Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Set in Queensland during a time of tremendous social upheaval, Riptides is a gripping family drama about dreams, choices and consequences, from the author of the acclaimed Half Moon Lake.

One bad decision can tear your world apart . . .

December 1974. Abby Campbell and her brother Charlie are driving to their father’s farm on a dark country road when they swerve into the path of another car, forcing it into a tree. The pregnant driver is killed instantly.

In the heat of the moment, Abby and Charlie make a fateful decision. They flee, hoping heavy rain will erase the fact they were there. They both have too much to lose.

But they have no idea who they’ve just killed or how many lives will be affected by her death. Soon the truth is like a riptide they can’t escape, as their terrible secret pulls them down deeper by the day.

'An absolute tour de force . . . simply unputdownable.' Matthew Condon

148. Deborah Rodriguez: Island On The Edge Of The World by Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Melbourne-based author, publisher, professional reader, whisky-drinker.

Her debut novel, A Superior Spectre, is published by Peter Bishop Books (Ventura) in Australia and Saraband in the UK. It has been shortlisted for five literary awards. You can read more about A Superior Spectre and buy it here.

Angela recently won the inaugural Mslexia (UK) Novella Competition for Joan Smokes and that will be available in ebook and print in December 2019. More soon!

The Diamond Hunter

Does a betrayal, made for the right reasons, justify itself? Follow the story of young Clementine and her journey into womanhood from the vast and empty wilderness of south Africa to the crowded urban jungle of Victorian era London as she hunts memories…and something far more precious than the stolen diamonds she is determined to find the truth about.

145. Sarah Thornton: Lapse by Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

144. Cassie Hamer: After The Party by Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

Amelia Westlake meets My Favorite Murder in this debut from a terrific new voice in Australian YA. Combines a realistic story about high school drama and toxic friendship with true crime - the endlessly fascinating Somerton Man or Tamam Shud mystery.

15-year-old Lara Laylor feels like supporting character in her own life. She's Ashley's best friend, she's Hannah's sister-she's never just Lara.

When new history teacher Mr. Grant gives her an unusual assignment: investigating the mystery of the Somerton Man. Found dead in on an Adelaide beach in 1948, a half-smoked cigarette still in his mouth and the labels cut out of his clothes, the Somerton Man has intrigued people for years. Was he a spy? A criminal? Year 10 has plenty of mysteries of its own: boys, drama queen friends, and enigmatic new students. When they seem just as unsolvable as a 60-year-old cold case, Lara finds herself spending more and more time on the assignment. But Mr Grant himself may be the biggest mystery of all...

Interspersed with fictionalised snapshots of the Somerton Man investigation, ALL THAT IMPOSSIBLE SPACE is a coming of age novel exploring toxic friendships and the balance of power between teacher and student.

Four women join forces, with conviction, courage ... and style

France, April 1940. Orphan Polly Hartford has been sent across oceans to her Aunt Marjorie, known only from letters. When Marjorie dies in suspicious circumstances, Polly is left with her aunt’s loaded pistol in a beautiful Hermès handbag . . . and to the care of Marjorie’s three closest friends: an elegant Comtesse, a gutter-born film star and a big-hearted American heiress.

Polly is taken to live at the Hôtel Ritz, where guests and staff believe wealth and prestige protect them from war. But when the Nazis invade, the illusion is shattered. As Paris deteriorates, Polly and her guardians face the horrors of the Occupation with daring, humour, style – even romance – and despite their dangerous secrets, they discover just what they are capable of.

As the Liberation approaches, those who survive at the Ritz must face a day of reckoning, but one truth stands tall: at the heart of the Ritz is the soul of resistance.

'Marvellously colourful characters in a tale with so many twists and turns make The Heart of the Ritz a page-turner' J.R. Lonie, bestselling author of The Woman From Saint Germain

‘Luke Devenish is a master of the dramatic cliffhanger’ Daily Telegraph

141. It's the silly season with Dani and Aaron L. Speer by Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

140. Alex Miles: Girl Geeks by Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.