Author: Jodie Sloan

Imagine actress Parker Posey is occupying the seat beside you on a plane, her beloved pooch Gracie on her lap. Imagine she’s feeling rather conversational. Parker Posey, that is, not Gracie. That’s the basic premise of You’re On An Airplane, the first memoir from the versatile performer and star of Dazed and Confused, the recent…

In the early 90’s, a struggling writer is given what turns out to be a life changing opportunity. The daughter of Edna Cramner, a long forgotten war artist, wants to catalogue and share her mother’s work. Convinced there’s a real story there, the biographer ignores her agent’s concerns that it’s a go-nowhere vanity job and…

On the run from power mad King Arden and his armies, the unlikely companions of Heart of Mist find themselves scattered across the realms. Bleak has sailed through the mist in search of the mysterious land of Oremere; Henri has fled to the wintry landscape of Havennesse, hoping to secure allies; Swinton and Fi have…

Drawing together musings on feminism, race, and religion, Canberra writer Zoya Patel’s debut No Country Woman explores her experiences as a Fijian-Indian migrant. From the stereotypes that followed her family, to her attempts to rebel against her heritage, and to the months she spent in Scotland examining things from afar. No Country Woman is a well…

Reign of Mist, the second in Sydney based author Helen Scheuerer’s Oremere Chronicles, is set for release next month. Ahead of Bleak and Henri’s return, Helen chatted to Jodie about her self-publishing journey and what readers can expect from the next installment of the YA fantasy series. What can you tell us about Reign of…

Johanna Morrigan is back and she’s living the good life. Writing as Dolly Wilde, she has a column in music magazine The Face, and her best friend (and unrequited love) John Kite has hit the big time. But when John begins to spiral out of control, and comedian, creep, and all-round dickhead Jerry Sharp takes…

Writer, editor and Feminartsy founder Zoya Patel is just a few days away from releasing her debut essay collection, No Country Woman. Ahead of the book’s launch, Jodie chatted to Zoya about what inspired her to put pen to paper and explore her experiences as a Fijian-Indian-Australian. Could you tell us a little about No…

In San Ginese, life and death live side by side, as do prosperity and poverty, opportunity and desperation, friends and enemies. But filled as it is with bawdy gossip, tall tales, and plenty of manure, The Fireflies of Autumn, and Other Tales of San Ginese is not just a story of hardship and hope, but…

Home Fire, the British Pakistani author’s seventh novel, is a contemporary re-imagining of Sophocles’ Ancient Greek tragedy, Antigone. Freed of the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings, Isma Pasha heads to America to study. But she can’t help but be drawn back into the lives of the twins; headstrong Anneeka alone in London, and…

A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising isn’t your everyday horror novel. Presented as an oral history, it’s a chilling mix of witness statements, legal documents, and interviews, and it should come as no surprise that the film rights have already been snapped up by Fox and 21 Laps, the team behind Stranger Things. AU…

In the very near future, a virus dubbed NOBI stalks the population. Those infected with it become something more than human, and designate themselves Gloamings. Attractive, powerful, and exciting, these modern day vampires have thousands clamouring to be like them. But a few see them as they really are, bloodthirsty and dangerous, and as Gloaming…

At a prestigious Catholic school, two boys fall in love. In their final school year, Peter and Jason test the limits of their secret relationship, as Peter wants to come out to the world, while Jason, wary of losing his family and friends, wants to live the fantasy a little longer. As rehearsals for the…

The Briefs boys are back in Brisbane, returning from a distant glamourous future to spread a message of hope, love, and fabulous good times. Led by their drag queen mistress Shivannah (Fez Fa’anana), the stage is set for a night of stunning aerial acrobatics, powerful lip syncs, and raucous good fun. This is cabaret at…

Peter Carey, Michelle De Kretser, and Kim Scott head up an eleven strong list of contenders for the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award. The past winners are up against eight other established authors, contending for a $60,000 prize. One of Australia’s most important literary awards, the Miles Franklin was established with funds from the estate…

France, 1562. The Languedoc region is on the cusp of religious war. Threatened by the spread of Protestantism, the Catholic powers are pushing back against edicts ordering tolerance, by stock piling weapons and torturing suspected Huguenots. Old friends become bitter enemies, secrets are bought and sold, and the region moves ever closer to bloody conflict….

