Curtis Brown Australia Frankfurt 2014 ADULT by Curtis Brown Australia

Curtis Brown Australia Frankfurt special Rights Newsletter - titles for Adults

EXCITING NEW DEALS

2 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

| HISTORICAL FICTION | 84,000 words (approx) | DUE OUT SEPT 2015 |

RUSH OH! Shirley Barrett Set in 1908 near the township of Eden on the South Coast of New South Wales RUSH OH! is a story about family, fish and animals; and trying to come to terms with life’s disappointments.

Publishers: Picador, Pan Macmillan (ANZ), Little, Brown (North America), Virago (UK) Rights available: Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Grace Heifetz (grace@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Set in 1908 near the township of Eden on the South Coast of New South Wales RUSH OH! is a story about family, fish and animals; and about trying to come to terms with life’s disappointments. It is also a celebration of an extraordinary episode in Australian history, when a pod of Killer whales and a family of whalers formed a fond, unique allegiance. SHIRLEY BARRETT is best known for her work as a screen-writer and director. Shirley’s first film, Love Serenade won the Camera D’Or (Best First Feature) at Cannes Film Festival in 1996. The script for her most recent film, South Solitary, won the Queensland Premier’s Prize (script) 2010, the West Australian Premier’s Literary Prize (script) 2010, and the West Australian Premier’s Prize 2010. It was also nominated for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Shirley continues to work extensively as a director in television and TVC's. Rush Oh! is Shirley’s first novel.

3 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

‘ONES TO WATCH’ FICTION

4 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

480 pp

PUBLISHED JULY 2014

BIG LITTLE LIES Liane Moriarty Pirriwee Public's annual school Trivia Night has ended in a shocking riot. A parent is dead. Was it murder, a tragic accident... or something else entirely?

Publisher: Pan Macmillan | Paperback Rights available: Translation (please query availability) Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au)

~ DEBUTED AT NUMBER ONE ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST ~ ~ SOLD INTO MORE THAN TWENTY TERRITORIES ~ ~ FILM RIGHTS OPTIONED BY REESE WITHERSPOON AND NICOLE KIDMAN ~ Description: 'Let me be clear. This is not a circus. This is a murder investigation.' Big Little Lies is a funny, heartbreaking, challenging story of ex-husbands and second wives, new friendships, old betrayals and schoolyard politics. No. 1 New York Times bestselling author turns her unique gaze on the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves every day and what really goes on behind closed suburban doors. ‘Deservedly popular Moriarty invigorates the tired social-issue formula of women’s fiction through wit, good humor, sharp insight into human nature and addictive storytelling.’ Kirkus Reviews ‘A delightful read.’ Australian Women’s Weekly LIANE MORIARTY is the author of six adult novels, Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, The Husband’s Secret and Big Little Lies. The Husband’s Secret reached no. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list, was a UK no. 1 bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of 2013, sold over two million copies worldwide, has been optioned for a film and will be translated into over 35 languages. Liane’s latest novel, Big Little Lies, was released in August and debuted at No. 1 on the The New York Times bestseller list and has been optioned for film by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. Liane lives in Sydney with her husband, son and daughter. 5 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

352 pp

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014 |

RACHAEL’S GIFT Alexandra Cameron Set in the contrasting worlds of Australia and Paris, Rachael's Gift is a mystery story of the heart, about a mother's uncompromising love for her daughter, and a father's quest for the truth.

Publisher: Picador, Pan Macmillan | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Rachael is a child prodigy, a talented artist whose maturity and eloquence is far beyond her fourteen years. She's also energetic, charming and beautiful, beguiling everyone around her. To her mother, Camille, she is perfect. But perfection requires work, as Camille knows all too well. For Rachael has another extraordinary gift: a murky one that rears its head from time to time, threatening to unbalance all the family has been working towards. When Rachael accuses her art teacher of sexual misconduct, Camille and Rachael's father, Wolfe, are drawn into a complex web of secrets and lies that pits husband against wife, and has the power to destroy all of their lives. ALEXANDRA CAMERON is an Australian living in England with her husband and son. She has a BA in Film and French and has done occasional acting and film production work. She studied novel writing at City University in London and was mentored by author Jill Dawson. Alexandra’s first novel, Rachael’s Gift, is due to be published by Pan Macmillan in 2014. She currently lives in London and is working on her second novel.

6 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

480 pp |

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

ALREADY DEAD Jaye Ford Jaye Ford's cracking crime fiction features ordinary women in extraordinary and believable situations, asking the viewer/reader 'What would YOU do?' Adrenalin-driven with twists, turns and hot romance.

