Its 5.30am on the first day of January 2013, the sun is hanging like a big red ball just above the trees with the promise of stifling heat. Dust motes dance along the rays of light and the world is still and quiet, even the parrots that normally screech and scream at this hour of the day are silent. No traffic on the highway in the distance either, very unusual at this hour of the morning. Something does not feel right with the world this morning. The dogs out the back are silent and cower...

My eyelids fly open with the soft knocking on the front door of Peggy’s home. Bessie is standing on the end of the mattress, her head turned towards the sound, a soft growl coming from her lips. The first grey streaks of morning show through the closed curtains. Who on earth would be knocking on the door at this hour of the morning. I reach under the pillow for the Glock and pulling the blanket aside I push up from the floor heading quietly for the door.Peggy is already in the hall...

Surviving widowhood during the first year is a challenge. Each day has its own unique set of challenges. Dawn Millen exposes her own first year in the hope it will help others deal with the heart wrenching journey all widows and widowers face. Nothing is left out and emotions are to the fore.Reading this as a widow or widower is empowering and as family of the bereved it is a wonderful way to understand this complex and unique journey.

The Collected Edition of Outback Exodus contains all five books in the best reading order. With a series the books are not always written chronologically so this is my way of putting the stories in order.After the world is rocked by a devastating earthquake event this is what happens next.

We stand on the lookout at the edge of the escarpment looking out across the flood plain to the coast and the village that was my home as a child. The scene before us is much changed from the last time I stood here more than 10 years ago. The earthquake that devastated my outback home has changed the flood plain and the tsunami which must have followed it has thrown up boats and debris several miles from the coast. The highway that bisects the coastal plain is cracked and lifted by the ear...

I stand here with tears streaming down my face as I read the small notebooks that belonged to my late mother. The words take me back to a time I can barely remember and her diaries bring those days back to me. The memories she had prior to the birth of my brother and I are now a part of the story of our family, the village of New Gordon and the reasons why we live here as we do. Mum’s diaries contain the story of her epic journey from the Outback to the Coast with so many of the people of ...

Jenn’s Diary Entry31 January 2014Today we saw the settlement come face to face with a shocking incident and I am still reeling from the impact, so are many of the others. We came under attack from a marauding band of thugs from one of the cities. It happened late in the morning, we were at our most vulnerable at the time.Our settlers face the ultimate danger which follows disaster on a great scale. Gan...

I am Sloan, some people call me their worst nightmare and others call me their saviour. I am a bit of both. No one calls me friend. This is how I came to be who I am today.04.00 hrs 01 January 2013Company BarracksI must be the only person round here that did not celebrate New Year’s. It’s five am, almost time for the guard to change and there is not a sign of another living soul. With the exception of the ever present guard on the g...

"Fans of Griffiths, Gleitzman and Jennings will be thrilled to have this in their collection." Kids Book ReviewI'm Tom Weekly. If you want to know what went wrong, read this and laugh.You'll learn the secret of my strangest body part. You'll meet my super-angry grandpa, and hear about my best non-human friend, Rarnald the rat. You'll find out why I've been banned from KidsWorld. But that won't freak you out as much as the story of how Stella Holling trick...

"Fans of Griffiths, Gleitzman and Jennings will be thrilled to have this in their collection." Kids Book ReviewI'm Tom Weekly. If my life is an exploding chicken, this book is my attempt to glue it back together.I have a few confessions. I've done a runner from the dentist. I'm petrified of clowns. Giant headlice tried to eat me. A lost sock nearly killed me. And you're not going to believe this, but I was attacked by Library Ninjas whenmy book was...

‘WOW! WOW! WOW! What a read!’ NetGalley reviewer‘The blockbuster of the summer!’ NetGalley reviewer‘THAT twist. I did not see it coming!’ NetGalley reviewerYou’re looking over your shoulder, thinking someone’s watching.You’re checking the doors are locked, spooked by a noise.You’re running through the woods, convinced you’re being followed.You’re being stalked. And they won’t stop unt...

An unthinkably shocking event sends shockwaves through a tight-knit mother's group, testing their bonds and revealing closely-held secrets that threaten to shatter their lives in an explosive, enthralling debut novel about motherhood, friendship and love.'All those things no one ever tells you about motherhood. It's like secret mothers' business. Lots of my friends had babies before me, but not one of them ever told me it would be this hard. It's like a code of...