Billings Better Bookstore Brasserie

Young Fidelia Knight arrives in Melbourne in 1874, alone except for her treasured companion, Samuel Johnson; well, half of him. To escape servitude, Fidelia hides each night in Bourke-street's renowned Coles Book Arcade. She loves words, you see, and wants to know them all. What she overhears in Coles sets her on a path that will change the lives of everyone she meets, starting with Jasper Godwin, the hopelessly underqualified manager of the new Billings Better Bookstore. Fidelia's thirst for knowledge is contagious. She tutors two orphan boys and two illiterate women, inspiring them to unlock their creativity; and her exploration of colonial Melbourne takes her to some unusual places. Nothing daunts this diminutive genius, except the mystery of what really happened to her parents on the voyage from England.

Nine-year-old Fidelia Knight arrives in Melbourne in 1874, alone except for her treasured companion, Samuel Johnson; well, half of him.To escape servitude, Fidelia hides each night in Bourke-street's renowned Coles Book Arcade. She loves words, you see, and wants to know them all.What she overhears in Coles, however, sets her on a path that will change the lives of everyone she meets, starting with Jasper Goodwin, the hopelessly underqualified manager of the soon-to-be-opened Billings Better Bookstore. Fidelia's thirst for knowledge is contagious and she becomes a tutor to two orphan boys and two illiterate women, encouraging them unlock their creativity. Nothing daunts this diminutive genius - except the mystery of what really happened to her parents on the voyage from England. Fidelia's exploration of colonial Melbourne, and her friendships and ambitions take her to some unusual places and, eventually, the hope of discovering the truth of her lost family.

Once upon a time, in a land Down Under, from the depths of the Clan cave, Clan Destine Press issued a challenge to Australian and Kiwi authors to write cliff-hanging, Australian-flavoured, action-packed adventure stories for two protagonists; stories of the What If, What Now, And Then... kind. This was a catnip call, an irresistible lure, a kid-in-a-candy-store kind of a challenge: what writer wouldn't want to take a crack at that? To make it that little bit more intriguing, the editors decreed the stories could be contemporary, historical, realistic, far-out, spec-fic, horror, SF, or urban fantasy; and, in a spirit of mischief, that at least one of the two protagonists must be human. You'd think that would cover all bases. But writers are a contrary bunch: they pushed these very broad boundaries even further. The result is not one, but two volumes of kick-arse, action-packed stories: And Then... The Great Big Book of Adventure Tales. This is Volume 2: a fascinating collection of genre-bending adventure stories garnered from a mix of sf, fantasy and crime writers, happily encroaching upon each other's territories, and then some.

A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve - and sometimes perpetrate - all kinds of crimes. Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

Scarlet Stiletto: The Tenth Cut - 2018 features nine award-winning stories from the 25th annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards. 'Crime and mystery short story collections of startling originality; and a grim warning of what evil lurks in Australian suburbia.' - Kerry Greenwood The Scarlet Stiletto series of eBooks – the First to the Tenth Cuts – feature superb collections of spine-chilling crime and mystery short stories, by Australian women writers, curated from 25 years of the Scarlet Stiletto Awards hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia.

A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve - and sometimes perpetrate - all kinds of crimes. Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

Scarlet Stiletto: The Twelfth Cut - 2020 features thirteen award-winning stories from the 27th annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards. 'Crime and mystery short story collections of startling originality; and a grim warning of what evil lurks in Australian suburbia.' - Kerry Greenwood The Scarlet Stiletto series of eBooks – the First to the Twelfth Cuts – feature superb collections of spine-chilling crime and mystery short stories, by Australian women writers, curated from 27 years of the Scarlet Stiletto Awards hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia.

Fingers and feelers and paws and wings, Solving thrillers and chillers and secretive things! In which animals help their animal friends, or human sidekicks, solve diabolical crimes and whimsical mysteries in 19 stories by Australian, American and Irish authors.