Publisher: Random House | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Journalist Miranda Jack is finally attempting to move on from the death of her husband by relocating up the coast with her young daughter, Zoe. Then a single event changes everything. On a Monday afternoon as she waits at traffic lights, a stranger jumps into her car and points a gun at her chest. Forced to drive at high speed up the motorway, Miranda listens to the frantic, paranoid rants of Brendan Walsh, a man who claims he's being chased and that they're both now running for their lives. Two hours later her ordeal is over in the most shocking fashion. Miranda is safe but she can't simply walk away – not without knowing the truth about that terrifying drive. As a journalist Miranda has always asked questions. But this time the questions are dangerous – and the answers might get her killed. Psychological thriller writer JAYE FORD is quickly making a name for herself in the crime genre with her spine-tingling novels featuring gutsy female characters in Australian settings. Translated and published around the world, Jaye’s novels, all published by Random House, include Beyond Fear (winner, Best Debut and Reader’s Choice in the Davitt Awards), Scared Yet?, Blood Secret and Already Dead (due out in September 2014). Jaye is a former print, radio and television journalist and was Australia’s first female presenter of a live national sports show. She later ran her own public relations business before turning to crime fiction.

7 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

304 pp

PUBLISHED JULY 2014

ANALOGUE MEN Nick Earls Do you ever feel like you might have just one more chance to get on top of your life and make things happen?

Published by: Vintage, Random House | Paperback Rights available: English language excl ANZ, Translation, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: They're starting to feel like Analogue Men trying to make sense of a digital age. Andrew Van Fleet is 49 and feeling 50 closing in. He's bailed out of his private equity job for something that'll let him spend more time at home, but the house is overrun by iPads and teenage hormones and conversations that have moved on without him. Plus his ailing father is now lodged in the granny flat, convalescing from surgery and with his scrappy bulldog in tow. And then there's Brian Brightman, the expensive fading star at the radio station Andrew's signed up to manage, whose every broadcast offers fresh trouble. He's 49 too and, like Andrew, starting to wonder if the twenty-first century might prove to be his second best. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A warm, witty, hilarious book that nails the minutiae of domestic life the way only Earls can.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Courier-Mail NICK EARLS is the author of novels including The Fix, Zigzag Street, Bachelor Kisses, The True Story of Butterfish and Perfect Skin and the collection of short stories Welcome to Normal. His latest book, Analogue Men, was published in 2014. His work has been published internationally in English and in translation. He lives in Brisbane.

8 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

LITERARY THRILLER

272 pp |

PUBLISHED JULY 2014

WHAT CAME BEFORE Anna George It’s the Australian Gone Girl meets The Lovely Bones. Dark, atmospheric and gripping, What Came Before is a stunning literary thriller about the risks you take when you fall in love.

Publisher: Viking, Penguin | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation (excl Dutch, German), Film/TV Agent: Tara Wynne (tara@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: 'My name is David James Forrester. I'm a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.' In Melbourne's inner west, David sits in his car, dictaphone in hand. He's sick to his stomach but determined to record his version of events. His wife Elle hovers over her own lifeless body as it lies in the laundry of the house they shared. David thinks back on their relationship – intimate, passionate, intense – and what led to this terrible night. From her eerie vantage point, Elle traces the sweep of their shared past too. Before David, she'd enjoyed a contented life – as a successful filmmaker, a much-loved aunt and friend. But in the course of two years, she was captivated and then undone by him. Not once in those turbulent times did she imagine that her alluring, complex husband was capable of this. 'Cleverly conceived, What Came Before is a not only a suspenseful thriller, but a powerful indictment of domestic violence.' Qantas, The Australian Way

Look out for Anna’s next novel, The Beauty of Stone, due to be delivered in mid-2015! The Beauty of Stone is a contemporary novel about parenting and judgement, love and loss. Initially trained as a lawyer, ANNA GEORGE has worked in the legal world as well as the film and television industries. She studied Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT, and has written feature film scripts. She is currently working on her second novel, which is set on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. What Came Before (Penguin, 2014) is her first novel. 9 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

304 pp

PUBLISHED APRIL 2014 |

THROUGH THE CRACKS Honey Brown A leafy street. A quiet neighbour. The darkest of crimes… From “the best writer of psychological suspense in Australia”.

