Writer, surfer, eclectic reader, author of adult and young adult fiction. New novel ‘The Pact’ out January 2026 (HQ – HarperCollins)
Hello, and thank you for joining my Reader’s Club, I’m so pleased to see you here! This is where I share recommendations, writing news, and events. As a welcome gift I would like to offer you a short story, ‘Night Calls’, which is set in the rainforests of northern New South Wales, Australia, near where I live.
Books with writers as protagonists can be controversial. Are they just a lazy attempt for the author to avoid doing any research? Maybe a little. But on the other hand, aren’t writers with all their ambitions, envy, and obsessions entertaining? Obviously, I think so, anyway. That’s why I wrote a novel about a group of writers.
Here are four novels about writers I’ve enjoyed recently:
‘The Sequel’ by Jean Hanff Korelitz
This one is – you guessed it – a sequel to ‘The Plot’, so if you haven’t read that yet, start there. Recently widowed Anna is enjoying the royalties of her dead husband’s best-selling novel. But when she publishes her own novel, some skeletons in her closet break loose, and she has to fight back or risk being exposed.
‘Who is Maud Dixon?’ by Alexandra Andrews
Twenty-six-year-old aspiring writer Florence takes a job as an assistant to a mysterious bestselling author Maud Dixon, whose true identity is a secret. Everything falls apart on a research trip to Morocco, as a cat and mouse game ensues between the two women.
‘The Final Chapter’ by January Gilchrist
A group of mis-matched, and secretive writers gather at a writing retreat in the Blue Mountains. When they’re trapped by a snowfall, one of them is murdered and they must hunt down the killer before they strike again.
‘We Love You Bunny’ by Mona Awad
If you like dark and, frankly, extremely weird books – which I do – then this might be for you. (This is a sequel to ‘Bunny’, so go back and read that one if you haven’t already). Samantha has just published her first novel. However, when her old university frenemies, who inspired her novel, kidnap her, things get very out of hand. To quote the jacket copy – Frankenstein meets Heathers. That sounds about right.
‘The Pact’ has opened for pre-orders in paperback, audio and ebook. Pre-orders really help authors by demonstrating interest in a book and building buzz. Ordering it in, or reserving it, at your local library is also great. Authors receive royalties for every copy of their book held in a library, and it’s surprising how it all adds up!
Thank you so much to these lovely authors who have taken the time to read ‘The Pact’.
‘A dark and twisty story of the consequences of toxic ambition that will keep you guessing until the very end’ Kayte Nunn
‘The Camino de Santiago is the perfect setting for this dark and atmospheric tale; clever and twisty’. Jackie Kabler
‘This quirky and unpredictable suspense is as twisty as Spain’s Camino de Santiago! Packed with intrigue and secrets, THE PACT asks how far someone might go for literary success.’ Allie Reynolds
‘The path to Santiago is never straight — and neither is the truth in this gripping, twist-filled murder mystery’ Donna M Cameron
‘Pacy, twisty and layered revenge tale’ Joanna Barnard
Lisa
Today, I want to give a shout out to some standout Australian authors I have loved reading lately. It’s an eclectic mix, but all of these books were memorable and rewarding in different ways.
‘The Palazzo’ by Kayte Nunn – Friends, food, jealousy and obsession collide in an atmospheric Italian palazzo.
‘Rytual’ by Chloe Elizabeth Wilson – A young woman is recruited into a dark feminist, beauty cult.
‘The Revisionists’ by Michelle Johnston – A compelling story about memory, friendship, ethics, and journalistic ambition in an international conflict zone.
‘A Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt’ by Mark Mupotsa-Russell – Darkly (very darkly) funny, with a take-no-prisoners mother bent on revenge.
I’m so happy to share my beautiful cover for ‘The Pact’. I love stories about youthful golden moments, which go badly wrong, and I feel like this image captures that perfectly. To me, it has ‘Saltburn’ vibes and makes me want to be one of those young people lounging by the pond in the sun.
Here’s the back cover blurb –
Tess enters the prestigious and exclusive Ravensthorpe Writing College with dreams of literary greatness but soon discovers that ambition comes at a cost.
