Skip to content

Blog

ABIA longlist for Treasure & Dirt

  • by

I’m very proud of this: Treasure & Dirt has been longlisted for the Australian Book Industry Association (ABIA) General Fiction Book of the Year award for 2022. I’m honoured to be in such fine company. Thanks to all at publishers Allen & Unwin, and a huge thanks to the judges! I might be wrong about this, but I’m told that part of the award is to recognise not just the… Read More »ABIA longlist for Treasure & Dirt

Shortlisted for the Indies!

  • by

Australia’s Independent bookstores are a vital part of the country’s cultural fabric –  championing Australian authors and nourishing their communities through the dark days of covid. We owe them so much, writers and readers alike, from the large inner-city institutions to small country towns. So it is with considerable pride that I have learnt that my book ‘Treasure & Dirt’ has been shortlisted for the 2022 Indie Awards, alongside three… Read More »Shortlisted for the Indies!

UK Publication!

  • by

January 6th is publication day for the Hardback edition of Opal Country in the UK and Ireland. Yee hah!! Opal Country is the same book as Treasure & Dirt – just a different title for different territories – so don’t go out and buy both. It’s already getting a good reception in the UK. The Times has selected it as Crime Book of the Month, with reviewer Mark Sanderson stating… Read More »UK Publication!

Libraries top ten!

  • by

I was so chuffed to see this – Scrublands and Treasure & Dirt topping the list of e-books borrowed from Australian public libraries in 2021. Like an early Christmas present! A huge part of this ranking is due to OverDrive, the company that runs the Libby digital app used by Australian libraries. They featured Scrublands for a couple of weeks in September as part of their ‘Together We Read’ campaign.… Read More »Libraries top ten!

Treasure & Dirt Longlisted!

  • by

I’m feeling very proud today. Treasure & Dirt has been longlisted in the fiction category in the prestigious Indie Book Awards, organised by Australia’s independent bookstores. It’s quite the honour –  a crime fiction book like mine being listed alongside such accomplished literary writers. Huge thanks to all at Allen & Unwin, to the readers and, especially, to all those wonderful Australians book sellers! Please, as we emerge from covid… Read More »Treasure & Dirt Longlisted!

Danger Prize Winner

  • by

A wonderful evening at the State Library of New South Wales. My book ‘Trust’ was announced as the joint winner of the 2021 Danger Prize! The prize is awarded annually as part of the BAD Sydney Writers festival. It’s to acknowledge the best depiction of criminal activity in Sydney. Great idea, right? This year, I was joint winner with former Homicide detective Gary Jubelin and his book ‘I Catch Killers’.… Read More »Danger Prize Winner

Book of the Month

  • by

Treasure & Dirt is published in Australia and New Zealand! But no launch this year and no book tour. I’m in the ACT and we’re in lockdown. That should end soon enough as vaccination rates surge, so hopefully I can get out and about a bit, particularly to visit bookstores and sign some books. In the meantime, the fantastic news is that Treasure & Dirt has been selected as Book… Read More »Book of the Month

Book signings

  • by

One week to go before Treasure & Dirt is published Australia/New Zealand publication, and here I am signing copies on the back deck during lockdown. Booktopia delivered a pallet load, so I worked my may through them and sent them back. Usually, I would be visiting their Sydney warehouse. What a strange couple of years it has been! Treasure & Dirt is now available for pre-order. Please support your local… Read More »Book signings

UK publication dates

  • by

‘Treasure & Dirt’ will be published in the UK as ‘Opal Country’ by Wildfire. The ebook will be published on September 28th, matching the Australian/NZ publication dates. A hardback will follow in the first week of January 2022, with the paperback coming out mid-year. Part from the title and the cover art, the books are essentially identical. We’re still trying to organise a North American publisher – fingers crossed!

Apple Books pre-orders

  • by

Treasure & Dirt won’t be published until September 28th in Australia and New Zealand, but already Apple Books is getting in early with the opportunity to pre-order.   This is for Australia & New Zealand only – T&D will be published in the UK and Commonwealth in January 2022 as ‘Opal Country‘. This is standalone crime novel – or maybe the beginning of a new series. Even so, there are a… Read More »Apple Books pre-orders