April blooms with bookish love, lots of events and an unusually serious topic of conversation 😮😳😕
Daylight savings is over, the days are shorter, so it must be time to curl up with a good book or four, right? Luckily, I have a few recommendations :-)
Well hello lovely,
I am at my desk on a glorious Autumn afternoon. This newsletter is a teensy bit late because my eldest daughter has been in Australia, so I snuck off for a few days at Anglesea in Victoria to spend some time with her before she and her husband return to Edinburgh. I won’t see them again until 2026!
Plus we’ve got lots to discuss. I’m afraid Behind the Scenes takes a serious tone this edition. We need to talk about Artificial Intelligence and the global domination of social media organisations, in this case, Meta. Don’t worry, it’s not a rant (although plenty of us authors are ranting) but rather me taking the opportunity to let you know what is going on behind the scenes in the industry. I promise to return to normal programming in the next newsletter.
As always, I’ve read plenty of new releases since we last caught up. I have some crackers for you in Books to Love. I’m just wild about Charlotte McConaghy’s latest novel, Wild Dark Shore. It’s a Top 10 bestseller and I suspect that’s because everyone is talking about this book. 2025 happens to be the 250th year since Jane Austen’s birth. Celebrations are happening globally as Austenites (is that what they’re called?) remind us of the fabulousness that is Austen’s writing. Including, yes, fan fiction. The co-authors of Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective have clearly had a lot of fun delving back into the world of Pride and Prejudice and I think readers will too.
Add to that the new psychological thriller from Sara Foster, When She Was Gone, about the abuse of wealth and privilege and the power of mother love. And last but by no means least, the wonderful warm memoir by Carol LeFevre, Bloomer. LeFevre contemplates what it means to be 70 in this tender work, exploring love, loss and life in such a compelling way.
Of course, there are books to win in Giveaways Galore! And I have a run of Upcoming Events between May and July. I would love to see your smiling face and one of them.
But first, let’s get the serious stuff out of the way.
Behind the Scenes
It’s a very sad time in the world of authors right now. Thanks to an article published in The Atlantic on March 20, it has come to light that Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) has been using our works, without our permission, to train and develop its Artificial Intelligence (AI) program, Library Genesis. LibGen is one of the largest online libraries of pirated works including 7.5 million books and 81 million research papers. Creators have not consented to this usage nor have we been compensated for use of our works to train AI. This is in breach of Australian copyright laws.
The above image is what came up when I plugged my name into the LibGen search bar. It’s all of my books (The Making of Christina was cut off in the image) except Horse Warrior. Those books represent seventeen years of my writing life. That’s my entire publishing career. My thoughts, my creativity, my lens on life writ into stories to entertain readers. Stolen.
It’s not as if most authors are living high on the hog from their income as a writer. The average Australian writer earns $18,200 per annum from their creative practice. According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average Australian annual salary for a full time worker is around $100,016. Those two numbers are worlds apart. As the Australian Society of Authors CEO, Lucy Hayward says,
It is not only unfair, it is appalling that one of the world’s wealthiest companies has chosen to use creators’ work without permission or payment – work that has been essential to the development of AI technology.
We’re not taking this lying down. The ASA, rightly, believes that government intervention is the most effective and immediate remedy for creators against the offshore ingestion of their work. Individually and collectively, authors are submitting their LibGen results to the ASA (as they are all over the world) to be included in part of an industry-wide dataset to be presented to the government alongside other creative industries pursuing this strategy.
But what can you, as a reader, as a champion of stories, do? I guess it’s the same as watching pirated movies or listening to illegal downloads of songs. It’s absolutely your choice but I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that the creators are not being paid a penny if you do. Creators only get paid when you show your support. By buying real books from real local bookstores, in person or online. By borrowing books, in whatever format, from your libraries. And rallying behind your favourite authors by attending literary events and book launches, if you can. And most important of all, by sharing your recommendations with friends and family. Australian authors love and need your support!
