Curtis Brown RIGHTS NEWSLETTER October 2014 by Curtis Brown Australia

Curtis Brown Australia October 2014 Rights Newsletter

FICTION

288 pp |

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

THE FAMILY MEN Catherine Harris Sex, alcohol, sport ... and the choices we make

Published by: Black Inc.|Paperback Rights held: Film/TV, Audio Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: Harry's success as a footballer is predestined, the territory that comes with a superstar father, and all the Club asks in return is loyalty and the occasional code of silence. But when his home-town media scrum dredges up an old scandal of his father's, and Harry becomes embroiled in one of his own, he starts to question the reality behind the glittering facade of the trophies he wins and the pretty young things who mob him. With piercing insight, The Family Men subverts the usual choices between winning and losing, guilt and innocence, courage and cowardice. Is true honour to be found in forging your own path or staying loyal to your pack? ‘Sex, alcohol and the AFL. The three often come together in an unholy trinity and Catherine Harris’ novel explores such a combination to devastating effect.’ - The Age ‘Regardless of your interest in sport, The Family Men is a starkly brilliant and uniquely Australian novel that stays with you long after reading.’ – Readings Monthly ‘Compelling and provocative.’ – Daily Telegraph Catherine Harris’s short story collection, Like Being A Wife (Random House), was shortlisted for the Age Fiction Prize, the Barbara Jefferis award, and as a manuscript for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Her prose and essays have been published in Australia, Canada, England and the USA. She won the Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize (2009) and has since been shortlisted for several national and international awards. Her novel, The Family Men, is published by Black Inc.)

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THRILLER

400 pp |

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

DISHONOUR Gabrielle Lord A fast-paced thriller that lifts the veil on a brutal but hidden crime.

Published by: Hachette Australia |Paperback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: Detective-Inspector Debra Hawkins has domestic violence in her sights. But as head of a new police unit targeting violence against women, she has hit a wall of silence. How can she help Rana al-Sheikly, a young woman who yearns for the freedom to lead her own life while her brothers are planning to send her into a forced marriage in Iraq? And what is the connection between these men and the crime gangs that are running rife in the suburbs? A series of anonymous emails has Deb following her personal secrets, too - back to her childhood and the murder of her police sergeant father. Who is digging up the past, threatening Debra's hardwon career, and even her life? ‘Gabrielle Lord is a gripping crime writer with a knack for writing one step ahead of the news cycle.’ – The Sydney Morning Herald Gabrielle Lord is widely acknowledged as one of Australia’s foremost writers. Her popular psychological thrillers are informed by a detailed knowledge of forensic procedures, combined with an unrivalled gift for storytelling. She is the author of Whipping Boy, Fortress, Bones, Tooth And Claw, Salt, Jumbo, The Sharp End, Feeding The Demons, Death Delights, Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing, Lethal Factor and Spiking the Girl. The latest novel in her Gemma Lincoln series, Shattered, was published by Hodder in 2007. Gabrielle has also written for film and television. Her first Young Adult novel Monkey Undercover was published by Scholastic in 2006 and was followed by the highly successful series of 12 adventure stories for young readers, Conspiracy 365, which is to be made into a television series. Her latest novel, Dishonour, was published by Hachette in 2014.

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MEMOIR

256 pp

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

HOW TO GET THERE Maggie Mackellar An unforgettable story of home and courage.

Published by: Random House Australia|Paperback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: In 2011 Maggie Mackellar moved from her family's farm in Central West New South Wales to the east coast of Tasmania with her children and assorted menagerie to live with a farmer. Her story takes as its epigraph a quote from Roger McDonald: 'Through every small opening in life, through the tiniest most restricted nerve ends, through rips and tears and tatters, life pours.' In the book she explores learning to love again after living through grief, and the complexities of doing this in a community with which she is unfamiliar, with two young children. She reflects on love after grief, juggling being a mother and negotiating a burgeoning relationship, the rhythms of country life, displacement and the writing life. This is a book for anyone who has imagined taking a risk, for anyone who has moved to a new place and struggled with feelings of homesickness and displacement. It is a story about making a life in a remarkable setting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the east coast of Tasmania, on a sheep farm in a stone house built by convicts in 1828. Maggie MacKellar was born in 1973. She has published two books on the history of settlement in Australia and Canada, as well as a memoir When It Rains (Random House, 2010). Following a number of years in central western New South Wales, Maggie now lives with her partner and two children on a farm in Tasmania. Her follow-up memoir How To Get There was published in 2014 and she is currently working on a novel.

