If you want to get to the really interesting part of Small Great Things, you need to turn to page 459. That’s not to say the preceding 458 aren’t great. They are. You don’t get to be a globally best selling author without the writing chops and Picoult has them in spades. Small Great Things […]
Who owns the story? Thoughts on ‘Small Great Things’ by Jodi Picoult Read More »
It is said that everyone has a book in them, and I tend to agree with that sentiment in the sense that everyone has an interesting life story to tell. Given a quiet room, a laptop and a few thousand hours of solitude, I think pretty much everyone could produce something compelling, or at least
How do you decide what book you should write? Read More »
I am a complete sucker for smart and funny modern romance, and those sorts of books can be a little hard to find. Happily, The Hating Game ticks all those boxes, so it’s an absolute pleasure to welcome its author, Sally Thorne, to Book Birdy. Here’s a little taste of what this Canberra-based author’s debut novel is
Meet Sally Thorne: Author of ‘The Hating Game’ Read More »
When people tell me they don’t read or like short stories, I tend to feel a bit sorry for them. And, if I’m honest, a little superior. Perhaps even a little defensive. That’s possibly the wrong approach. As the wise and thoughtful editor, Laurie Steed, says in his introduction to Shibboleth and other stories (Margaret River
Meet Jo Riccioni: Author & Winner of the Margaret River Press Short Story Competition Read More »
I first read Love at First Flight last year, when it was released as an e-book and was completely captivated by the chemistry between the two main characters, Mel and Matt, who meet and fall in ‘lust at first sight’ while sitting next to each other on a flight from Perth to Sydney. Problem is –
Meet Tess Woods, Author of ‘Love at First Flight’ Read More »
I was in a playground when I fell in love with this book. It was the second week of school holidays, a sunny day (one of few) and, for once, a playground that demanded very little parental supervision. I took full advantage. Surrounded by chatting mums and careering kids on scooters, I pulled out my
Every fortnight, my daughter’s school assembly begins with an acknowledgment of country and ends with the singing of the national anthem. It’s easy to sing Advance Australia Fair and not think about the words. Then you read a book like The Dry, and you start thinking. The first verse of Advance Australia Fair is almost all
Re-visioning Australia: ‘The Dry’ by Jane Harper Read More »
A great pleasure to welcome corporate communications guru, Simone Pregellio, as guest reviewer for the Marina Go memoir, Break Through. Like many Gen X women, I remember my very first Dolly magazine, bought and devoured on a holiday to the Gold Coast when I was 13 years old. The reason I remember ‘my first’, and
The Self-Help Memoir: ‘Break Through’, by Marina Go Read More »
I have to admit to cringing a little (lot) when I re-read my first (and never to be published) manuscript. What I dislike most about it is that it’s written in the first-person, present tense. Here’s the first paragraph: I watch the stream of water snaking its way down my body. It used to take
Writing in the First Person: ‘Front Page News’, by Katie Rowney Read More »
Last week I bought a new shirt. Made from flannel, it’s as comfy as a bed-sheet and if you match it with a leather jacket and boots, it’s a tiny bit ‘Westwood-meets-the-burbs’. That’s if you’re squinting. If you don’t squint, I could pass as a brickie. Win-win. Either way, I pretty much love everything about
