'Some readers are drawn to the promise inherent in a novel, and it's true that the longer form can offer a slow and seductive immersion, but the short story offers pleasure of another kind – the quick fix, a shot of adrenaline to the mind and heart.'—Amanda LohreyIn The Best Australian Stories 2015, Amanda Lohrey, winner of the Patrick White Award and author of the acclaimed novel A Short History of Richard Kline, curates twenty pieces of exceptional short fiction. In this wide-ranging collection, there are stories that will surprise, unsettle and beguile readers. Familiar subjects are examined from new perspectives: a teenage girl sneaks into a famous film director's study and steals his diaries; the life of Picasso is reimagined in miniature vignettes. And new life is breathed into the most universal of experiences: birth, death, love and loss. The mother of a girl with hearing difficulties watches her child grow into increasing...

Caren Johnson’s younger sister has been forcibly awakened as a powerful and supernatural deity, revered by multiple worlds...and a war has just been declared in her name.

Her Country Hero Searching for a safe haven in the Kentucky hills, city girl Bekah Holloway encounters the unexpected - a handsome country boy who offers her help. Drew Kinley gives her a job working with wounded animals, but on the run from an abusive boyfriend, Bekah needs more than employment. She needs a hero. Instinct tells Drew he's the perfect man for the skittish beauty. But he's spent a lifetime saving his family farm and now it's his turn to see the world outside of Oaks Crossing. As Bekah finds her forever home, will Drew leave...or stay and embrace a future together?

In the Woods Noirell, magic wells with the waters of the River and drips like the honey drawn from its trees, and fairy gifts are indistinguishable from their curses. In the Woods Noirell, travellers are told to stay on the Road, for if they stray they may well find themselves lost forevermore.In the Woods Noirell, there are dragons. Olive is the daughter of the Woods. She knew what waited at the end of her path long before she set foot on it ... A companion novella to the main Greenwing & Dart series. Can be read at any point, but is probably best read in conjunction with Bee Sting Cake or after Plum Duff.

Abandoned dreams sometimes come true. Cindy Lee Jones, having let go of her aspirations to become a renowned artist, is determined to embrace a fresh chapter in her life, one that promises to be just as fulfilling.However, when her former art teacher meets a tragic end, Cindy finds herself entangled in a web of long-hidden secrets that threaten to unravel any hope of her dreams becoming reality.As the weight of these revelations bears down upon her, Cindy's future teeters on the brink of chaos.Can she and the enigmatic Ruby Sisters unearth the truth in time to clear her name?Will the shadows of the past offer her a chance to revive her artistic dream, or will they extinguish her aspirations once and for all?Embark on a poignant journey of self-discovery, family, and the extraordinary power of friendship, in this captivating tale that will leave readers of women's literature enthralled.

Everyone is lying, including her father, her client....and her girlfriend.It wasn’t the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce event she was expecting, but when realtor Ari Adams discovers the body of a prominent businessman, after his apparent suicide, of course she calls 911. When her girlfriend Molly Nelson is among the responders, she is happy to let the professionals take control of the case.When a former client asks for Ari’s representation, she’s loathe to turn down the business, even if it Biz Strong, the one woman Molly does not want to have any part of Ari’s life. Tensions on the home front get even worse when Ari’s father blows into town, full of questions, and Maggie is abruptly reassigned after determining that suicide was actually murder.Everyone has questions, but many of the answers turn out to be lies. Nobody but Ari wonders if business greed, familial revenge, dirty cops and shady investments might all intersect—with deadly consequences.

Dubbed "the wickedest man in the world" by the popular press and self-styled "the Great Beast 666", Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, drug addict and alcoholic, secret agent, explorer, bankrupt, poet, painter, magician, and mountaineer as well as the inventor of the religion of Thelema. He also had a genius for causing scandal wherever he went.This collection of his work consists of the novels Diary of a Drug Fiend and Moonchild; The Book of Lies and The Book of the Law (both cryptic expositions of his esoteric philosophy); the play Household Gods; and some of his early poems from White Stains. If you want insight into the occult, the arcane, or even the terrible highs and lows of drug addiction, then this is the book for you.

He was a punk. He was a soldier. He was a flag-waver for both the Labour Party and the miners. He is Billy Bragg, best known as a passionate protest folk singer and a tireless promoter of political and humanitarian causes all across the world. His life encapsulates so much about his generation: born in the late '50s, passions forged by punk, politics shaped by Thatcherism, hope provided by the end of the Cold War and ideology galvanised by what he sees as a post-ideological 21st century. Serious about compassion and accountability, he likes a laugh too, and is enduringly popular. Billy Bragg remains to this day a much-loved songwriter and performer whose campaigning has now spanned four decades and shows no sign of relenting. Still Suitable For Miners is his official story, updated for the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Life's A Riot with Spy Vs Spy, and including the recording of his tenth album as a solo artist, Tooth and Nail.

A Soldier's Unexpected Homecoming Returning soldier Dylan Hart heads to Texas to finally meet pen pal Holly Lynch. When he arrives, he's shocked to discover the plucky beauty he fell in love with has kept a very big secret. Scarred emotionally by his past, Dylan is deeply hurt that Holly didn't trust him with such a vital truth about herself. When he's hired as a cowboy on her family's vast ranch, he's committed to staying in town. And as he slowly reconnects with the woman whose letters once saved him, he'll have to take a look inside his heart to discover what matters most.

Have you ever loved someone so much it hurts? Have you ever loved someone so much you couldn’t think straight? Have you ever loved someone so much it caused envy and for you to do the most outrageous things? When love becomes so powerful it becomes dangerous and deadly.These woman are dangerously in love as they are fiending for his love. Due to ultimate betrayal, friendships and relationships are destroyed and repercussions have to be paid.