Books to Love
Right, back to the business at hand. And timely, don’t you think, that Books to Love is exactly about championing and sharing great writing and new stories. Here are four I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and hope you might too.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
In the great southern oceans near Antarctica, the island of Shearwater is home to widower Dominic Salt and his three children. Dom has been the caretaker here for many years, alone but for the scientists who inhabit the research base and maintain the world’s largest seed bank. But the scientists are long gone and it is left to Dom and his children to keep things going. The rugged and dangerous beauty of the island reflects the tumultous inner lives of the family. Dom is still in love with his wife. His eldest, eighteen-year-old Raff is suffering his first heartbreak. Seventeen-year-old Fen has taken to living down amongst the seals and refuses to sleep in the house with the rest of the family. The youngest, Orly, takes the job of caring for the seed bank so seriously it threatens to unbalance him.
The wildest storm they have ever witnessed throws a stranger into the mix. Barely alive after her ordeal, Dom and the children nurse her back to health. Her name is Rowan, she has come in search of a man but this is a fact she keeps to herself. Suspicion and secrets abound on all sides. There is a growing sense that the island may not yet be done with claiming victims. And though affection grows between Rowan and the Salts, and hearts begin to mend, tragedy threatens to shatter any chance of a hopeful future.
New York Times bestselling author, Charlotte McConaghy has returned with a novel that is dark, broody and beautiful, much like the landscape it depicts. She has the same deft skill at depicting the natural environment as fellow Australian writer, Inga Simpson. And like Simpson’s latest novel, The Thinning, Wild Dark Shore is a tense thriller where the impact of climate change and human greed directly drives the characters’ situation and choices. There’s a tension from the opening pages through to the final words that things will not end well.
Where McConaghy excels too is in keeping the reader guessing. Every character is alive, flawed and compelling. McConaghy shows how deep the love runs in this family, the rawness of their grief and yet how they still believe and hope for a future in the ‘real’ world that awaits them across the sea. As if this is not enough reason to read Wild Dark Shore, perhaps the final reason is simply for the joy of reading beautiful evaocative writing. Wild Dark Shore is an exceptional novel on every level.
Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar
Two years after Elizabeth and Darcy are happily married, as are Jane and Charles, Caroline Bingley finds life as the spinster sister rather tedious. It’s all very well visiting her brother at his country estate and popping over to Pemberley to call on her friend, Georgiana Darcy, but with Jane pregnant, she feels somewhat superfluous.
But when Caroline discovers that Georgiana has run off to London in pursuit of her lady’s maid, Jayani, she is alarmed and curious. Following hot on her heels to London, Georgiana and Caroline are soon embroiled in bloody murder and a strange mystery.
Fortunately, being a woman of means and with no shortage of intellect, Miss Caroline Bingley discovers she has rather a talent for sleuthing. And a lady of her social connections and distinctive manner has no qualms using both to force open doors and make those who would rather stay silent to speak.
What fun in this year celebrating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth to see the delightful and varied ways readers and writers are celebrating this most beloved and enduring author’s body of work. A quick scroll of the internet reveals Regency balls, tours of Bath, an exhibit dedicated to the cinematic legacy, entitled Austenmania… I could go on. And here in Australia we have the pairing of YA author Kelly Gardiner with Sharmini Kumar who is the Artistic Director and producer of AustenCon, an annual celebration of the work of Jane Austen as well as producing plays of her works.
Who better to reimagine life for Caroline Bingley after the wedding bells have fallen silent? This is such a fun romp. My recollection of Miss Caroline Bingley was of her being somewhat obnoxious and overbearing but here our authors have created a more mellow version, although still with deliciously sharp edges and a sense of entitlement. The story centres around the missing maid Jiyana and the social impact of the East India Company men. How fortunes have been made trading in the exploitation and misfortunes of others, namely the Indian diaspora. The story artfully blends fact and fiction and there’s more than a nod to Dickens in the seamy underbelly of London’s docks. As fan fiction or stand alone, Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective is a diverting and entertaining read.