Drawn into a tight-knit group with fellow writers Ethan, Theo, and Jaz, Tess’s world is upended when their charismatic tutor is found dead. Believing someone in their circle is responsible, Tess flees the elite literary world and abandons the future she once craved.
Three years later, an enigmatic invitation to walk the Camino de Santiago offers Tess a chance to uncover the truth. Reunited with her former friends, including Ethan, now a literary star, Tess realises the past isn’t finished with her. Someone knows what really happened that night, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.
The Pact is out in paperback in January 2026 in Australia and the UK, Canada in March, and the US in June. (The e-book and audiobook will be available in all these countries in January).
You can add ‘The Pact’ to your Goodreads ‘to be read’ list now here, and pre-orders open in October!
I’m working hard on my next novel, which is due for publication in 2027. It’s set on a cross-country ski tour in Arctic Sweden, so I’m enjoying re-living the memories of my beautiful ski tour on The King’s Trail in 2024. Here is my Instagram reel from this trip, if you’d like to check it out.
I’ve finished an 80-thousand-word first draft, so I’m taking a breather before I go back to figure out how to take it to the next level. My novels usually undergo BIG changes in the second draft phase, so I’ll need a fresh mind and lots of re-structuring energy. So far though, I’m loving my characters and the wild Arctic setting.
Thank you for reading!
Lisa
Reading!
What a month of reading it’s been! I’ve devoured some absolute gems recently, and it was hard to pick just a couple to share with you. But here are two brand-new releases by brilliant Australian women writers that completely swept me away:
‘Wild Dark Shore’ by Charlotte McConaghy
I’ll read anything Charlotte writes — Migrations is one of my all-time favourites — so the second I heard about Wild Dark Shore, I was all in. Set in a near-future world on a remote sub-Antarctic island, the story follows a father and his three children, the island’s only inhabitants, whose lives are upended when a mysterious woman washes ashore after a shipwreck. Like Migrations, it weaves stark wilderness, climate grief, and edge-of-your-seat suspense into something utterly haunting and unforgettable. I know this one will stay with me for a long, long time.
‘Mother Tongue’ by Naima Brown
Naima Brown’s second novel, Mother Tongue, is wildly original and completely addictive. After loving her first book, The Shot, I couldn’t wait to dive into this — and it didn’t disappoint. The premise is irresistible: Brynn wakes from a coma speaking fluent French (yes, Foreign Language Syndrome is a real thing!), and it sets her on a path of radical transformation. Dark, funny, feminist, and full of sharp insights into motherhood and identity, this book is unpredictable in all the best ways. Highly recommend if you want something that’ll keep you thinking long after you turn the last page.
Watching!
White Lotus – Season Three
Like seemingly everyone else on the planet, I got swept up in the latest season of White Lotus. Watching a group of rich narcissists ruin each other’s lives on holiday? Apparently, that’s my perfect comfort viewing. The performances were stellar, the writing sharp, and I spent way too much time guessing who the murder victim would be. Rumour has it that Season Four is heading to Morocco, and I can’t wait.
Midsommar
Ok, so Midsommar isn’t exactly new (it came out in 2019), but I finally gathered the courage to watch it. Horror isn’t usually my thing, but Swedish paganism? Very much my thing. Plus, Florence Pugh is extraordinary. I’ll admit: there were quite a few moments where I had to close my eyes, but the lush Scandinavian setting, the maypole dancing, the deeply unsettling cult — it all combined into something hypnotic and unforgettable. Worth the nightmares!
Writing!
And now for some exciting news…
My debut psychological suspense novel, The Pact, will be published by HQ (HarperCollins) in the UK and Australia in January 2026!
The Pact is a “dark academia meets hiking” story set partly in the UK and partly along the Spanish Camino de Santiago. It follows a dysfunctional writing group (Nothing like my own lovely group!) on a 30-day hike. This story has been quietly growing in my mind ever since I walked the Camino in 2016 — so it’s been almost a decade from the first spark of an idea to the finish line.
On the Camino in 2016
I’m also deep into the next novel, due out in 2027 — hoping to speed things up this time around!
I hope you’ve had a happy and productive month. Thank you for reading!
Lisa x