Publisher: Michael Joseph, Penguin | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Adam Vander has grown tall enough and strong enough to escape his abusive and controlling father. Emerging from behind the locked door of their rambling suburban home, Adam steps into a world he's been kept isolated from. In the days that follow, with the charismatic and streetwise Billy as his guide, Adam begins to experience all that he's missed out on. As the bond between the boys grows, questions begin to surface. Who is Adam really? Why did his father keep him so hidden? Was it just luck that Billy found him, or an unsettling kind of fate? And how dangerous is revealing the shocking truth of Adam's identity? It's a treacherous climb from the darkness. For one boy to make it, the other might have to fall through the cracks. 'Honey Brown's latest book is a slow-burning drama about child abduction. With strong characterisation and a plot that drip-feeds its secrets, it's a winning formula.' The Sunday Age HONEY BROWN lives in country Victoria with her husband and two children. She is the author of: Red Queen, The Good Daughter, After the Darkness and Dark Horse. Red Queen was published to critical acclaim in 2009 and won an Aurealis Award, and The Good Daughter was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and shortlisted for the Barbara Jefferis Award in 2011. After the Darkness was selected for the Women's Weekly Great Read and for Get Reading 2012's 50 Books You Can't Put Down campaign. Her fifth novel, Through the Cracks, was published in 2014.

10 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

POPULAR FICTION

368 pp

PUBLISHED APRIL 2014 |

THE TEA CHEST Josephine Moon Written with heart and infused with the seductive scents of bergamot, Indian spices, lemon, rose and caramel, The Tea Chest is a world you won't want to leave.

Publisher: Allen & Unwin | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ, UK & Commonwealth), Translation, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Kate Fullerton, talented tea designer and now co-owner of The Tea Chest, could never have imagined that she'd be flying from Brisbane to London, risking her young family's future, to save the business she loves from the woman who wants to shut it down. Meanwhile, Leila Morton has just lost her job; and if Elizabeth Clancy had known today was the day she would appear on the nightly news, she might at least have put on some clothes. Both need to move on. When Kate's, Leila's and Elizabeth's paths cross, they throw themselves into realising Kate's vision of the newest and most delectable tea shop in London, THE TEA CHEST. But with the very real possibility that The Tea Chest may fail, the three women are forced to decide what's important to each of them. An enchanting, witty novel about the unexpected situations life throws at us, and how love and friendship help us through. 'What a gloriously wonderful read. I loved it.' Cathy Kelly JOSEPHINE MOON writes about strong, creative women making their mark on the world. She describes her stories as 'books like brownies': indulgent, comforting, a treat for the senses, but filling, and with chunky nuts to chew on. Josephine lives with her witty and funny husband and their son, who is without doubt the most amazing, intelligent and gorgeous creature to ever walk the earth, and their extraordinarily large and diverse animal family on acreage on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. They are currently renovating a house for profit to maintain Josephine's passion for horses and imported fine chocolate.

11 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

‘ONES TO WATCH’ NON-FICTION

12 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

MEMOIR

272 pp |

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

HOOKED Samantha X A fly-on-the-wall sexy, juicy page-turner that describes what really goes on behind the walls of a brothel.

Publisher: Ebury, Random House | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Tara Wynne (tara@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: Samantha X is not your typical hooker. She's the wrong side of 35, has two kids and counts dining at her local pizzeria as a wild night out. Career-wise, Samantha had it all: writing for Australia's top-selling women's magazines, appearing as a media expert on television and travelling the world for the sake of a good story. But after a marriage breakdown, and with two kids, she turned her back on the media. Samantha decided to dust off her stilettos and work at Sydney's most infamous brothel, where she soon became one of their most indemand girls. Not only was she making great cash, but she was also privy to the real-life stories of her clients – irresistible to the journalist in her. From tearful married men confessing their secrets to lesbian threesomes to servicing the odd married couple trying to reignite their relationship - how could she not keep a record of their salacious stories? But while whoring can be lucrative and fun, it also comes with a hefty price, as Samantha soon finds out . . . The only problem is, can she kick her addiction to what she believes to be the best job in the world? SAMANTHA X started her career as a journalist for London’s tabloid press before moving to Australia for sun, sea and sex. After 13 years as a magazine writer in Sydney, Samantha decided selling her body was far more lucrative and fun and the stories she heard from within the brothel’s walls were more fascinating than any story she’d covered. She lives by the beach with her two children and two dogs.

13 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

MEMOIR

336 pp |

PUBLISHED AUG 2014

UNDAUNTED Hugh O’Brien Undaunted is for anyone who's ever dreamed of taking a high-action, alternative route through life. This is an engaging and unexpected account by an operator at once tough, whimsical and funny, and always brutally honest.

