bantam – Aussie Reviews

Meet My Book: A Savage Garden, by Chris Muir

Today I’m delighted to welcome Chris Muir to the blog. Chris is here to introduce his new book, A Savage Garden. Welcome Chris.

Chris Muir

1. Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.
TITLE: A SAVAGE GARDEN
AUTHOR: CHRIS MUIR
PUBLISHER: RANDOM HOUSE –BANTAM IMPRINT
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 4TH 2014

2. Why did you write the book?
In many ways it was a book that had to be written. Africa is a very easy place to fall in love with, but it’s also very easy to hate the wars, corruption, greed and violence that’s endemic right across Central Africa and more particularly in the lawless wilds of Democratic Republic of the Congo where A Savage Garden is set. I’ve been there many times. I’ve seen what goes on. The world had to know, but for the most part there’s a great deal of apathy about Africa so I’ve wrapped up a very important subject in an adventure thriller. I hope readers will find it thought-provoking as well as entertaining.

3. How long from idea to publication?
The first draft was written 7 years ago when the Congo was having its first democratic election in over 40 years. It looked like a glimmer of hope…it wasn’t. 21 rewrites and 2.1million words later I had a 90,000 word version that my agent, Jenny Darling, was able to sell to Random House….so to answer your question, it’s been 7 years from idea to publication.

4. What was the hardest thing about writing it?
Writing it was the easy part. I knew my subject intimately, I had authentic situations based on fact, and if I do say so myself the writing wasn’t too bad, but getting the deal was the hard part. I guess for a first time author it always is.

5. Coolest thing about your book?
There’s nothing quite like when your publisher hands you the first copy. You forget about all the hard work and when no one is looking you stroke that 354 pages like it was a new born child.

6. Something you learnt through writing the book?
This whole exercise has been an amazing lesson in patience, faith and perseverance and hoping that if I keep at it one day someone would say…hey, this is pretty good. Fortunately they did.

7. What did you do celebrate the release?
There’s a launch party on February 11th where I’ll celebrate with 150 family and friends but the real celebration is inside my head. When Jenny Darling rang me and told me about the deal she thought that I would be excited, and I was, but mostly I felt an enormous sense of relief. I’d been waiting so long for it to happen. I knew it would and it had. I’ll celebrate when the sales figures come in and by writing another book.

8. And how will you promote the book?
The publicity people at Random House and right behind this but first timers always have a hard road to hoe. I’ll be using social media, launches, library tours, media interviews and point-of-sale.

9. What are you working on next?
My next book is another adventure thriller set in Somalia. Let me tell you, Somalia is one scary place…it’s no wonder that it has been dubbed ‘the most dangerous country on the planet’.

10. Where we can find out more about you and your book?
At the Random House website here
Twitter: @chrismuirwriter
Facebook: chris.muir.9256

Congratulations Chris, and thanks for dropping by.

A Savage Garden is available now in good bookstores and online.

Amber Road, by Boyd Anderson

Thunder was beginning to roll across the water. The storm would soon arrive.

Victoria Khoo is seventeen, and very sure of her destiny. She will marry Sebastian Boustead and become the mistress of the family mansion, next to her own family’s home in Amber Road. When she learns that Sebastian has arrived back from England with a fiancée in two, she is sure there is some kind of mistake. They are meant to be together. But within days, Victoria has more weighty issues to deal with, as the war reaches Asia and Singapore surrenders to the Japanese.

Soon Victoria’s family is separated – her parents and sisters fleeing to the family rubber plantation, and Victoria living with her stepmother (her father’s number two wife), grandmother and half siblings in Singapore. Under Japanese occupation, Singapore is no longer the idyllic British colony of Victoria’s childhood. She must do what she can to survive the war and protect her family. Yet she will not abandon her dream of one day fulfilling her destiny as Sebastian’s wife, even though she is now responsible for ensuring his fiancée’s safety, and she herself has a new friendship with a charismatic Australian.