Scroll down to Giveaways Galore for your chance to win a copy of Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective
Bloomer by Carol LeFevre
Celebrating her 70th birthday, Carol LeFevre is struck by what it means to see more in the rear vew mirror of life than what lays over the horizon. A keen gardener, she senses that the seasons she enjoys, the plants she nurtures, the inevitability of change has lessons she can draw on to contemplate her present, past and future.
Bloomer is a reflection, a meditation on meaningful existence. The relationships that most inform us, like the recent passing of her mother. The complicated nature of this kind of grief that seems to make it different somehow, its grief more nuanced. The list continues — our failing health, our growing invisibility, our sense of relevance, lovers and loneliness. These are all questions LeFevre ponders in what can only be described as lyrical and wise and often in humourous fashion. Why is it that allowing our hair to grey naturally is such a vexatious subject!
Bloomer is a gentle book, divided by the four seasons and LeFevre’s excerpts from her gardening diary that resonate perfectly with the text. As someone who recently celebrated what we these days euphemistically call a ‘significant birthday,’ conversations were had about what it means to be in the final third of life. When the days ahead seem increasingly finite, yet the list of things to do grows daily. LeFevre’s optimism resonates, her reminders of simple pleasures and finding meaning in life timely. As well as her call that we should live life well. Hear, hear.
Scroll down to Giveaways Galore for your chance to win a copy of Bloomer
When She Was Gone by Sara Foster
Rose has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, since she was a little girl. Partly because of the trauma after a deadly incident when she was a serving London police officer. Mostly because her former husband did everything in his power to keep Rose and Lou apart. That all changes when Rose gets a frantic phone call. Lou has been nannying for a wealthy Western Australian family. Lou and the children have gone missing. No one knows if they have been kidnapped or Lou has snapped.
DSS Mal Blackwood realises that his career has been at the expense of his marriage. He’s doing everything within his power to convince his wife that he can change, even, God forbid, make romantic gestures. The last thing he needs right now is a high profile case, not with retirement singing its siren song. But time is ticking, the patriarch of the family is using his connections to inflame media scrutiny. To top it all off, the mother of the nanny is a former police officer. This Rose character seems intent upon running her own investigation and proving her daughter is a victim not the perpetrator.
Such is the set up for Sara Foster’s latest psychological thriller, When She Was Gone. One serving police officer who needs to solve the case because of who this family is and the nightmare that would be unleashed if the two small children were never seen again. The other to reconnect with her only daughter and prove her love. Two compelling arguments that inevitably are tested and come into conflict. Foster knows her stuff. The pacing is tense and the plot takes many unpredictable turns as Foster explores mother love and privilege. The wealthy family has more than its fair share of ugly secrets but unexpected truths are revealed on all sides. When She Was Gone is a terrifically entertaining read. Try making it last more than one day.
If you want to know more about Sara Foster, you can find her on Substack at The Resilient Author here
Giveaways Galore!
I’m excited to have **three** copies of Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective to giveaway, thanks to the wonderful people at HarperCollins Publishers. All you have to do is send me a reply email** with the answer to the question below.
From which Jane Austen novel does Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective draw inspiration?
And thanks to the dear folk at Affirm Press, I also have **three** copies of Bloomers to giveaway. Send me a reply email** with the answer to this question to be in with a chance to win.
Where does LeFevre draw her inspiration for Bloomers?
**Remember, you can answer both questions in the same email.
The fine print: Giveaways are currently only open to subscribers and you must reside within Australia to be eligible to win (postage!) The winners will be picked at random and will be emailed on Tuesday 22 April. Good luck!
Upcoming Events
We are well into festival season. Here is where I’ll be over the coming months. I do so hope you might be able to come to one (or all!) of these events and support these amazing writers.