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NON-FICTION

288 pp

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2014

THE WIFE DROUGHT Annabel Crabb “A riveting, original take on why both men and women are missing out when it comes to work and family life.” Leigh Sales

Published by: Random House Australia |Paperback Rights held: Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: The Wife Drought is about women, men, family and work. Written in Annabel Crabb's inimitable style, it's full of candid and funny stories from the author's work in and around politics and the media, historical nuggets about the role of ‘The Wife' in Australia, and intriguing research about the attitudes that pulse beneath the surface of egalitarian Australia. Crabb's call is for a ceasefire in the gender wars. Rather than a shout of rage, The Wife Drought is the thoughtful, engaging catalyst for a conversation that's long overdue. ‘Crabb perfectly encapsulates just how much inequality exists between working men and women in terms of employment, salary and career success.’ - WeekendNotes Annabel Crabb is one of Australia's most popular political commentators, a Walkley-awarded writer, and the host of Australia's first dedicated political cooking show, ABC TV's Kitchen Cabinet. She writes for ABC Online's The Drum and has worked extensively in TV and radio. She is a columnist for the Sunday Age, Sun-Herald and Canberra's Sunday Times, and has worked as a political correspondent and sketchwriter for titles including the Advertiser, the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, and as London correspondent for Fairfax's Sunday papers. She won a Walkley Award for her 2009 essay on Malcolm Turnbull, and was Australia's 2011 Eisenhower Fellow. She lives in Sydney with her partner, Jeremy, and their three children.

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FICTION

528 pp

PUBLISHED OCT 2014

HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES Monica McInerney For more than thirty years Angela Gillespie has sent to friends and family around the world an end-of-year letter that has always been cheery and full of good news. This year, she tells the truth…

Published by: Penguin Australia|Paperback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: The Gillespies are far from the perfect family that Angela has made them out to be. Her husband seems to be having a mid-life crisis. Her grown-up twins are having career meltdowns. Her third daughter, badly in debt, can't stop crying. And her ten-year-old son spends more time talking to his imaginary friend than to real ones. Without Angela, the family would fall apart. But when Angela is taken from them in a most unexpected manner, the Gillespies pull together – and pull themselves together – in wonderfully surprising ways . . . 'This is one of those rare books you could recommend to anyone and know that they will love it.' - Australian Women's Weekly Monica McInerney grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley of South Australia, where her father was the railway stationmaster. She is the author of the bestselling novels A Taste for It, Upside Down Inside Out, Spin the Bottle, The Alphabet Sisters, Family Baggage and a collection of short fiction, All Together Now, published internationally and in translation. In 2006 she was the ambassador for the Australian Government initiative Books Alive, with her novella Odd One Out. Her novel, Those Faraday Girls, won the General Fiction Book of the Year at the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards and All Together Now was short-listed in the same category in the 2009 Australian Book Industry Awards. At Home with the Templetons was a huge success in 2010 and was followed by a sequel to The Alphabet Sisters entitled Lola’s Secret. Her latest book Hello from the Gillespies was published by Penguin in 2014. She currently lives in Dublin with her Irish husband.

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FICTION

352 pp

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS Kylie Ladd Four mothers. Four teenage daughters. An isolated tropical paradise with no internet or mobile phone reception. What could possible go wrong?

