The Australian Pen
Book Launches
VOLUME 1: OBLIQUITY
noun
1. deviation from moral rectitude or sound thinking;
2. deviation from parallelism or perpendicularity;
3. deliberate obscurity of speech or conduct
For readers who enjoy discovering hidden meanings, taking twisting turns and watching peculiar events unfold.
Obliquity is about people behaving badly; perhaps they make a bad decision or are being deceived or manipulated. The reader is sometimes in on the deception from the start or is deceived along with the main character. but they are always along for the ride.
Seventeen stories each unfold with clever precision, revealing the mystery and heightening emotions. Some stories are heartwarming while others will leave a person cold. Many genres can be found here; mystery, romance, crime, paranormal fantasy, comedy, epic fantasy and drama. Each story is an adventure into the complexities of the human mind; how and why we lie to each other or how and why we lie to ourselves.
THE BOOK LAUNCH
In 2016 the launch was held at North Lakes library in the Moreton Bay region. Authors gathered to connect and celebrate their writing with family, friends and readers in the audience. They all hopped up one at a time to receive their paperback and talk about their stories and/or themselves.
Eating, drinking and merriment followed soon after, and so the Australian Pen series was born! The next volume was announced at the launch: Futurevision, for the Sci-Fi and Speculative writers.
Authors from left to right: Helen Low, Fiona Emily, Lorraine Slim, Linda Conlon (back), Jodie Lane, David Tofts, Alicia Bruzzone, Delia Strange, Kasper Beaumont, Sophie L. Macdonald, Duncan Richardson
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VOLUME 2: FUTUREVISION
20 Predictions about the future
Since humankind was able to imagine, stories about the future both immediate and far-reaching have been passed on. We ask ourselves:
Will we, as a species, be able to overcome our differences and work together?
Will planet Earth be salvaged or abandoned?
Will we be able to connect with other humans in a digital age?
Will we be able to recognise ourselves and our society in twenty years' time? How about in fifty or a hundred?
Find out what twenty Australian authors have imagined and be intrigued by the differences - and similarities - they have in store.
THE BOOK LAUNCH
In 2017, Futurevision was launched at the modern environmentally-green building that is North Lakes library within the Moreton Bay region. Authors and readers gathered together, exchanging ideas and connecting with their peers and audience. They were called up one at a time to receive their paperback copy and to speak to the audience about their stories and any past and future projects if they so wished.
Eating, drinking and merriment followed soon after, and so the Australian Pen series was well underway! The next volume was announced at the launch: The Evil Inside Us, for the Crime, Thriller and Horror writers.
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From left to right: Julian St Aubyn Green, R A Purtill, Fiona Emily (seated), J H Nelson, Kasper Beaumont, Peta Fitzpatrick, Rollo Waite (seated), L G Dalton, Delia Strange, Jodie Lane (front), Sophie L. Macdonald (front), Kenneth J. Johnson, Greg Peake, Nola Passmore, Duncan Richardson
VOLUME 3: THE EVIL INSIDE US
WHAT’S YOUR DARK secret?
Everyone has a dark secret that we lock away…
Everybody has something to hide; whether it's out of embarrassment or fear, denial or resentment. We are human because we are flawed... but what happens when our flaws take over?
Twenty-three stories about the human condition—from mental health to murder and everything in between.
Take this book home today to find out what everybody doesn’t want you to know.
The Evil Inside Us is the third volume of The Australian Pen, written by authors born or are living in Australia. The anthology contains twenty-three stories about the human condition—with topics ranging from mental health to jealousy to betrayal to murder and everything in between. Every reader will find at least one story that will hold up the mirror to their darkness.
Which one of your secrets did we reveal to you?
THE BOOK LAUNCH
In 2018, The Evil Inside Us had a launch at North Lakes library within the Moreton Bay region. Authors and readers were invited to connect and share their stories. Nibbles were of the naughty sweet variety to heighten the idea that bad things can be seductive. Writers, their friends, families and interested readers celebrated the day learning about the stories within the book’s pages, directly from the authors’ mouths. Unfortunately the announcement for the Australian Pen was that it was indefinitely on hold… but now, in 2026, it’s coming back!
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Authors from Left to Right: Duncan Richardson, Miriam McGoldrick, Linda Conlon, Peta Fitzpatrick, A J R Fraser, Sophie L Macdonald (front), Delia Strange, L G Dalton (seated), Lara Tomlinson, E J A, Nyssa Baschel (back), R Lennard (middle), Alicia Bruzzone (front), J H Nelson (back), Jodie Lane (middle), Nikki Lentfer, Fiona Emily (front)
VOLUME 4: HAUNTED HEARTS