Today, I want to give a shout out to some standout Australian authors I have loved reading lately. It’s an eclectic mix, but all of these books were memorable and rewarding in different ways.

‘The Palazzo’ by Kayte Nunn – Friends, food, jealousy and obsession collide in an atmospheric Italian palazzo. 

‘Rytual’ by Chloe Elizabeth Wilson – A young woman is recruited into a dark feminist, beauty cult.

‘The Revisionists’ by Michelle Johnston – A compelling story about memory, friendship, ethics, and journalistic ambition in an international conflict zone.

‘A Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt’ by Mark Mupotsa-Russell  – Darkly (very darkly) funny, with a take-no-prisoners mother bent on revenge.

I’m so happy to share my beautiful cover for ‘The Pact’. I love stories about youthful golden moments, which go badly wrong, and I feel like this image captures that perfectly. To me, it has ‘Saltburn’ vibes and makes me want to be one of those young people lounging by the pond in the sun.

Here’s the back cover blurb –

Tess enters the prestigious and exclusive Ravensthorpe Writing College with dreams of literary greatness but soon discovers that ambition comes at a cost.

Drawn into a tight-knit group with fellow writers Ethan, Theo, and Jaz, Tess’s world is upended when their charismatic tutor is found dead. Believing someone in their circle is responsible, Tess flees the elite literary world and abandons the future she once craved.

​Three years later, an enigmatic invitation to walk the Camino de Santiago offers Tess a chance to uncover the truth. Reunited with her former friends, including Ethan, now a literary star, Tess realises the past isn’t finished with her. Someone knows what really happened that night, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.

The Pact is out in paperback in January 2026 in Australia and the UK, Canada in March, and the US in June. (The e-book and audiobook will be available in all these countries in January).

You can add ‘The Pact’ to your Goodreads ‘to be read’ list now here, and pre-orders open in October!

I’m working hard on my next novel, which is due for publication in 2027. It’s set on a cross-country ski tour in Arctic Sweden, so I’m enjoying re-living the memories of my beautiful ski tour on The King’s Trail in 2024. Here is my Instagram reel from this trip, if you’d like to check it out.

I’ve finished an 80-thousand-word first draft, so I’m taking a breather before I go back to figure out how to take it to the next level. My novels usually undergo BIG changes in the second draft phase, so I’ll need a fresh mind and lots of re-structuring energy. So far though, I’m loving my characters and the wild Arctic setting.

Thank you for reading!

Lisa