Publisher: Ebury, Random House | Paperback Rights available: UK, US, Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Tara Wynne (tara@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Diving was a boys-own adventure, a jump into the unknown, full of devil-may-care attitudes. It welcomed you with one hand and cast you asunder with the other. It was a hideous bitch goddess and it drank the blood of the unprepared. After an ordinary childhood, Hugh ‘Obi' O'Brien's life has been surprising. What took this sporty country boy from Sydney boarding school to directionless youth to navy clearance diver, slipping undetected through deep waters to defuse mines and dismantle bombs? Upping that level of adrenaline, Obi joined the Special Forces counterterrorism unit TAG (East) – no picnic. In a memoir full of eye-popping anecdotes, he colourfully recounts this wild ride. He reveals the painful transition from military life to his days risking ‘spaghettification' on underwater construction projects to private security work – pirate-hunting in the Red Sea and tearing along the world's most dangerous roads in the Middle East. HUGH O’BRIEN grew up on ‘Marree’ Greenethorpe, a sheep and wheat farm just outside Young in the Southern Inlands. After leaving school he spent some time travelling through Europe before joining the Navy as a Clearance Diver. Hugh then set about applying for Special Forces with the Army’s counterterrorism unit TAG (east) – a secretive team of divers and commandos, with the sole purpose of defending the domestic population from harm post 9-11. Acceptance to this unit was the defining moment of Hugh’s life. In 2011, Hugh left the Special Forces to pursue a career in private security. Hugh’s personal account of his experiences in the elite TAG (east) unit was published by Random House Australia in 2014.

14 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

POPULAR CULTURE

320 pp

PUBLISHED JULY 2014

THE RISE AND FALL OF AUSTRALIA Nick Bryant From the BBC’s Australian correspondent comes a forensic look at the Lucky Country, from the inside and outside.

Published by: Bantam, Random House | Paperback Rights available: Translation, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Never before has Australia enjoyed such economic, commercial, diplomatic and cultural clout. But never before has its politics been so brutal, narrow and facile, as well as being such a global laughing stock. Nick Bryant offers an outsider's take on the great paradox of modern-day Australian life: of how the country has got richer at a time when its politics have become more impoverished. Rejecting most of the national stereotypes, Nick Bryant sets out to describe the new Australia rather than the mythic country so often misunderstood not just by foreigners but Australians themselves. ‘A serenade to a people — us — who do not grasp their charms on the world stage.’ The Herald Sun As the BBC’s Sydney correspondant, NICK BRYANT became one of the key local faces on the ABC’s 24hour news channel. Nick was also a regular contributor to several Australian magazines and newspapers including The Monthly and The Australian. Adventures in Correspondentland, his memoir about his decade as a foreign correspondent (Random House Australia), was published in 2011 and his second book, The Rise and Fall of Australia: How a great nation lost its way (also Random House), in 2014. He is now based in New York as the BBC’s New York and UN correspondent.

15 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

MEMOIR

336 pp

PUBLISHED MAY 2014

LOVE IN THE OUTBACK Deb Hunt Funny, warm, and beautifully told, this is the story of what happens when you ditch your fantasies of romance and discover the truth about love.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: The true story of an unlikely romance set in the Australian outback. The year before she turned fifty, Deb Hunt stopped dating. She was done with love and sick of chasing men who didn't return her affections. When her most recent flame announced he was marrying someone else, Deb knew it was time to make a change. She landed a job as a marketing assistant with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and left London for the sunshine of Sydney on a mission to find happiness without a mate. But then on a trip to the red-dust town of Broken Hill, she encountered a man unlike any other. A legend of the RFDS, he was practical, steady, financially responsible and conservative - everything Deb was not. He wanted a relationship. She wanted to flee. DEB HUNT has worked as an actor, writer and journalist in the UK and Australia. Her work has appeared in House & Gardenmagazine, Sunday Telegraph, Body+Soul and Esprit. She spent two seasons with Shakespeare in the Park in London and five years writing stories for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Her story The Man with No Eyebrows was runner up in the Alliance Cornhill Short Story competition and her play Clean Sweep won Best Script, Best Production and Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Award in the Broken Hill Short and Sweet Play Festival. Her memoir, Love in the Outback, was published by Pan Macmillan in May 2014, and she is currently working on a book about Australian farming families.

16 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

MEMOIR

264 pp

PUBLISHED APRIL 2013

BOY, LOST Kristina Olsson A powerful family memoir from the award-winning author of The China Garden.

Publisher: UQP | Paperback Rights available: World English language (excl. ANZ), Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au)

AWARD WINNER!