Published by: Allen & Unwin|Paperback Rights held: Film/TV, Audio Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: How can we let our daughters go to forge lives of their own when what we most want to do is hold them close and never let them go? How do we let them grow and keep them protected from the dark things in the world at the same time? And how can mothers and daughters navigate the troubled, stormy waters of adolescence without hurting themselves and each other? A clear-eyed, insightful and wildly entertaining look into the complicated, emotional world of mothers and daughters by the acclaimed author of Into My Arms, Last Summer and After the Fall. '...a strong, intelligent, subtle and wise new voice...being compared with Christos Tsiolkas, Malcolm Knox and Helen Garner....' - Booktopia Kylie Ladd is a novelist, neuropsychologist and freelance writer. Her essays and articles have appeared in The Age, Griffith Review, O Magazine, Kill Your Darlings, The Hoopla and MamaMia among others. Kylie’s first novel, After The Fall, was published in Australia, Turkey and the US, while her second, Last Summer, was highly commended in the 2011 FAW Christina Stead Award for fiction. She also co-edited Naked: Confessions of Adultery and Infidelity. Into My Arms, was selected as one of the Get Reading ‘50 Books You Can’t Put Down’. Kylie’s fourth novel, Mothers and Daughters, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2014.

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ROMANCE

448 pp

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

THE FRENCH PRIZE Cathryn Hein An ancient riddle, a broken vow – a modern-day quest for a medieval treasure.

Published by: Harlequin|Paperback Rights held: North America, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: Australian-born Dr. Olivia Walker is an Oxford academic with a reputation as one of the world’s leading Crusade historians and she’s risked everything on finding one of the most famous swords in history – Durendal. Shrouded in myth and mystery, the sword is fabled to have belonged to the warrior Roland, a champion of Charlemagne’s court, and Olivia is determined to prove to her detractors that the legend is real. Her dream is almost within reach when she discovers the long-lost key to its location in Provence, but her benefactor – Raimund Blancard – has other ideas. For more than a millennium, the Blancard family have protected the sword. When his brother is tortured and killed by a man who believes he is Roland’s rightful heir, Raimund vows to end the bloodshed forever. He will find Durendal and destroy it, but to do that he needs Olivia's help. 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).

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HISTORICAL FICTION

432 pp |

PUBLISHED OCT 2014

HALF THE WORLD IN WINTER Maggie Joel A captivating drama of family secrets and tragedies.

Published by: Allen & Unwin | Paperback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: It is London, 1880, and Lucas Jarmyn struggles to make sense of the death of his beloved youngest daughter; his wife, Aurora, seeks solace in rigid social routines; and eighteen-year-old Dinah looks for fulfilment in unusual places. Only the housekeeper, the estimable Mrs Logan, seems able to carry on. A train accident in a provincial town on the railway Lucas owns claims the life of nine-year-old Alice Brinklow and, amid the public outcry, Alice's father, Thomas, journeys to London demanding justice. As he arrives in the Capital on a frozen January morning his fate, and that of the entire Jarmyn family, will hinge on such strange things as an ill-fated visit to a spiritualist, an errant chicken bone and a single vote cast at a board room meeting. ‘The really explosive secrets are saved for the end’ - Sydney Morning Herald ‘As well as being able to create a distinct sense of place … Joel has a wicked sense of humour’ - The Age ‘Warm and full of surprises.’ - Culture Street Maggie Joel was born in Hertfordshire, England and now lives and works in Sydney. Her short stories have been widely published in Southerly, Westerly, Island, Overland and Canberra Arts Review, and broadcast on ABC radio. Her bestselling novels are The Past and Other Lies, and The Second-Last Woman in England. Half the World in Winter is now available from Allen & Unwin.

