A storm was brewing and the clock in the square was striking midsummer when Thorsten Mackinder arrived in the village of Finster … For over a hundred years, the village of Finster has been cursed to eternal darkness. The only relief is a single lamppost …

Melbourne’s streets might not be as charming as Rome’s, as romantic as Paris’s, as edgy as New York’s – but they’re more than capable of telling a good story. In this collection of essays, short fiction and poetry, some of our best emerging and established writers turn their pens to the streets of Melbourne.

Free agents or captives of our past? In this short story collection, Life, Bound, characters find themselves caught in situations not of their own making, or trapped by ingrained habits, walking in grooves carved out by past events.

Follow the path of a “newbee” beekeeper – the steep (sometimes vertical!) learning curve, the stings, the wins with nature and the losses. Add in two kids, a recalcitrant dog, a flock of feathered friends on a suburban block in Melbourne, and what could possibly go wrong?

In Australia, one-third of all births are caesarean and one in ten women experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Jodie presents her own story as a case study for how midwifery care can make birth kinder and safer for *all* women.

When Beth’s marriage ends, she’s determined to build a new life in the country for herself and her children. She thinks she’s achieved the impossible, but when her estranged husband tries to change the rules, Beth’s peaceful world is turned upside down.

Escaping from a disastrous relationship, Kathleen Devine flees to an isolated lighthouse off the Victorian coastline. Taking up the position of Head Teacher to the lighthouse keepers’ children, she is ensnared in the lives of those marooned on the lonely outpost and soon realises no-one can escape their past.

An Australian ghost town. A resident demon and a local Shaman. A confrontation with evil awaits.

When Erin finds a snow-shaker she embarks in a magical journey of possibility. In a world of droughts and floods where water won’t behave, Erin’s imagination shakes things up and shows her that she can help make a better world.

Leila’s nomadic life is held together by her regular taxi driver, Sali. During the forty-minute drive from her home in Melbourne to the airport and back, their relationship develops to become an unlikely friendship. Their stories of grief and loss, and their mutual passion for poetry, especially haiku, are the glue that binds them.

Set against the stirring Victorian Alps, comes a suspenseful novel of recovery and new beginnings from a talented new voice in Australian rural fiction. Perfect for readers of Sarah Barrie and Nora Roberts. Reid’s beloved home is under threat, and with it the beautiful, haunted Nat, who he’s never been able to forget.

Fifty-five years after Betty’s father deserted his family, Betty is determined to learn more about him. Her search leads to Poland, where she unexpectedly inherits a family apartment from a half-sister she never knew – a time capsule of her father’s life.