Queer arts festival MELT returns to the Brisbane Powerhouse this year, extending an open invitation to one and all to come and celebrate works inspired and created by Brisbane’s vibrant LGBTI+ community. The festival runs from the 17th to the 27th of May, and is jam packed with theatre, dance, improv, and art. To get you…

1906, Saratoga Springs. A man named James Blake enters The Retreat hotel and asks to see Varina Davis. In his hands he holds a blue book, a book that offers a glimpse into his past. He barely remembers Mrs Davis – V – but he wonders if she remembers him, a small black boy rescued…

Celebrating the authors, editors, publishers, and retailers that bring readers and books together, the ABIA Awards are now in their eighteenth year. It was another huge night for Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor, as the children’s book snatched up three awards, including the night’s major prize, the Gold ABIA. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow also took…

Anywhere Festival returns to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast for a jam-packed seventh year, boldly breaking shows out of the confines of the theatre and putting them on just about anywhere. From local shops and bars to train stations and burnt out skate arenas, no location is off limits for Anywhere’s collection of emerging artists…

Eager Australian lawyer Kerry Maxwell arrives in South Africa, ready and raring to help veterinarian Graham Baird in his fight against poachers in the country’s national parks. But Baird is not what she expects – he’s drunk, jaded, and, worst of all, he’s behind bars in Mozambique. Baird is responsible for the death of the brother…

Berlin, 1929. A car is pulled from the Landwehr Canal with a mutilated corpse at the wheel. Detective Inspector Gereon Rath, newly arrived from Cologne, is on the case, stepping outside his jurisdiction and onto a few toes in the process. His search sends him deep into the seedy underworld of Weimar Berlin, where drug…

On October 17th 2013, teenage sisters Ayan and Leila Juma left their Oslo home and headed for Syria. Deeply radicalised and intending to take part in jihad, they had planned the trip in secret for months. But their decision tears the Juma family apart, as parents Sadiq and Sara struggle to come to terms with…

After Jane spectacularly quits her awful job, she and housemate Kel decide it’s time to rent out the sunroom. Roy seems to be the perfect candidate. He’s quiet and he cooks and he’s not looking to impose on the girls’ karaoke nights any time soon. But Kel isn’t so sure and she’s ready to put…

A fifty-something Australian artist and a 32 year old Indian spice merchant. It doesn’t exactly sound like the perfect basis for a lasting friendship. But Tarun Singh Inda became like a brother to author Barbara Carmichael, opening his heart and home to her over ten years worth of trips between Australia and India. Tarun passed…

Callum Smith, the Wordsmith, ‘Words’ for short, is a journalist of the old school. An expert manipulator, he spends his days flirting, drinking, and chasing stories. But when his wife leaves him, Words’ devotion to the big story begins to spiral out of control. Desperate to keep her and his son in his life, he’ll…

The winners of the 2018 Indie Book Awards have been announced, with Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor becoming the first children’s book to take out the main prize in the Indies’ ten year history. The awards recognise the important role indie booksellers and bookstores have in the success of homegrown authors, by engaging with customers, recommending works outside the…

Two men, fleeing for their lives, arrive in a small country town. The townspeople, desperate to know where they have come from and what they have seen, assign a group of Trustees to find out more. But as the men prove unable to speak of their trauma, the town’s early hospitality is slowly withdrawn, replaced…

Women across the creative industries are demanding their voices be heard. Today the publishing world is holding the mic, with The Stella Prize announcing its 2018 shortlist. First established in 2013, The Stella Prize is named for author Stella Maria Sarah ‘Miles’ Franklin, and celebrates fiction and non-fiction published by Australian women. Coinciding with International…

Molly Dean, artist’s muse and aspiring journalist, was brutally murdered in Melbourne in 1930. Despite compelling evidence her killer was never officially found. Seventy years later, art dealer Alex Clayton discovers what she believes to be a portrait of Molly and delves headfirst into the mystery. Despite cover-ups, missing records, and suspects long since deceased,…

For hundreds of years, Bulgarian Gypsies trained bears to perform. In the early 2000’s the practice was outlawed following the fall of communism, and the bears, who had only ever known their human family, were released into a reserve. Even now, years later, the bears still stand on their hind legs to dance whenever they…