Literature

Kimberly Grabham. Linda Goldspink Lord is a name many would know and remember. Linda and her family used to live in Hay, and left the town when Linda was a teenager ... She wrote a book, Crawling Through the Darkness. 

Kimberly Grabham. Tim Booth is the son of Lyn and Ken Booth, formerly of Hay. Tim has written a book, titled, You Called an Ambulance for What? ... details the crazy and curious reasons for people calling emergency services, and are situations he experienced while working as a paramedic in Sydney. 

Georgia Harper invites you to delve into her fascinating journey from psychologist to debut author. From her paddock in Allora and under the watchful supervision of her horse, Georgia penned her first novel What I Would Do to You.

Having read Pip Fioretti's Bone Lands in a sitting and finding it an "extraordinary work", Australian Rural & Regional News contributor, Dr Aedeen Cremin was keen to find out more about this "cracker of a book", its origins and its author.

This is a cracker of a book. I literally could not put it down and read it at a sitting. From the very first page we are plunged into the mind of the main character—we can hardly call him a ‘hero’, though he has performed heroic deeds. A former army officer, badly wounded and literally scarred by his time in the second ‘Boer War’ (1899-1902), Gus Hawkins is by 1911 a policeman, a mounted trooper, stationed in the far west of NSW on the Darling River between Bourke and Wilcannia.

Salt River Road, by WA award winning author Molly Schmidt, is definitely a book with a difference.  Written with a mixture of prose and poetry, it tells the story of the rurally-based Tetley family in the aftermath of the loss of their mother ... Australian Regional and Rural News interviewer, Serena Kirby, chatted with Molly to find out more about the unique and beautiful techniques she used in the book and the personal experiences that shaped her writing. 

I’ve read a number of books that delve into issues surrounding Australian food production and it’s fair to say that I found Jill Griffiths’ book What’s For Dinner? the easiest one to digest (pun intended). Jill is a biologist and journalist who’s been writing about the environment and agriculture for more than three decades and her book is a blend of science, history and lived experience.

Kevin Markwell. Workers involved in the refurbishment of Kyogle Memorial Hall have made an incredible discovery. When they pulled out an old timber cupboard in one of the dressing rooms, they discovered an old notebook sitting among the rat nests and dust.

After the MaldON WalkON booklet was launched mid last year, all printed copies ran out the door. Friends of Maldon Historic Reserve Group Spokesperson Lee Mead said, “Due to the booklet’s popularity and value to Maldon, we have been successful in gaining a community grant from Mount Alexander Shire Council to reprint lots more copies.”

The Hush Foundation, whose mission is to transform healthcare cultures with kindness and the arts, is delighted to launch its inaugural Kindness in Healthcare Writing Prize, in memory of the late author and doctor Kath O’Connor. Kath was a General Practitioner in Central Victoria and had just finished the second draft of her beautifully crafted novel, Inheritance (Affirm Press, 2023) when she died of Ovarian Cancer in 2019 at the age of 48.

What happens when a bush concert is facing cancellation, and how can Easter Bilby help? That’s the storyline in ‘Banjo Frog’s Concert Spectacular’, a new children’s book released by Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia in conjunction with Wakefield Press.

If you’re interested in the history of the goldfields, here’s an event not to be missed: the launch of historian Marjorie Theobald’s latest book The Goldfields Re-Imagined: Militant Miners, Miscreants and Poor Mary Anne ... Speaking to the [Tarrangower] Times about her book, Marjorie said that the most interesting period of Castlemaine’s history was the early goldfields days.

I don’t really consider myself a horsey-person so I wasn't sure what to expect from the cover of Second Chance by Diana Thurgood. It turns out this heart-warming true story is actually a ripper read.  Second Chance is Diana Thurgood's first book and it’s a story the author justifiably felt compelled to write about one of her long-time friends, Tiffany Williams.

Wayne Hawthorne. A UK author of more than 10 books, Gill Tee led an interesting life before moving recently to the Naracoorte district. Gill told Naracoorte Men’s Probus Club members how she spent most of her life living in England, but that she has also lived in Spain and now Australia.

A delightful new addition to Kaniva's streets is soon to capture the hearts of residents and visitors alike. Meet Gummy, a charming children's sheep brought to life by the artistic talents of Heather Wallis, Sally Hicks and Jeanette Feder.

Honor Auchinleck. The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival Elyne Mitchell Photo Story Awards hopes that you will find great pleasure in creating your entries for the 2024 Awards ... Elyne was a great admirer of A B (‘Banjo’) Paterson. As she was the inaugural Patron of the Bush Festival, it seems fitting that we use a theme that complements both Elyne’s and Banjo’s legacies.

These are the crimes, murders and tragedies from across western NSW that made headlines around Australia decades and decades ago but are long forgotten – until now. A new book to hit the shelves today, Bush Tragedies, is a compilation of short stories from dark pockets of Australia’s history, recorded in stark, descriptive detail by award-winning journalist Bill Poulos.

Escorting convicted criminal George Lorie from Walgett lock-up to Narrabri railway station was no easy task for Carinda police constable William Noble. Lorie was found guilty of stealing more than fifty sheep from Quilbone station, a 10,000-acre spread near Quambone in western NSW ... As Lorie was escorted down the courthouse steps, he noticed Veech and threatened to kill the old pioneer.

Holly Throsby was a musician, singer, songwriter way before she was an author. She’d released five solo albums, toured extensively and been nominated for several ARIA awards before she shifted from writing song lyrics to writing story sentences ... Australian Rural and Regional News contributor, Serena Kirby spoke to Holly recently about her latest novel, Clarke, the writing process and asked about advice for would-be novelists.

First-time author, Michael Thomas, never set out to write historical fiction; he was planning to write his memoirs. Michael was born and raised in WA’s northern town of Carnarvon. It’s a tough, remote part of the world and Michael grew up moving through regional WA as the son of an outback shearer ... Michael and Serena Kirby spoke about character voice, language, the adding of female story elements to balance the book and the importance of telling some of lesser known parts of Western Australia’s history.

After "putting it on the back burner" a number of times local author, Kim Winter, is about to release her first novel. The life of the main character in ‘Cedar’ has been shaped by various experiences that have influenced his character and outlook.