Hi Everyone! I’ve had so many emails about the next Marianne Delacourt book (Tara Sharp #4) that I thought you should know where things are at. Allen and Unwin won’t be publishing it, so if I don’t have a new publisher by the end of the year (I am in talks with a great indie press – fingers crossed!), I PROMISE I will self-publish it in December in time for your Xmas stockings!! It will most likely be in e-book format only, but I will explore paperback options as well.

I’ve changed the title from Too Sharp to Sharp Edge, and you can see the mock up of the potential cover here.

The next novel is set back in Perth and your favourite bikie, Bon Ames, gets Tara into deep, dangerous trouble! Things are also hotting up between Nick Tozzi and Ed.

In other news, my original SF screenplay – STALKING DAYLIGHT –  has been through nearly two drafts and I’m starting to look for opportunities to further hone it. It’s currently in an AWG competition to get further script editing. I’ve just had some very positive feedback on it, so I hope it has legs.

Book 2 of the PEACEMAKER series (SF, western, crime, urban fantasy) will be out in October 2015. The name will change (currently DEALBREAKER), and a cover will be ready shortly. I’ll share as soon as I can. Can’t wait to see what Joey HiFi does this time! In book 2 Virgin is working for GJIC – global intelligence – and the Mythos action is hotting up. She’s nursing some very hurt feelings about Heart’s betrayal, Hamish is acting weird, and Caro has some bad news. A lot is happening in the Western Quarter!! Not to mention that Sixkiller is his usual infuriating self.

The SF novella I’m writing for my MPhil is underway and is literary SF. That will be finished next year.

There are also two short stories on the horizon. One SF far future set in the Sentients of Orion universe and based on a dream I had – nearly finished. The other is a newly finished YA story that is very dark.

Joelene Pynnonen

Joelene Pynnonen is a Brisbane-based writer, reviewer, bookseller and bird expert.

A group of girls study at a school for assassins, preparing for their wedding nights when they will kill their grooms. A lonely coffin maker finds company with the dead when she cannot have the living. Travelling holy women hunt down and capture all of the knowledge and stories in the world. These are just a few tales in the The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings.

Set in the same world as that of Sourdough and Other Stories, The Bitterwood Bible is a prequel comprised of thirteen short stories. Not all of them correlate to each other, but many of them have intersecting places, characters, or objects. As each piece of the story comes together, it creates a rich, vibrant world as compelling as any novel.

It’s going to be difficult to write a review that does justice to this wonderful book. Trying to explain the depth of world-building and the poetry of the writing style doesn’t do enough to convey the pull of The Bitterwood Bible.

Drawing on themes of fairytale lore and mythology, The Bitterwood Bible is explored almost solely through the eyes of women. Not all of these women are good, kind, or smart. And not all of them get their happily ever after. They are, however, fully realised and completely developed characters with strengths and flaws in equal measure. Every one of them is distinct and compelling, making the stories flash by.

While these are short stories, a plot arc emerges as the book progresses, culminating in a climax. Like most stories in the book, the ending leaves some things to the imagination and keeps some of its secrets, but is satisfying for all of that.

My favourite story in the collection, Now, All Pirates Are Gone, doesn’t tie in to the overall plot arc as closely as the others. Though it’s as ruthless as many of the stories in The Bitterwood Bible, it is hopeful. The main character, Maude, is also one of the best characters in the collection. She’s practical and resourceful without being too hard.

With its poetic writing style and gorgeous illustrations throughout, The Bitterwood Bible is a book that would have stayed with me anyway. The fact that it depicts a world that feels true, is a bonus. Now I’m going to have to find the sequel, Sourdough and Other Stories.

Bitterwood Bible – Angela Slatter

Tartarus Press (September 1, 2014)

ISBN: 9781905784653

Krista McKeeth

Krista McKeeth is a writer, book reviewer and blogger from Utah. You can find her online at CubicleBlindness.

Mesmerizing and addictive, Wildalone is a thrilling blend of the modern and the fantastic. Krassi Zourkova creates an atmospheric world filled with rich characters as compelling as those of Diana Gabaldon, Deborah Harkness, and Stephenie Meyer. 

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published January 6th 2015 by William Morrow

ISBN  0062328026 (ISBN13: 9780062328021)

Right before she decides which college to attend, Thea finds out a family secret that is connected to Princeton and becomes determined to go there for her studies. She can explore more about who she wants to become, learn new things about the world, and discover the deepest, darkest secrets of her own family. At her first piano concert, which gets immediate national attention, she sees a mysterious man who leaves a flower. Her thoughts quickly turn to meeting him again.

I went into the story thinking it would mostly focus on Thea’s search for answers like an amateur detective, but it soon turns into a complicated combination of a love triangle, mythology, and sex. There is a huge focus on the mythology surrounding Dionysus, and the sex is not graphic, but more about Thea’s continuing thought processes and the beginnings of her first intense adult relationships.

The writing has an equal mix of romance and mythological information. The mythology and lore, mostly from Bulgaria and Greece, has been well-researched and I enjoyed the way it sets the tone and pushes the story’s emotions beyond a traditional love triangle story. The narration gives a feeling of dream-like poetry and there is a mist-like feeling of not quite being able to see beyond what is happening in front of you. You can see enough to understand what direction you’re being taken in, but you are drip-fed information to build up anticipation for the next time the major characters meet.

As the story progressed, I started to find the characters very frustrating–especially Thea. I enjoyed the side characters and their impact on the story so much more. Yet when it came to the main focus of the story–Thea and Rhys–I found their encounters to be very hot and cold, indecisive, and at times infuriating.

As a reader, I felt emotionally drained after their encounters and found it hard to really come to terms with Thea’s thoughts and actions.

The book has been broken into two sections and by the end of the first I was already exhausted by the whirlwind of emotions. I was happy with the pacing and the climax of the second half of the story as it answered so many questions, but still left me a little breathless and wondering whether this story will continue on in another book.

Every once in a while I have a love/hate relationship with a book. I loved the plot, storyline, and writing style, yet I felt like I needed something more from the characters. I do hope that there is a continuation in another book that will help me understand these characters further. Overall, I enjoyed Wildalone and would recommend it; it was a rollercoaster of a read and I don’t think I will ever come across a more sensual scene of piano playing again in my lifetime. Who knew that playing the piano could be foreplay?