Amber Road is an absorbing tale of one woman’s experience of wartime Singapore. Victoria is, at the start of the story, a self absorbed teen and it is intriguing to watch her growth amidst terrible hardship. At the same time the reader is aware that much of the determination she shows is something she already possessed, and her self absorption is one of the tools which helps her survive.

With romance, suspense, history and more, Amber Road is a well told tale which leaves the reader wanting to follow the characters into their future to see what unfolds next.

Amber Road, by Boyd Anderson
Bantam, an imprint of Random House, 2013
ISBN 9781742759395

Available from good bookstores or online.

Paper Chains, by Nicola Moriarty

‘I’m India. You work at the museum, right? Sit.’
She watched as Hannah hesitated briefly and then obediently followed her instructions. ‘I’m Hannah,’ she mumbled.
‘Well, Hannah, have some watermelon. I’ve got too much. I’ll make myself sick if I eat all of this on my own.’
When Hannah didn’t move to pick up a piece of watermelon, India sighed at her in an exasperated sort of way and prodded her in the side. ‘Eat, please. I can tell you’re hungry…’

When Hannah meets India she isn’t looking for a friend. She doesn’t think she deserves one. Far from her Sydney home, she is working in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, trying to forget what she has left behind, but punishing herself for it just the same. India is everything Hannah isn’t – confident, outgoing, helpful. She sees that Hannah needs help, and is determined to give it. She is determined to uncover Hannah’s secret and, while Hannah doesn’t want to tell, she does need a friend.

What Hannah doesn’t see at first is that India has a secret too. Maybe she’s busy fixing things for other people ot avoid fixing that secret. Her secret is busy travelling Europe in the form of letters passed hand to hand by other travellers. Could it be that Hannah can help India as much as India helps her?

Paper Chains is a moving tale of friendship between two young women from opposite sides of Australia who meet far from home. Initially it seems to be a tale of two backpackers off ‘doing’ the almost obligatory European trip of young singles, but readers should be warned that there is much more to the stories of each of these women, which are heart wrenching.

Ultimately heart warming, Paper Chains is beautifully told.

Paper Chains, by Nicola Moriarty
Bantam, 2013
ISBN 9781742752624

Available from good bookstores and online.

Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford

Her arm was out as she rounded the bumper, her fingers reaching for the doorhandle as she saw her reflection in the driver’s window – and a brief movement behind her.
Then a hand slammed over her mouth.

When Livia Prescott is attacked in the carpark on her way home from work, everyone tells her how brave she is. And there’s nothing for her to fear – this was a one-off attack, and she managed to fight off her attacker. It’s just another piece of bad luck in a shocking year which has seen her marriage end, her father get sicker and her business falter. At least this time she came out on top.

Or has she? As the days and weeks pass without her attacker being caught, Livia becomes increasingly aware that this not a random attack. Someone is out to get her. He starts by sending her menacing notes, then picks up the pace, dragging Livia’s family and friends into the vendetta. Livia has no idea who the stalker is or what she can do to stop him. But if she doesn’t fight back, she might lose everything.

Scared Yet? is a chillingly gripping psychological thriller. Even without the attack Liv has a lot on her plate, but when she’s attacked it seems she’s being given more to cope with than anyone could. She lives in fear not just for her own life, but for that of her precious son, as well as her ailing father and everyone she holds dear. Not knowing who is targeting her or where their next attack might come from makes her jumpy and at times irrational, yet she manages to keep going, fighting with all her reserves. She is gutsy, but also believable in her motivations and in her mistakes.

This is a page turner that will keep you guessing and shaking right to the end.

Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford
Bantam, an imprint of Random House, 2012
ISBN 9781864712001

This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Matilda is Missing, by Caroline Overington

a compelling read, offering a story within a story – two different experiences of family breakdown and the impact on those involved, including the children.

Did Frank sometime make mistakes when it came to custody hearings? I’d say he must have done, otherwise we’d all be gathered around his grave saying, ‘Here lies a man who never mucked anything up.’
Did he make a mistake when he was deciding who should get custody of little Minty – Matilda – Hartshorn?
I could answer that, but in the end I think it’s best that people make a judgement for themselves.
Matilda is only two years old, and very much loved by both of her parents. But their love for Matilda is the only thing they have in common. When they met, her mother Softie was a sophisticated career woman with a ticking body-clock. Garry, her father, was a body builder with an assortment of job experiences, but also looking forward to one day being a father. Before either had time to really draw breath, Matilda was on the way and Softie and Garry were married. Now, two years later, the marriage is over and a bitter custody dispute is underway.