~ Queensland Literary Award ~ Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction ~ ~ Kibble Literary Award ~ Western Australian Premier’s Book Award ~

Description: Kristina Olsson’s mother lost her infant son, Peter, when he was snatched from her arms as she boarded a train in the hot summer of 1950. She was young and frightened, trying to escape a brutal marriage, but despite the violence and cruelty she’d endured, she was not prepared for this final blow, this breathtaking punishment. Yvonne would not see her son again for nearly 40 years. Kristina was the first child of her mother’s subsequent, much gentler marriage and, like her siblings, grew up unaware of the reasons behind her mother’s sorrow, though Peter’s absence resounded through the family, marking each one. Yvonne dreamt of her son by day and by night, while Peter grew up a thousand miles and a lifetime away, dreaming of his missing mother. Boy, Lost tells how their lives proceeded from that shattering moment, the grief and shame that stalked them, what they lost and what they salvaged. But it is also the story of a family, the cascade of grief and guilt through generations, and the endurance of memory and faith. KRISTINA OLSSON is the author of the novel In One Skin (2001) and the biography Kilroy Was Here (2005). The China Garden (2009) received the 2010 Barbara Jefferis Award for its empowering depiction of women in society and was also shortlisted for the Kibble Literary Award. Kristina’s memoir, Boy, Lost (UQP, 2013) won a Queensland Literary Award, the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction, the Kibble Literary Award and a Western Australian Premier’s Book Award, as well as being short-listed for a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and The Stella Prize. Kristina’s journalism and non-fiction have been published in The Australian, The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Telegraph and Griffith Review. She has worked extensively as a teacher of creative writing and journalism at tertiary level and in the community, and as an advisor to government. She lives in Brisbane.

17 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

COMING SOON

18 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

528 pp |

DUE OUT NOV 2014

THE GREAT PLAINS Nicole Alexander From the American Wild West to the wilds of outback Queensland, from the Civil War to the Depression of the 1930s, The Great Plains is an epic story about two conflicting cultures and one divided family.

Publisher: Bantam, Random House | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Film/TV Agent: Tara Wynne (tara@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: It is Dallas 1886, and the Wade Family is going from strength to strength: from a thriving newspaper and retail business in Texas to a sprawling sheep station half a world away in Queensland. Yet money and power cannot compensate for the tragedy that struck twenty-three years ago, when Joseph Wade was slaughtered and his seven-year-old daughter Philomena abducted by Apache Indians. Only her uncle, Aloysius, remains convinced that one day Philomena will return. So when news reaches him that the legendary Geronimo has been captured, and a beautiful white woman discovered with him, he believes his prayers have been answered. Little does he know that the seeds of disaster have just been sown. Over the coming years three generations of Wade men will succumb to an obsession with three generations of mixed-blood Wade women: the courageous Philomena, her hot-headed granddaughter Serena, and her gutsy greatgranddaughter Abelena â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a young woman destined for freedom in a distant red land. But at what price . . . ?

A fourth-generation grazier, NICOLE ALEXANDER returned to her family's property in the early1990s. She is currently the business manager there and has a hands-on role in the running of the property. Nicole has a Master of Letters in creative writing and her novels, poetry, travel and genealogy articles have been published in Australia, Germany, America and Singapore. She is the author of five novels: The Bark Cutters, A Changing Land, Absolution Creek, Sunset Ridge and The Great Plains (to be released November 2014).

19 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

SHORT STORIES

| 336 pp |

DUE OUT NOV 2014 |

MERCILESS GODS Christos Tsiolkas This incendiary collection of stories from acclaimed bestselling international writer Christos Tsiolkas takes you deep into worlds both strange and familiar, and characters that will never let you go.

Publisher: Allen & Unwin | Paperback Rights available: English language (excl ANZ, UK), Translation (via RCW), Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Love, sex, death, family, friendship, betrayal, tenderness, sacrifice and revelation... A collection of thrilling, original and imaginative stories from the award-winning, bestselling author of The Slap and Barracuda - a showcase all of his immense and unique story-telling talents. '...there is not a more important writer working in Australia today.' Australian Books and Publishing 'Tsiolkas has become that rarest kind of writer in Australia, a serious literary writer who is also unputdownable, a mesmerising master of how to tell a story. He has this ability more than any other writer in the country....' Peter Craven, The Sun Herald 'The sheer energy of Tsiolkas' writing - its urgency and passion and sudden jags of tenderness - is often an end in itself: a thrilling, galvanising reminder of the capacity of fiction to speak to the world it inhabits.' James Bradley, The Monthly CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS’S first novel Loaded created a furore when it was published and was later made into the film Head On. Loaded was followed by Jumpcuts, written with Sasha Soldatow, and his second novel The Jesus Man. Christos co-wrote the collaborative theatre piece Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? which was adapted for a feature film entitled Blessed. Dead Europe was published by Random House and won The Age fiction book of the year in 2006. The Slap was published by Allen & Unwin in 2008 and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Pacific Region), the ASA medal and the NSW Premier’s Award, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His latest novel, Barracuda, was published in November 2013, and has received great critical acclaim.