Shoalhaven Library 10 Berry Street, Nowra
Friday 2 May 2025 5.30pm to 6.30pm
We’re back where it all began when Kell Woods was a librarian at Shoalhaven Library. I have the pleasure of being in conversation with Kell about her fabulous new novel, Upon a Starlit Tide. We’ll be deep-diving into how she creates these enchanting worlds and spins stories that take the reader on a wild adventure and tug at the heart strings. It promises to be a fun evening!
Tickets are free but you must register here.
Merrigong Theatre
32 Burelli St, Wollongong
Saturday, 24 May 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Panel #2: Love, Life, and Death
Authors Brooke Boland and Catherine Rey talk with Meredith Jaffe about writing memoir and biography tackling motherhood, friendship, love, life and death.
French-born author Catherine Rey lived in France until 1997, before leaving for Australia. Her debut novel, L’ami intime, was published in 1994 by the iconic French publisher Le Temps Qu’il Fait. Rey followed this with seven more works, two of which have been translated into English. Her French novels have been short-listed for the prestigious Renaudot and Femina Prizes. Also published by Giramondo came the fictionalised autobiography Stepping Out (translated from Une femme en marche by Julie Rose). The Lovers was her first English language novel and her most recent book is Lizette.
Brooke Boland is a freelance writer interested in embodiment and identity and has a PhD in Contemporary Women’s Writing from the University of NSW. Previously, she worked as a casual academic at UNSW and Victoria University. She now works part time as an arts journalist, writing profiles and reviews for various publications. Her essays have been published by Meanjin, Overland, and the Sydney Review of Books.  Her first book is Gulp, Swallow.
Buy tickets here
I am doing two events at StoryFest this year. I can’t tell you what they are yet but they are excellent. Why am I being coy? Because the full program is going to be officially released on Wednesday 9 April. The thing I wanted to alert you to is, that if you’re planning on attending over the weekend of 19 June to 22 June, then I urge you to subscribe to the StoryFest newsletter now so that you can access the subscriber only early bird offer (see below.)
Key Dates:
Program is released 9 April
Tickets released to subscribers 10 April 8am
Tickets released to the general public 16 April 8am
Haven’t subscribed? There’s still time. Click on this link.
The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul over the weekend of 5–6 July 2025 with a vibrant lineup of literary talent, from rising stars to international bestsellers.
With headlining authors CHARLOTTE McCONAGHY (Wild Dark Shore), ISOBELLE CARMODY (Comes the Night), PIP WILLIAMS (The Bookbinder of Jericho), KATE FORSYTH (Psykhe), NIKKI GEMMELL (Wing), NARDI SIMPSON (the belburd), OMAR SAKR (The Nightmare Sequence), JESSIE TU (The Honeyeater), and AMY REMEIKIS (What’s the Big Idea?), plus many more festival guests to be announced.
Dive into a celebration of writing, ideas, and voices that inspire, challenge, and connect us, in the picturesque village of Thirroul on the NSW South Coast.
Full program to be released on 5 May 2025. Super early bird tickets are now on sale here.
New Voices Down Under
Over at New Voices Down Under this month, I had a fantastic chat with Rachel Morton about her novel, The Sun Was Electric Light for our March edition of Meet the Author. It’s not too late to read the interview then answer the giveaway question to go in the running to win a copy. In Books to Love, I feature Rachel Paris’ debut thriller, See How They Fall about a mother and wife who finds out just how dark the underbelly of her husband’s family is. What? You’re not a subcriber yet? Then click on the link below to subscribe and receive a monthly newsletter with even more bookish news.
The end of the cup
And now, my friend, my cup is empty. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I’ll be back in your inbox in June with all my news and reviews and books to win!! If you know someone who might enjoy my ramblings, please share via the link below.
Don’t forget, you can check out updates on events at www.meredithjaffe.com or, why don’t you leave a comment below or drop me a line. I love hearing from you!
Keep well,
A great read yet again. So angry about the AI stuff too. Those are such good book reviews and I have now added all 3 books to the list, thank you.