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The 2003 Byron Bay Writers Festival was another fabulous success with a record crowd of 20,000 plus, converging on the wildly beautiful North Coast town. Bar the arctic freeze which gripped opening night festivities, visitors lapped up a mid-winter dose of Byron’s blazing blue skies and warm sun. A few people went for a swim. […]

The Romantic, by Barbara Gowdy Flamingo, $27.95. A sad but beautiful story by an intoxicating writer. The heroine is lonely 10-year-old Louise, who fantasises about having another family after the loss of her mother. Louise falls in love with her neighbour, an exotic Mrs Richter, then finds herself drawn to her brilliant son, Abel. But […]

Our September Great Read, Love beings With An A is a warm, funny and sassy story about what a woman will do for love. In this remarkably assured debut novel by Melbourne writer, Jeana Vithoulkas, twenty-something lawyer, Fiore, is looking for a man. But not just any man. He must be a good dancer, politically […]

Here is the full transcript of our interview with Jeana Vithoulas, author of the September Great Read, Love Begins with an A. **Q You’ve done a lot of jobs, worked as a union official, an interpreter, university tutor – were you always going to be a writer? A** Yes, I was always going to write […]

The funeral is not a problem. Maureen simply reacts to other peoples’ distress, which is just another form of obedience after all. Tea and biscuits later is a little harder to manage. A smile insists on creeping into her mind, so she keeps her eyes lowered and speaks only in monosyllables. No one notices. They […]

An exclusive extract from Wives and Lovers, the Great Read in the August issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Wives and Lovers by Jane Elizabeth Varley is a thoughtful and entertaining exploration of contemporary marriage and family relationships, told through the lives of three sisters. Orion, August, $29.95 Victoria Stratford considered that her husband’s fortieth […]

Eulo*, 67kms west of Cunnamulla in south west Queensland, boasts over 20 businesses, which is remarkable for a town with a population of 50. Eulo also hosts the annual World Championship Lizard Race as part of the Paroo Festival. And if that’s not enough to put it on the map, Eulo can now claim its […]

Author of our August Great Read, Wives and Lovers. **Q How has the book been received in the UK? A** It was published a week ago and we’ve had a lot of interest. It came out in hardback and it’s in all the bookshops and getting very good review coverage. Which is fantastic and surprising, […]

For the latest in the world of books from The Australian Women’s Weekly Books Editor, read on! And now for something completely different…actress Shirley MacLaine who has written her share of bestsellers – six, according to Publishers Weekly – has a new book coming out called Out on a Leash: Exploring Reality and Love. Shirley […]

We hope you enjoy this extract from our July Great Read, The Guilty Heart (Macmillan), by Julie Parsons. Outside the moon hung in the black sky. From time to time dark clouds put out its brightness. Inside Nick lay on his back, his eyes open, watching the glow from the street lights pattern the ceiling. […]