most important Australian battlefields is covered with descriptions of the battles and Australia s involvement in it.The book presents a well-illustrated walking tour across the old battlefields. The tours are designed along easily accessible walking routes and show readers battlefield landmarks that still exist, memorials to the men who fought there and the cemeteries where many of them still lie. In this way the visitor will see the battlefield in much the same way as the original ANZACs did, and gain a greater appreciation of the site s significance. Importantly, the tours are not written for military experts, but for ordinary visitors whose military knowledge may be limited.More than just a handy travel guide, Walking with the ANZACs is an absorbing read for armchair travellers and students of the First World War who may not have had the opportunity to visit the battle fields and walk in the footsteps of the first ANZACs.

The Whitlams' wasn't just a love story - it was a dynamic and enduring partnership that shaped our nation.This is the compelling story of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, his wife Margaret and their 70-year relationship personal and political, private and public. It is a story of how two extraordinary people, side by side, led the Australian nation into an exciting and turbulent new era.Gough had no small talk, Margaret had the gift of easy conversation. He was often ill-at-ease in company and preferred his books. She was warm, inclusive and jollied him along. He had a vicious tongue and a quick temper. She always tried to see the best in people. He knew everything about the ideology, history and heroes of the Labor movement. She trusted her instincts. They saw each other as equals and never hesitated to express their different viewpoints. He may have passed the laws that changed the nation, but she made it possible.This is a story of love, respect, struggle, success, failure, disappointment and resilience. It was the strength and endurance of this remarkable relationship that helped change our nation politically, culturally and socially. Neither Gough nor Margaret would have developed into what each became without the influence of the other. Through every major political change, every election campaign, every triumph and every loss, they stood together.Margaret and Gough takes us inside a partnership where the political was always personal and the personal was always political.'Mitchell succeeds in weaving together their lives against a backdrop of Gough's political career ... a fine dual biography' - The Australian'This sweeping, slightly idealised overview of their love, with a bit of political history thrown into the mix, is a lesson in commitment' - Daily Telegraph'Read about Gough the man who read romantic poems from Keats and Shelley to his new wife Margaret on their honeymoon in 1942' - Sunday Territorian

The revised edition of the essential handbook on how to reduce the health risks posed by type 2 diabetes - from the team behind the internationally bestselling Low GI series, including Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, who contributed the Low GI chapter to World's Best Diet.

The truly classic Australian story of Tom Kruse - legendary mailman of the Birdsville Track.For the people who lived in the desert between Marree and Birdsville, contact with the outside world was hard and sporadic - but one man was their lifeline: Tom Kruse. For more than twenty years he was the connection with the outside world for the families, station workers and others who lived along the Birdsville Track.Tom delivered everything from the mail and newspapers to fuel and food - whole communities waited in anticipation for him to drop off their supplies. But it was a hard life, from regularly making running repairs to his truck to unloading and reloading tons of stores so that he could ferry his cargo across flooded creeks. Come sandhills, hell or high water, Tom Kruse kept faith with the locals up and down the Track.Tom was a real Australian hero - and no matter what happened, the mail always got through.'Told with honesty and vigour' - Sydney Morning Herald'A tribute to a man who earned the love of a whole generation of Australians and shows us that the pioneer characteristics of guts and good-natured stoicism are still beautiful' - The Age'Full of characters' - Daily Telegraph

Ranger Jo Lockwood is often alone in the wilderness, and she likes it that way - until she discovers the body of a man, brutally murdered. Award-winning romantic suspense from Bronwyn Parry.Favourite Romantic Suspense Novel, 2012 (Australian Romance Readers Association)Romantic Suspense Finalist (Romance Writers of America, RITA Awards)The national parks where Ranger Jo Lockwood works, on the edge of the New South Wales outback, are untamed stretches of dry forest cut through with wild rivers. She's often alone, and she likes it that way - until she discovers the body of a man, brutally murdered, in a vandalised campground.Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Matheson knows organised crime and gang violence from the inside out. He's so good at undercover work that his colleagues aren't sure which side he's really on. His posting to Strathnairn is supposed to be a return to normal duties, but the murder victim in the campground is only the first of Jo's discoveries.As Jo and Nick uncover drugs and a stash of illegal weapons, the evidence points towards locals - young men already on the wrong side of the law. But as far as Nick's concerned, it doesn't add up. When the body count starts mounting - each brutally punished before death - he becomes convinced that one person is behind the killings, one person is manipulating the men to commit horrific crimes, forming them into his own private drug-dealing cartel.Jo has seen the man's face, and now she's his next target. Nick's determined to protect her, but trapped in the rugged outback he and Jo will have to act quickly if they are going to survive.Book 1 in the riveting Goodabri series. STORM CLOUDS is Book 2; SUNSET SHADOWS is Book 3.**INCLUDES BONUS CHAPTERS of STORM CLOUDS and SUNSET SHADOWS**Praise for Bronwyn Parry:'Loyalty and romance combine with action to make a memorable story.' - WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN'[Bronwyn] remains firmly in my autobuy list.' - BOOKTOPIA'S ROMANCE BUZZ

The Vietnamese hilltribes made him a demi-god. The CIA wanted to kill him. This is the remarkable true story of Australian war hero Barry Petersen.As he flew over South East Asia towards Vietnam, Captain Barry Petersen struggled to keep an aura of calm. Inwardly he was incredibly excited. Aged 28, highly trained, with experience in anti-communist guerilla warfare, he was about to embark on the biggest and most important mission of his life.In 1963, Australian Army Captain Barry Petersen was sent to Vietnam. It was one of the most tightly held secrets of the Vietnam War: long before combat troops set foot there and under the command of the CIA, Petersen was ordered to train and lead guerilla squads of Montagnard tribesmen against the Viet Cong in the remote Central Highlands.Petersen successfully formed a fearsome militia, named 'Tiger Men'. A canny leader, he was courageous in battle, and his bravery saw him awarded the coveted Military Cross, and worshipped by the hill tribes.But his success created enemies, not just within the Viet Cong. Like Marlon Brando's character in 'Apocolyse Now', some in the CIA saw Petersen as having gone native. His refusal, when asked, to turn his Tiger Men into assassins as part of the notorious CIA Phoenix Program only strengthened that belief. The CIA strongly resented anyone who stood in their way. Some in the US intelligence were determined Petersen had to go and he was lucky to make it out of the mountains alive. The Tiger Man of Vietnam reveals the compelling true story of little-known Australian war hero Barry Petersen.'One of those great untold stories and Walker tells it with verve and excitement and, with meticulous attention to detail' - Sydney Morning Herald'Drips with adventure and intrigue and has at its centre a personality boys of all ages will identify with' - The Age'Walker's finely researched book goes beyond the biographical account of an Australian war hero' - Sun Herald'Walker's book about Petersen, The Tiger Man Of Vietnam, is well-crafted and racily written' - Weekend Australian