20 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

ACTION THRILLER

448 pp |

DUE OUT NOV 2014

THE ALEXANDRIA CONNECTION Adrian d’Hagé Nimbly weaving politics, history and science through a rip-roaring plot, from Afghanistan to Washington, Sydney to London, The Alexandria Connection is a spectacular and stylish ride.

Publisher: Michael Joseph, Penguin | Paperback Rights available: Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: In the shifting desert sands of Egypt, rumours abound of a lost papyrus that will reveal the true purpose of the Pyramids of Giza. Could these ancient monoliths be the source of a new kind of energy, one that comes at no cost to the planet? CIA agent Curtis O’Connor and archaeologist Aleta Weizman are determined to find out. Close by, a shadowy and powerful group known as Pharos meets in Alexandria, its membership a closely guarded secret. Its first order of business: to orchestrate chaos on international financial markets with a series of spectacular terrorist attacks on the world’s fossil-fuel supplies. And in Cairo, amid the anarchy of Tahrir Square, thieves have broken into the famed Museum of Antiquities and stolen one of the world’s priceless artifacts: the mask of Tutankhamun. Is the audacious theft linked to the Pharos Group? ‘A fast-paced and thrilling read.’ West Australian ADRIAN d’HAGÉ was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and the Royal Military College Duntroon. His military service included command of an infantry battalion, director of joint operations and Head of Defence Public Relations. In 1994 Adrian was made a Member of the Order of Australia. As a Brigadier, he headed Defence planning for counter-terrorism security for the Sydney Olympics, including security against chemical, biological and nuclear threats. Adrian's literary career began with The Omega Scroll, introducing his character Curtis O’Connor. This best-selling book was voted one of the top 50 books of the year, and has been published in ten countries. The Beijing Conspiracy dealt with biological terrorism and what might happen if smallpox and Ebola are genetically engineered. The Maya Codex explored an ancient document with a terrible warning for civilisation. The Inca Prophecy sees Curtis O’Connor on the run from his own employer, the CIA. The Alexandria Connection (forthcoming) also features Curtis O'Connor and the strong female character, archaeologist Aleta Weizman. 21 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

RECENTLY DELIVERED FICTION

22 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

| FICTION: THRILLER | 102,000 words (approx) | DUE OUT FEB 2015 |

THE HUNTED James Phelan In 2011, SEAL Team Six killed Osama bin Laden. Now, four years later, someone is eliminating Team Six - one by one. The second Jed Walker novel is a whiteknuckled rollercoaster of action suspense.

Publisher: Hachette Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Jed Walker, ex-CIA, is an outsider back in the game. He’s been chasing down a sinister group code-named Zodiac that the big guns — M15, CIA, the Pentagon — have failed to eradicate. But as he follows the trail of bodies, uncovering secrets and making connections he’s not supposed to make, he finds the answers are closer to home than he ever imagined. Revenge is the obvious motive, but nothing is ever that simple in love or in war. Can Walker find who’s responsible before the body count grows higher? Can he stop another terror attack before more innocent bystanders suffer? When the line between the good and the bad becomes blurred, when the hunters become the hunted, only one man can save us all. 'Jed Walker is right there in Reacher's rear-view mirror.' Lee Child, international bestselling author. JAMES PHELAN is a Melbourne-based writer. He has studied and taught writing at a post graduate level, and has been a novelist since the age of 25. His first book was the author interview collection Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figures Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). His Lachlan Fox thriller novels are Fox Hunt (Hachette, 2006), Patriot Act(2007), Blood Oil (2008), Liquid Gold (2009), and Red Ice (2010). His Alone trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic novels are titled Chasers (Hachette, 2010), Survivor (2011) and Quarantine (2011). James has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines, having worked at The Age from 20002006, and has contributed to short story anthologies and serialised novels, including: Picture This (Penguin, 2010), Watchlist (Audible/Vanguard, 2010), and the Get Reading! anthology (2011). His latest novels are a thriller introducing a new character, Jed Walker, The Spy (Hachette, 2013), and a 13-book Young Adult series The Last Thirteen (Scholastic, Sept 2013 and monthly in 2014).

