Helene Young shares her love of Australia’s own brand of romantic suspense in a guest blog for Booktopia. Do you love stories with gripping plots and action-packed suspense set in Australia? Do you prefer stories with strong women and optimistic endings, maybe even a love story? Then you need to read Australian Romantic Suspense  – a ‘two-for-the-price-of-one’ genre, with a compelli... Read more

To say that I’m excited by the emergence of New Adult as a genre is a gross understatement. I’m ecstatic. And I’m not picky about the kind of New Adult, either. Because New Adult comes in many forms  – from erotic romance featuring late teens/early twenty-somethings, to angsty, edgy love stories to heartbreaking coming of age novels. For those of you who aren’t ent... Read more

10 tasty reasons to browse the romance section Following my successful, and contentious, blog post on the 10 hottest men in romance novels, I thought it only fair to share the 10 hottest men on romance covers. I know it’s Friday and you have tasks to complete before the weekend begins: perhaps you’re trying desperately to remain focused at work, putting the final touches on a presen... Read more

Romance Specialist Haylee Nash shares 10 ways to heat up a cold winter’s night… I’m not sure about you, but there’s something about the promise of winter’s onslaught that makes me think longingly of red wine, long hot baths with a good book and cuddling up with a hot man. I mean this both literally and figuratively – men, at least in my experience, radiate heat, so there’s a practic... Read more

Bestselling erotic romance author Amanda McIntyre writes about getting hooked by the hot stuff. I was asked to write a few words on what the allure of erotic romance is. I’ve written it of course, or a version of it that my editors seem to like at any rate. But what I’ve discovered is that between publishers and readers the definition of “erotic romance” is a bit blurred—or so it seems. There i... Read more

I like making resolutions. Lots of them, so that if I fail at most of them, I still have a few achievable ones in reserve. It’s part of being an over achieving list-aholic. While everyone else probably wants to try and read more books it is the perverse nature of my job that makes me think it might be a good idea for me to try and read fewer books, more discerningly, bingeing less, savouring mo... Read more

Twists and Turns People kept remarking on how they were surprised that a gold medal and fame hadn’t changed me. I always responded, ‘Why would I change? Being me is the easiest person to be.’ I was lying. It wasn’t. At the Beijing Olympic Games, he made history with an unforgettable dive, the first to ever score perfect tens from all four judges, and won gold for Australia. Grinning with pride ... Read more

“When money loses its value, the goodwill and kindness we extend to each other will emerge as the ultimate and most sustainable currency of exchange.” ——– Lentil as Anything : Everybody Deserves a Place at the Table by Shanaka Fernando Shanaka Fernando is often hailed as a modern-day revolutionary. As the founder of the Lentil As Anything community restaurants in Melbourne tha... Read more

The new – and final – novel, Jack of Diamonds, by Australia’s favourite storyteller, Bryce Courtenay, is now available. Celebrating the golden age of jazz, Jack of Diamonds is a true Bryce Courtenay classic spanning three continents and starring the irrepressible, quick-witted and big-hearted Jack Spayd. Inspired by Bryce’s love of jazz and his own experiences working in the mines in Africa, Ja... Read more

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfRnjS7Khp8&rel=0] Bad Debts by Peter Temple Meet Jack Irish, criminal lawyer, debt collector, football lover, turf watcher, trainee cabinetmaker, and one of the best crime characters ever created. When Jack receives a puzzling message from a jailed ex-client he’s too deep in misery over Fitzroy’s latest loss to take much notice. Next thin... Read more