The Rag Boiler's Daughter
The Rag Boiler's Daughter

Author: Lois Shepheard

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 1921869380

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A sweeping account of Irish and Scottish families, The Rag Boiler's Daughter portrays one woman's resolve to provide her children with a brighter future. This story follows Maggie Gilliland from her birth in Denny, Scotland in 1865 and spans the factories of 19th Century Scotland, the Irish War of Independence, two world wars and a family's migration to Lithgow, Australia. The daughter of a rag boiler and an iron miner, Maggie herself was the mother of seventeen children - nearly half of whom she buried. Touched by an epic string of losses and blessings, Maggie strove towards the hope of giving her surviving children a better life as she gave them the very best of herself. Maggie's story is timeless. Starting with the determination of working class people to improve their conditions, this story begins with Maggie's mother insisting that her daughter learn to read. With succinct historic accounts coloured by intimate emotional conflicts, Shepheard draws a map around her family history, inviting readers to glimpse a portrait familiar to so many whose common roots meet as the children of migrants. As one of the 2011 IP Picks judges raved: 'By the end of the story, I am in love with this family, their curious and complex relationships and their unabated hope'.

You Only Want Me for My Mind
You Only Want Me for My Mind

Author: John Rynn

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 192212060X

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You Only Want Me for My Mind reveals a quirky boy born not only with cerebral palsy but with an uncanny ability to overcome obstacles and mobilise people. In a world reminiscent of My Left Foot and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, we watch him laugh off the verdicts of the experts as he grows towards a life of his choosing - as an independent artist, writer and mentor for young people. Despite being completely non-verbal with only the limited movement of one hand hovering over a communication board, John Rynn is making a statement in writing this book. Composed twenty-nine words a day over a gruelling seven years, this memoir stands as a testament to his creativity and pluck. This is a story of how to survive and prevail over the impact of life shattering events. Even more, it's about surpassing the limits dealt to us and thriving with gratitude, humour and vitality. "John reminds us to look into the eyes and souls of all individuals; to respect their uniqueness, honour their goodness, and admire their courage. His story exemplifies how adversities can strengthen one's spirit, not destroy it." - Leonore Rizy MA, Human Development; USA National Board Certification: Exceptional Needs Educator "John relates his personal memories of the challenges and highlights of his life with humour, courage and insight. Joys, sadness, achievement and a sustaining positive attitude to life despite many setbacks ring through John's story." - Dr Yvonne Burns AO

From Ashes to Ashes
From Ashes to Ashes

Author: John Biggs

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2013-06-15

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1922120510

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From Ashes to Ashes tells the story of Peter Morrison, a school teacher in rural New South Wales. His childhood is marred by WWII, and as he comes of age, Peter veers from his conservative parents' values. While he becomes a teacher with a family, he is also drawn into an affair, causing classroom scandal. With maturity, Peter rights his choices, retiring as a respected school principal. However, finally verging on dementia, he veers again from sanity.

Art from Adversity
Art from Adversity

Author: Anne Therese Naylor

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2013-03-15

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 192212012X

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Winner, IP Picks 2012 Best Creative Non-fiction Enhanced by the author's paintings, Art from Adversity shines the spotlight on mental illness, in particular, bipolar disorder. It provides an insight into what it is like to become mentally ill, to ascend into mania, free fall into depression, and-finally emerge profoundly changed by the experience.

Past Perfect
Past Perfect

Author: Karen Zelas

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1921869933

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Past Perfect is a story of love and loss, prejudice and resolution, as well as the search for selfhood. Prompted by a brush with mortality, her children approaching adulthood and the relationship with her husband being tested, Sue Spencer embarks on a search for meaning in her life-for a better sense of who she might be. Her quest takes her to to Akaroa, to France and back, tracing her genealogy.

Black McIntosh to Gold
Black McIntosh to Gold

Author: Lois Shepheard

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2014-03-01

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1922120839

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An exquisitely detailed portrayal of settlement Australia in the 1800s, Black McIntosh to Gold spans a century as it traces a family’s migration from a fishing village in the far north of Scotland to the goldfields of New South Wales. One after another, members of the McIntosh clan are called to make the journey into unknown territory where dreams of happy families, workable land and perhaps even gold await. Steeped in research and laced with the magic of folklore and the mystery of The Sight, a gift – or perhaps, curse – of visions passed along the generations, Black McIntosh to Gold is a fully ripened cultural experience of the ancestors. This elegant and dramatic history offers a clear window into the birth of Australia. It gives voice to the country’s founders, to determined men, women and children who came to Australia hoping for opportunity and a better life.

Yellowcake Summer
Yellowcake Summer

Author: Guy Salvidge

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2013-01-08

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1922120634

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Drought. Heatwave. Environmental ruin ... Rion Saunders is forced to return to his hometown in the 'Belt as a Police Force draftee. Released from custody, Sylvia Baron must play a double game infiltrating the shadowy Misanthropos. Meanwhile, her ex-husband David, is on death row. The latest Director of Security at Yellowcake Springs tries to keep a protest from spiralling out of control. Do the answers lie in Controlled Waking State, CIQ Sinocorp's newest stratagem to subdue a restless population? Yellowcake Summer concludes the exciting story begun in Yellowcake Springs.

The Sugar Doctor
The Sugar Doctor

Author: Lois Shepheard

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2017-05-04

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 1925231488

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In 1838, Dr Alexander Skinner leaves Scotland for Australia to make his fortune. He had met Scots whose families owned sugar plantations in the West Indies and been told that Australia’s climate might be equally suitable for growing sugar. Dr Skinner is intrigued by the prospect of sugar production and the potential growth of a global industry. A restless, tenacious, often relentless character, Dr Skinner pushes himself and his family towards his single-minded goal of success in an untamed country. Author Lois Shepheard’s investigation retraces this man’s life alongside the history of an Australian industry and its communities, through New South Wales state records, 19th century newspapers, ships’ passenger lists and a treasure trove of personal letters. The Sugar Doctor examines Dr Skinner’s successes and losses as he traverses urban and rural Australia, with a few years in the Philippines to learn the sugarcane trade. Shepheard skilfully weaves this tapestry of settlement in Australia, stitched with the threads of Dr Skinner, his family life and the deeds of his friends, relatives and associates. The Sugar Doctor is an evocative portrayal of 19th century Australian society and of the brave souls who helped lay the foundations of a nation.

Shadow Patterns
Shadow Patterns

Author: Daphne Tuttle

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 1921869852

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Shadow Patterns spans two continents and a lifetime of hopes, fears, laughter, regrets, joys and agonies. Take a journey deep into humanity and lose yourself amongst the simple, life-affirming truths of the characters who will become your fellow travellers. Penelope goes in search of a long broken friendship. Her journey takes her from childhood years on a farm in Africa to the inner sect of a cult in modern day Melbourne. Ulti mately, the trail leads her to confront betrayal, heartbreak and her most deeply buried secrets. She knows she must face these if she is ever to come out of the shadows and into the light.

Blood
Blood

Author: Peter Kay

Publisher: Interactive Publications

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 1922120030

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"Compelling in its interweaving of realism and fabulation, Peter Kay's Blood is a love story which powerfully illuminates some of the darker places in the Australian national psyche: the controversial bombing of Darwin, forced adoptions in the 1950s and 60s, and depression as a major national illness..."--Back cover.