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NON-FICTION

384 pp |

PUBLISHED OCT 2014

HIGH STAKES: THE RISE OF THE WATERHOUSE DYNASTY Paul Kennedy Scandal, glamour, success – the story of Australia’s bestknown horseracing family

Published by: Hachette | Paperback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: When it comes to racing, the name most Australians associate with the racetrack is Waterhouse. This is their compelling story. High Stakes tracks the story of the Waterhouse dynasty - from the early years of the colony to Bill Waterhouse's introduction to the bookmaking world as a sixteen-year-old, working as a 'penciller' (writing betting tickets) for his father in the late thirties. From that moment his future was clear. He went on to make money both on and off the track - and created headlines during the notorious Fine Cotton affair in the eighties. It examines Bill's son Robbie's rise as a respected bookie and a knowledgeable judge of horses, to his spectacular fall, as a result of that same Fine Cotton affair, which led to a life ban from involvement in the racing industry. Paul Kennedy is a senior television presenter with ABC 1, and has more than 20 years’ news reporting experience. He has covered some of the biggest stories in Australia for networks Ten, Nine and the ABC. A former state league footballer, his coverage of the issue of drugs in sport has been a career highlight: his short film Drug Game was a Melbourne International Film Festival finalist. He worked with Chrissie Foster to tell her acclaimed story of abuse by the Catholic Church, Hell on the Way to Heaven (Random House Australia). His investigative account Storm Cloud: Melbourne Storm’s Demise and Resurrection is published by Hardie Grant. High Stakes: The Rise Of The Waterhouse Dynasty was published by Hachette in 2014. Paul Kennedy is married with three sons.

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FICTION

232 pp |

PUBLISHED OCT 2014

SWIMMING TO THE MOON Robert Drewe Endearing and often hilarious snapshots of Australian life from a master novelist who has turned the column into an art form.

Published by: Freemantle Press | Hardback Rights held: Translation, Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: From a floury encounter on a baker's work table to the art of sitting backwards on chairs, from budgie training to spontaneous human combustion, this collection showcases the non-fiction writing of one of Australia's best-loved authors. These pieces encompass suburban portraits and coastal living, affectionate nostalgia and the absurdity of the everyday. They are endearing and often hilarious snapshots of Australian life from a master novelist who has turned the column into an artform. ‘Drewe's literary instincts are as impeccable as his ear for the English language is unfaltering.’ - The Australian Robert Drewe was born in Melbourne on January 9, 1943, but from the age of six, when his father moved the family west to a better job in Perth, he grew up and was educated on the West Australian coast. The Swan River and Indian Ocean coast, where he learned to swim and surf, made an immediate and lasting impression on him. Swimming and publishing have remained interests all his life. His novels and short stories have been widely translated, won many national and international prizes and been adapted for film, television, radio and the theatre. His memoir The Shark Net, was adapted as an ABC and BBC television miniseries. His 1996 novel The Drowner was short listed for all five Australian Premier’s Awards. He has served as a member of the Literature Board of the Australia Council and the management committees of the Australian Society of Authors, the Sydney Writers' Festival and the Byron Bay Writers' Festival. He presently divides his time between the north coast hinterland of New South Wales and Western Australia.

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NON-FICTION |

305 pp |

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

AUSTRALIANS AT HOME WORLD WAR I Michael McKernan The acclaimed classic histories of our people on the home front â&#x20AC;&#x201C; now in new editions

Published by: The Five Mile Press | Hardback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster (claref@curtisbrown.com.au) Description: The best-selling Australians at Home were the first books to study the Australian home front, during World War I and II, in depth and detail, putting the lives, sufferings and grief of Australian women and children in the forefront of the war experience Perfectly pitched, they reach the classic general reader, whilst breaking new ground in the writing of Australian military and social history. Historian Michael McKernan is the author of several acclaimed books, including the classic accounts Australians at Home: World War I and Australians at Home: World War II (now available in new editions from Five Mile Press). With a University Medal and a doctorate from the Australian National University, he lectured in Australian History at the University of New South Wales for several years, before working in a senior management position at the Australian War Memorial. For more than a decade Michael has led tours to First and Second World War battlefields.

Also available:

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NON-FICTION

256 pp

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

HORSE RESCUE Joanne Schoenwald Inspiring stories of second-chance horses and the lives they changed.