Barry hasn’t ever met Garry or Sophie or even heard of them. He’s an ex-journalist, with twelve grandchildren, two of whom he and his wife have been banned from seeing because of a separate custody dispute. So Barry is a little surprised when his friend, Frank, a Family court judge, bequeaths him the records of Garry and Softie’s custody case. Barry doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with them – but he does become increasingly aware that the custody case often overlooks the most important person – the child.

Matilda is Missing is a compelling read, offering a story within a story – two different experiences of family breakdown and the impact on those involved, including the children. Author Caroline Overington has made use of a background as a journalist reporting on issues including the family court, and this knowledge adds an authenticity, but it is the characters she creates that make the story so accessible. The people who populate the pages are authentic, and the reader has the chance to make judgements and assumptions, some of which are proven correct, but others which lead to surprises.

There are some uncomfortable moments here, but the decision to use two stories rather than just one, tempers what could have been more shattering.

Matilda is Missing, by Caroline Overington
Bantam, 2011
ISBN 9781742750385

This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Beneath the Shadows, by Sara Foster

When Grace and her husband move to a cottage on the North Yorkshire moors, it is supposed to mark a new start for them. Adam has inherited the cottage and, with a new baby to care for, it seems a chance to have a home of their own could not come at a better time. But they’ve barely unpacked when Adam disappears, leaving Grace and her daughter, Millie, alone…

There was a dark shape on her doorstep. ..She headed to the front door. Once there, she twisted the key in the lock, pulled it open and stopped in shock.
In front of her was Millie’s pram. She peered inside to find her ten week old daughter fast asleep…
Grace ran her fingers gently over her daughter’s forehead, then glanced around and said , ‘Adam?’
No one answered.

A year later, Grace reruns to the cottage to seek closure. She may never know what happened to Adam, but it is time to move on. But the longer she spends in the village of Roseby the more unsettled she feels. Are the people here trying to hide something from her – and who, if anyone, can she trust?

Beneath the Shadows is an absorbing blend of mystery and self-discovery, with the character of Grace growing as she tackles the mystery of what happened to her husband. Unravelling the past, and the events of the present, will draw readers deep into author Sara Foster’s magical web, wanting to know what happened – and why and wanting to see the likeable main character find closure and happiness.

This is Foster’s second novel. Her readers will eagerly await a third.

Beneath the Shadows, by Sara Foster
Bantam, 2011
ISBN 9781741668711

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online through Fishpond.

Beyond Fear, by Jaye Ford

Jodie Cramer loves the one weekend each year when she and her three best friends escape together for a girls’ weekend. She can forget her busy life as a divorced working mother, and relax with her friends. But this year is different. It’s Jodie’s turn to book the accommodation and, on the road to the country town, their car is run off the road…

Jodie smelled bacon and fresh coffee as she ran up the steps to the verandah. She took a second to pull herself together … Bursting through the door and announcing that Matt Weisman, the nice guy who’d rescued them last night, was more than likely a stalker would not be the best method of describing what had just happened … But she had to tell them. Forewarned was forearmed.

Now Jodie finds signs of trouble wherever she looks, but her friends think she is just paranoid. They don’t know the history of the old barn they are staying in, or its dark secrets.

Beyond Fear is a thrilling first novel from debut author Jaye Ford. As the four friends find their weekend plummeting into horror, the characters of Jodie and each of her friends, as well as their new friend Matt Weisman, are developed and explored. Jodie is a feisty yet troubled main character and Matt has his own scars, being on recuperative leave from the police force. Together the pair take centre stage in the battle to outwit two brothers with little to lose.

Beyond Fear is the sort of book you don’t want to read late at night, but this is a sign of how well it does its job. A gripping read.

