store

The haiku in ‘Floating Nest’ invite you to share with the poet the diversity and richness of life in the world around us. Images that resonate, such as:

Pagoda Rail: a sequence

ginko ...
cameras whirring
in the wind

garden pond
the spring storm swirls
these lily pads

unconcerned
the female mallard
follows her mate

green water
a koi parts
the reeds

widening ripples
poets compare
flower names

pagoda rail
looking for inspiration
at the sky

swaying cherry –
a gum leaf clings
to the rock face

scudding clouds
ochre-smudged buses
exit the car park

Resting Place

You travelled ten thousand miles across rough seas and here you remain, bound by alien soil. You helped those less fortunate, held benefits for diggers whose tents burned down. The townspeople tell stories, lead me to maps and schemes scrawled in a fine hand on yellowed parchment. Under bleached skies I hear the eucalypts rustle in the autumn wind.

wallaby grass...
beside grandfather’s grave
pulling weeds

$5.00 + p&h

PENNYWEIGHT FLAT is set during the Gold Rush in 1854 at the time of the Eureka Stockade. The story centres on Yann Sauvage, grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte, who has come to the Colony of Victoria to seek out his father, Jean-Paul Sauvage, a deserter from the French army.

The element of danger for Yann is almost always present – from political enemies or the troopers, from snakes, disease, and drunken miners. All this adds to the exciting possibility of striking it rich, of being reunited with his father, of finding friendship, and, perhaps something more, with the storekeeper's daughter Clem.

The energy levels of Pennyweight Flat are high. Tension and apprehension pervade the story, as well as dry humour due to the incongruous situations in which Yann often finds himself. Will he find his father? Or will the Saint-Simonians, who he believes have murdered his mother, continue to block Yann at every turn?

$11.66 + p&h /$5.00 (Kindle)

MY FRENCH BARRETTE, the latest book in the Genna Perrier series, follows on from the popular Our Hollow Sofa, Ants in My Dreadlocks and Stinger in a Sugar Jar.

Now at University, and soon to graduate, feisty Genna is forced back to the country of her birth. There she must make choices. Does her future lie with tennis-playing student Aaron, kava farmer revolutionary Rocky, or motorcycle-riding academic Pascal? Will Genna remain in the Victorian seaside town of Ravella, settle in the Pacific islands of New Caledonia or embark on new adventures in distant France? And what is the importance of the French barrette?

$25.95 + p&h

DRIFTWOOD comprises a collection of Cynthia’s poetry which has won awards or been previously published in literary magazines and anthologies both in Australia and overseas. Many of the haiku and tanka in this volume have been translated into other languages. The ancient Japanese forms of haiku, senryu, tanka and haibun are extensively represented, together with free verse and other traditional poetic structures such as tetractys and cinquain.

$22.00 + p&h

BAD GRASS, a spin-off from the other Genna Perrier novels, delves into schoolyard bullying and eating disorders.

Elizabeth Stubbs, known as 'Fat Betty' by Genna and the other students at Ravella High, is taunted about her weight while she struggles with the burden of a mentally retarded brother.

She discovers nasty emails on her computer, threatening SMS messages on her mobile phone. To lose weight, Elizabeth refuses to eat. She hides food in strange places and, when she does eat, she makes herself vomit.

This brings on a vicious cycle which threatens to spiral out of control.

How does Elizabeth cope with the taunting? And what is the secret about Bron's disability?

$9.00/$3.00(Kindle) + p&h

COUSCOUS THREADS pulls no punches and never becomes sentimental as it exposes the harsh reality of Australian immigrants. The story centres on Rosine Ziden, an outworker, and the garment manufacturer for whom she works illegally. Dwelling in a form of enslavement, her existence is one of hardship and struggle as she lives under the thumb of her personality-deficient husband Omar.

Written in a way that could easily be regarded as fact, the grim truth of her life is intermingled with excitement from the hiding of runaway refugees. Using various sub-plots, the author brings the characters together in a dramatic situation at the end, revealing some unpalatable insights not easily forgotten by the reader.

The energy and drama levels of Couscous Threads are addictively high. Honestly told, the book brims with emotional and moral dilemmas. Although set in the 90s, this is now. Our times.

$14.00/$5.00 (Kindle) + p&h

STINGER IN A SUGAR JAR is the third book in the Genna Perrier series. Set in Far North Queensland, the story follows Genna’s adventures as she travels to Cairns to catch up with her birth mother, Sandrine.

Follow the highs and lows of a mother daughter relationship. Be there as Genna meets up with her freedom fighter friend, Rocky Colline. Feel the tension as she goes bungy jumping with the notorious Malachi. Discover the dark past of her Year 12 French examiner, Pascal Manet.

And, more importantly, what motivates Sandrine to behave the way she does?

Complete with the quirky characters and culture clash the reader has come to expect, this tale will plunge you into an exotic tropical setting filled with mystery.

$10.69/$3.88 (Kindle) + p&h

ANTS IN MY DREADLOCKS is the second book in the Genna Perrier series. Genna’s search for her origins takes her to New Caledonia, the place of her birth, where she meets a range of quirky characters and experiences unexpected adventures.

While there, Genna comes across information that helps to explain the reason for her birth mother, Sandrine, relinquishing her as a baby. She discovers the depths to which her grandfather, Jacques Forestier, is prepared to sink, as he uses others to do his dirty business.

Replete with culture clash, the book takes you on a wild ride behind the tourist areas of New Caledonia, from kava bars to deer farms, back alleys in the Latin Quarter and treacherous rainforest walks. Find out what life is really like on this cigar-shaped French Pacific island.

$11.66/$3.88(Kindle) + p&h

OUR HOLLOW SOFA is the story of Genna Perrier – teenager, raw vegan and French student – as she searches for her origins. Hampered by end-of-year exams, stalkers in chat rooms, and a horse’s bowel movements, her journey takes her to tropical New Caledonia. Genna knows she is a Caldoche, but not much else. And what is the hollow sofa's secret?

$12.95/$5.00(Kindle) + p&h