THE SHELLY BAY LADIES
SWIMMING CIRCLE
BY SOPHIE GREEN
In a seaside suburb in 1982 Australia,
Theresa, Marie, Leanne and Elaine are
dealing with personal struggles, from grief
and loneliness to marital difficulties and past
traumas. But when they start meeting for
ocean swims, they build a friendship circle
amid the bluebottle stings and shark
sightings. A tender, heartwarming read.
“‘Sun’s coming up,’ says Marie. Leanne
looks towards the horizon and half closes
her eyes against the intense golden light
that looks as if it’s opening up the whole
world. The bay seems enormous: the pool
is a contained
space and she
realises she’s built
her confidence
within those
constraints. But
now, with an
ocean that reaches
the horizon and
beyond, she’s not
feeling so sure.”NEW IDEA’S
BOOK OF
THE MONTH
Book Spe cial
This month US actress Emma Roberts is
reading Searching for Sylvie Lee, by Jean
Kwok, about the ties that bind – and divide- a Chinese immigrant family.
CELEBRITY SHELFIE
THE JOURNALIST AND
GHOSTWRITER TURNED THRILLER
WRITER TALKS ABOUT WRITING
A SPICE GIRL’S MEMOIR AND
HIS LATEST THRILLER,
GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRLWhat’s your new book about?
Evie Cormac [is] a very damaged and vulnerable
teenager who was found six years ago hiding in
a secret room in a house where a man had been
tortured to death. A young forensic psychologist,
Cyrus Haven, is sent to the children’s home to
interview Evie and decide if she’s ready to be
released into society. He discovers a girl who
is vain, self-destructive, paranoid and self-hating,
but possessed of a unique gift (or a curse):
she can tell when someone is lying.How does it feel to watch your novel The Secrets
She Keeps be turned into a TV series?
Having the TV series made in Australia has been
a huge advantage because I could get involved
from the outset, working on the storyboardingand liaising with the writers who have come up
with some brilliant scripts. I have spent a couple
of days on set and even managed to get my
Stan Lee moment, appearing as an extra in one
particular scene.What draws you to writing crime fiction?
No crime should ever be celebrated, or inspire
any writer, but writing in the crime genre allows
me to shine a light into the darker corners of the
human psyche and modern society, tackling
age-old themes such as truth, justice, betrayal,
lust, greed and punishment. Oddly enough,
I don’t read many crime novels – because I
scare myself enough.You’ve worked as a celebrity ghostwriter in the5 Minutes With...
Michael Robotham
GOOD GIRL, BAD
GIRL IS OUT NOWText: Emma Babbingtonpast – what was that like?
Ghostwriting can be challenging and
very rewarding because invariably you
finish up working with mercurial, creative,
high achievers, who often inherit neuroses
along with great talent. I began working
with Geri Halliwell when she was hiding
out in George Michael’s mansion in LA. On
one surreal afternoon we had the world’s
paparazzi outside, while I was chatting to
Geri, who was wearing a little yellow bikini,
while I had borrowed a pair of George’s
shorts because I had no appropriate
pool-side wear!I’m A Celeb
contestant turned
new Bachelorette
Angie Kent is
releasing
her first book in
November. If You
Don’t Laugh You’ll
Cry will cover
everything from
Angie’s mental
health battles and
body image to
her thoughts on
family and
relationships.Book news