Beyond Fear, by Jaye Ford
Bantam, 2011
ISBN 978186471197

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Chanel Sweethearts, by Cate Kendall

It was the smell that really knocked her sideways. She was expecting the heat, the smoke and the noise, but not the sickening stench of burning oil and blistering paint mixed with sizzling eucalyptus from nearby trees.
Jess stood numb as the miasma of smoke and the acrid smell wove thick, back plumes around her. It was surreal, it couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t end like this; all her dreams and hopes burnt to nothing.

Jess Wainwright has been successful in business. Since starting her own cafe and gallery, her professional life has gone from strength to strength. But on a personal level, things are not so rosy. So, when the opportunity arises for her to move to the city and use her design skills to forge a new career, she feels she has to take the chance.

But saying goodbye to Stump Gully is hard, and life in the cut throat world of design is challenging. Jess rises to the new challenges, but still feels torn, until tragedy strikes and her hand is forced.

Chanel Sweethearts is a warm, witty tale of the contrasts between country simplicity and city ‘sophistication’, with a dash of mystery, family drama and romance. An engaging read.

Chanel Sweethearts, by Cate Kendall
Bantam, 2010
ISBN 9781863256940

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Manhattan Dreaming, by Anita Heiss

As I drove towards Adam’s house I felt nauseous at the thought of the conversation we had to have, but I was still looking forward to seeing him. I ‘d missed him. But, as I walked to his front door and put my keys in my bag I felt the newspaper and immediately became angry again. When he opened the door I said firmly, ‘We need to talk.’
’It’s never a good thing when a woman says that.’ Adam pulled me close and kissed me heard on the mouth, his tongue teasing mine before I had a chance to pull away and remember all the things I had to say. The heartburn jealousy was momentarily gone.

Lauren has been hurt by her sport star boyfriend Adam one time too many, so when she’s offered the chance for a year in New York, she knows she should take it to make a clean break. And what an opportunity she’s being offered. A curator at the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra, she has been selected for a fellowship at the Smithsonian. But Lauren isn’t so sure that she wants to leave her friends, her family, her lifestyle, or oven Adam, to take up the fellowship.

Soon, however, she finds herself in Manhattan, discovering that men in New York know how to date and how to look after women. But will any of these men be able to mend her broken heart and replace Adam?

Manhattan Dreaming is chick lit at its best – with a feisty main character who is a successful career woman with a need to love and be loved and a mix of potential suitors ranging from the loveable to the plain annoying. The mix of settings – including Canberra and Goulbourn, with the main action taking place in New York – is also absorbing, with the reader able to see the big apple through the eyes of an Australia visiting for the first time.

Great stuff.

Manhattan Dreaming, by Anita Heiss
Bantam, 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Come Back to Me, by Sara Foster

She watched Alex’s eyes widen as he went to shake Julia’s hand. He took a tiny sharp breath and swayed slightly, then he quickly put his free hand on the back of his chair to steady himself, whilst the other one, although still held out, dropped like a flower in sudden wilt.
‘Nice to meet you…Julia?’ he said, in a broken, tremulous voice unlike anything Chloe had heard come from him before.

When Chloe and her husband Alex are invited to dinner with her workmate Mark, Chloe doesn’t expect the evening to change their lives. But when she introduces Alex to Mark’s date, Julia, it is instantly apparent that something is wrong.

In the days that follow, Chloe’s world seems to be falling apart as she comes to learn that there are things she doesn’t know about Alex’s past. For Alex, the chance meeting with Julia forces him to confront the events of ten years previous, and to help Julia do the same – even though he must risk his marriage to do so.

Come Back to Me is a wonderful debut novel. The stories of the four main characters are interwoven, with the reader taken on a journey through their past lives and the present, with revelations continuing right till the end. Set primarily in London, but with key scenes playing out in Western Australia, the story brings together settings from the author’s life – born and raised in England, she has recently settled in Australia.

There is nothing not to like about this story – intriguing characters, plot twists, action and beautiful writing combine to produce a satisfying package.

Come Back to Me, by Sara Foster
Bantam, 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.