Published by: Penguin |Paperback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis (fiona@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: Horses are powerful beyond their physical measures. Through their unique bond to people, horses have the ability to heal, teach, and change lives. A person might rescue a horse, but so often it ends up being the other way around. And sometimes the deepest transformations come when we least expect them. Meet Sue Spence, who rescued little Larry, a pony that helped her through the stages of breast cancer. There's Rebel Morrow, whose journey to the Athens Olympics with her rescued horse, Groover, is nothing short of miraculous. And there's Michael Williams, in and out of prison for twelve years and finally seeing some light through the Horses for Hope program. These and a dozen other rescuers celebrate the special bonds they've formed, and share what they have learned from their amazing equine companions. Joanne Schoenwald loves nature, animals, funny movies, tea, good books and chocolate. She lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, with her husband, son, seven horses, two dogs, two goats and two cats. In the past, Joanne has worked as a teacher, a massage therapist, an office administrator, the founder and president of Charlieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Angels Horse Rescue Inc., and a professional editor. She is very pleased to now, finally, be a full-time author, writing about the subjects she is most passionate about. Joanne also writes fiction under the pseudonym Josephine Moon.

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CHILDREN’S FICTION

64 pp

PUBLISHED OCT 2014

THE CLEO STORIES: THE NECKLACE AND THE PRESENT Libby Gleeson (illustrated by Freya Blackwood) Meet Cleo, a little girl with a big imagination. Published by: Allen & Unwin |Hardback Rights held: Audio, Film/TV Agent: Pippa Masson (pippa@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: Cleo desperately wants a necklace. Her parents say special presents are only for birthdays... but Cleo doesn't want to wait. In the second story, it's her mum's birthday and Cleo doesn't know what to give her - until she has the best idea of all. Delightful, warm and irresistible, these stories show how a little girl with a big imagination can always find a way to have fun. Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood have collaborated on a number of muchloved and award-winning picture books, including Amy and Louis and Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House. ‘The stories are full of warmth, authenticity and humour; Blackwood’s detailed, atmospheric illustrations complement Gleeson’s engaging narrative to create a realistic portrait of Australian family life.’ – Bookseller and Publisher Libby Gleeson has published over 30 popular, highly acclaimed books for children and teenagers, been shortlisted for 13 CBCA Awards, and won three. Libby has been a teacher and lecturer and contributes regularly to national conferences. She chaired the Australian Society of Authors from 1999-2001, and in 2007 was awarded membership to the Order of Australia. She won the 2011 Dromkeen Medal, awarded for contributions to children's literature. Freya Blackwood grew up in Orange, NSW. The daughter of a painter and an architect, she began drawing at a young age. She produced many illustrated books at school, but completed a design degree and became interested in filmmaking. She worked for several years in the special effects industry in Sydney and Wellington, NZ, before eventually returning to illustration. In 2010, Freya won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for Harry and Hopper.

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YOUNG ADULT

192 pp

PUBLISHED SEPT 2014

THE IMPOSSIBLE QUEST #1: ESCAPE FROM WOLFHAVEN CASTLE Kate Forsyth The first in a five-part series, the journey begins in the Land of Wolfhaven.

Published by: Scholastic Australia | Paperback Rights held: Film/TV Agent: Tara Wynne (tara@curtisbrown.com.au)

Description: The Impossible Quest is set in the faraway land of Wolfhaven. It tells the story of four kids who are forced into an impossible quest to try and awaken the legendary sleeping warriors of the past. Wolfhaven Castle has been attacked, and only four escape capture... Tom, trained to scrub pots, not fight; Elanor, the lord's daughter; Sebastian, a knight in training; and Quinn, the witch's apprentice. Somehow, if they are to save their people, these unlikely heroes must find four magical beasts from legend and awaken the sleeping warriors of the past. But first, they have to make it out of the castle alive... Kate Forsyth is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than twenty books, ranging from picture books to poetry to novels for both children and adults. Kate's books have been published in 14 countries around the world, including the UK, the US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Poland and Slovenia. She is currently undertaking a doctorate in fairytale retellings at the University of Technology, having already completed a BA in Literature and a MA in Creative Writing. She lives by the sea in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, three children, a rambunctious Rhodesian Ridgeback, a bad-tempered black cat, and many thousands of books.

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