23 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

| LITERARY FICTION | 74,000 words (approx) | DUE OUT MARCH 2015 |

SMASHED Matt Nable One day in 1989, five teenagers’ lives changed forever – fast forward to their adult years and the damage is still deeply embedded, like rot that will never leave. A heartbreaking novel about betrayal, loneliness and the loss of innocence.

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Rights available: English language (excl) ANZ, Translation, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: It’s the final year of high school for a group of friends – they’re studying and passing exams, partying and finding their feet in the world and with love. Their future is bright. One night, everything changes. Told from the point of view of their adult selves, this deftly written novel will have you guessing to the very end. MATT NABLE is a writer and actor. He wrote and starred in The Final Winter (2007), an independent Australian film that has since been released internationally, and has since appeared in Riddick alongside Vin Diesel, East West 101, Underbelly: Badness and Brothers in Arms: Bikie Wars. He’s set to appear in Gallipoli which Channel 9 will air in 2015 and has just secured a major role in the hit US series, Arrow. With his wife and three children, Matt divides his time between Sydney and Los Angeles. He is the author of the novels We Don’t Live Here Anymore (2009) and Faces in the Clouds (2011). He is currently working on his next novel, which will be published by Penguin in 2015.

24 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

|CONTEMP. WOMEN’S FICTION|90,000 words (approx)|DUE OUT MAY 2015|

HIS OTHER HOUSE Sarah Armstrong He was dismayed how readily he took to lying. He’d always thought of it as a decisive abandonment of the truth. Instead, he realised, it was simply a matter of one word slipping into the place of another.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: After years of unsuccessful IVF and several miscarriages, Dr Quinn Douglas can’t face another painful attempt to conceive. His wife Marianna is desperate to be a mother and their marriage is feeling the strain. At a small town practice a few hours from their home, Quinn meets Rachel, the daughter of one of his patients, and sparks fly – it’s not long before they’re deep into a passionate affair. He realises he’s in love with Rachel and he must make a choice between her and Marianna. But when Marianna announces a surprise natural conception, everything changes. Set in the lush subtropics of Australia, this taut emotional drama will spark questions about the nature of the truth and accountability. It presents emotional conundrums that will inspire book club discussion and it would sit well alongside the novels of Anita Shreve and Jodi Picoult. In her twenties SARAH ARMSTRONG was an award-winning radio journalist and television researcher at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Her first novel, Salt Rain (Allen & Unwin), was shortlisted for several awards including the 2005 Miles Franklin. Her next novel will be published by Pan Macmillan in 2015. Sarah lives in the coastal subtropics of New South Wales with her partner and young daughter.

25 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

|CONTEMPORARY FICTION|100,000 words (approx)| DUE OUT MAY 2015|

FALLS FARM Cathryn Hein Featuring a beautiful valley, a hand-reared ram who doesn't know how to behave as a sheep, a cast of villagers with secrets, and a sexy farrier with muscles as strong as the steel horseshoes he works, Falls Farms is a story of big hearts, healing and hope.

Publisher: Michael Joseph, Penguin Rights available: English language excl ANZ, Translation, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: After a family betrayal leaves her reeling, Teagan Bliss flees the home she loves for her aunt's NSW property in the idyllic Falls Valley. Warmly welcomed by her glamorous aunt, and introduced to cast of villagers, including sexy local farrier Lucas Knight, Teagan begins the slow process of healing. But the damage to her heart and mind is deep, the village is a hotbed of gossip and division, and it seems everyone has something to hide. Even Lucas, the easygoing man she’s actually beginning to trust, has secrets. As she’s drawn deeper into village concerns, Teagan tries to find reconciliation not only with her family but with herself. But when the truths that have been hidden from her finally come out, the fallout may split Teagan apart forever. CATHRYN HEIN was born in South Australia’s rural south-east. Armed with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture), she moved to Melbourne and later Newcastle, working in the agricultural and turf seeds industry. Her partner’s posting to France took Cathryn overseas for three years where she began to write. Her novels include Promises, Heart of the Valley, Heartland and Rocking Horse Hill (Penguin) and The French Prize (Harlequin). Coming soon is The Falls (Penguin).

