Emily Paull

I first came across Cassie Hamer's work when some of her short fiction was published in a couple of the Margaret River Press anthologies. As well as being a fantastic short story writer, Cassie also has a great blog, and as of earlier this year, a novel called After the Party , which I just inhaled over a few days of reading. It brought to my mind comparisons to Liane Moriarty's work circa the Big Little Lies  era, and combined the day to day playground politics of parenting with a high stakes plot in a very entertaining way.  I thought I would invite Cassie to come and have a chat about her book, and she very kindly agreed, so without any further ado, here's what she had to say... 1. Welcome to the blog, Cassie! First of all, can you tell us a little bit about your book,   After the Party? Thank you so much, Emily, for having me. I love what you've done with the place... So -   After the Party   begins with a fifth birthday party that goes terrib...

This review originally appeared on the AU review on 15 January 2019. Beautiful Revolutionary Laura Elizabeth Woollett Scribe Publications, 2018 In the summer of 1968, Evelyn Lynden and her husband Lenny move to Evergreen Valley, California so that Lenny can work as an orderly in an asylum- part of the agreement he has made as a conscientious objector, so that he does not have to go over and fight in the Vietnam War. Their arrival in town is eventful, and they are pulled over by Officer Gene Luce. But Luce fails to notice the ‘Mary Jane’ plant in the back seat, and the couple continue on their way. It is Evelyn’s cool head and her strong will that get them through, and continues to get her through as their lives change in this new town, even if perhaps those changes are not for the better. The book is  Beautiful Revolutionary , the first novel from  Laura Elizabeth Woollett , whose debut collection of short stories  The Love of a Bad Man  was an award win...