26 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

RECENTLY DELIVERED NON-FICTION

27 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

| ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION | 15,000 words (approx) | DUE OUT FEB 2015|

RESILIENCE Matthew Johnstone Recovery through discovery.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Rights available: US, Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: To the uninitiated, resilience could be the benefit of a shampoo or a conditioner. In fact it’s more about developing a degree of flexibility and acceptance when it comes to life events. It’s not so much about what happens to you at the time of the event but more how you may respond or bounce back afterwards. When it comes to facing and dealing with life’s adversities, it is always preferable to bend, than it is to break. MATTHEW JOHNSTONE worked for 13 years as an art and creative director in advertising where he created award winning work in Sydney, San Francisco and New York. I Had a Black Dog, his illustrated book on what it is to suffer depression, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2005 and has since become a commercial success in Australia and internationally. Pan Macmillan published the follow up, Living with a Black Dog, in 2008, Constable & Robinson then published in January 2009 after which the book went to #9 on the Sunday Times Bestseller List. Since then, The Alphabet of the Human Heart (co-written with life-long friend James Kerr), Quiet the Mind and Capturing Mindfulness have been published in Australia and internationally, with The Alphabet of the Human Heart debuting at #5 on the UK’s Sunday Times bestseller list, and his first children’s book, Harvey: the Boy Who Couldn’t Fart being published by Walker Books. Matthew’s forthcoming book, Resilience, will be published by Pan Macmillan in 2015 followed shortly after in the UK by Constable & Robinson. www.ihadablackdog.com www.alphaheart.com

28 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

| MEMOIR | 85,000 words (approx) | DUE OUT MAY 2015 |

RANSACKING PARIS Patti MiIler This story of a year writing and reading in Paris explores truth and illusion, self-knowledge and identity - and evokes the beauty, the contradictions and the daily life of contemporary Paris.

Publisher: UQP | Paperback Rights available: English language (Excl) ANZ, Translation, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au) Credit: Sally Flegg

Description: What does it mean to fulfil a dream long after it seems possible? When Patti Miller arrives to write in Paris for a year, the world glows ‘as if the light that comes after the sun has gone down has spilled gold on everything’. But wasn’t that just romantic illusion? Miller grew up on Wiradjuri land in country Australia where her heart and soul belonged. Mother of grown-up boys with lives of their own, what did she think she would find in Paris that she couldn’t find at home? She turns to French writers, Montaigne, Rousseau, de Beauvoir and other memoirists, each one intent on knowing the self through gazing into the ‘looking glass’ of the great world. They accompany her as she wanders the streets of Paris – they even have coffee together - and they talk about love, suffering, desire, motherhood, truth-telling, memory, the writing journey, how to know who we are in the family and in the cultures which shape us. PATTI MILLER grew up in country NSW and has worked teaching writing for over twenty-five years. She teaches memoir writing at the innovative Faber Academy in Sydney and offers writing courses in Paris and Bali. Her many books include Writing Your Life, The Last One Who Remembers, Child, Whatever the Gods Do and The Memoir Book. Patti’s memoir The Mind of a Thief (UQP) won the NSW Premier’s History Prize – NSW Community & Regional History Prize, was shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier’s Prize for Non-Fiction and longlisted for the Nita B. Kibble and Stella Prize. Her new memoir, Ransacking Paris, is due out May 2015.

THE MIND OF A THIEF (UQP, May 2012) Winner: NSW Premier’s History Prize – NSW Community & Regional History Prize Shortlisted: Western Australian Premier’s Prize for Non-Fiction Longlisted: Nita B. Kibble and Stella Prize

29 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au

|NON-FICTION: MEMOIR | 68,000 words (approx)| DUE OUT MARCH 2015|

BAD BEHAVIOUR Rebecca Starford Think Mean Girls crossed with Lord of the Flies. Bad Behaviour is terrifying, gut wrenching and brings back all the wrong memories of being a young teenage girl.

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Rights available: English language (excl ANZ), Translation, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: Beautifully and starkly written, Bad Behaviour recounts Rebecca Starford’s experiences as a 14-year-old at a prestigious Australian girls’ school. Rebecca’s own boarding house - the ‘O Unit’ - had the dubious honour of homing some of the worst behaved girls in the school alongside some of the most socially vulnerable, which made for a toxic and occasionally dangerous mix. Bad Behaviour explores the inner machinations of boarding-school life: bullying, homesickness, the complexity of girls’ friendship, burgeoning sexuality, as well as a myriad of bad behaviour – all set against a unique bush landscape. REBECCA STARFORD is a Melbourne-based writer, editor and publisher. She has worked previously at Australian Book Review and Affirm Press, and she is currently an editor at Text Publishing. She writes regularly for the Age, Australian and Guardian Australia. In 2010, she co-founded Kill Your Darlings where she is now publishing director. Her debut memoir will be published by Allen & Unwin in 2015.

30 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au