Michael Rowland

'The utterly inspirational story behind one of our country's most superb journalists. To have played even the tiniest of roles in helping to ignite Lisa's early fire for journalism gives me more joy than she will ever know.' LISA WILKINSON Lisa Millar has spent her whole life showing up, getting things done and making things happen. As a child growing up in country Queensland, she dreamed of a big life. Working as a foreign correspondent gave her that, but it also meant confronting the worst that humanity can bring. Three decades as a journalist witnessing tragedy had a cost. And an ever-escalating fear of flying threatened to rob her of her ability to work at all. For that young girl from small-town Kilkivan, who had to push herself to keep going, push herself to conquer fear, push herself to tell important stories, finally came the realisation that sometimes all we really need is what we already have. And she shows us that we are all stronger and more resilient than we give ourselves credit for if we just dare to let ourselves fly. 'A heartfelt and intimate memoir, recounted with a warmth and honesty . . . Through Millar's eyes, I saw the world anew - yes, filled with tragedy and sadness as so often it is, but also with adventure and promise and friendship and joy.' WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN 'While this memoir charts how trauma manifests in the life of a foreign correspondent, it is equally about Lisa Millar's determination to face her fears.' SATURDAY AGE

It is 1993: a serial killer is loose on the streets of Frankston, Victoria. The community is paralysed by fear, and a state's police force and national media come to find a killer. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Paul Kennedy is searching for something else entirely. He is focused on finishing school, getting drafted into the AFL and falling in love. So much can change in a year.

A thrilling and provocative account of unfolding tensions between China and the West, filled with the people, stories and sticky situations from Bill Birtles' five years as Australian Broadcasting Company correspondent. 'People abroad always thought things were much scarier in China than they really were. What threw me, though, was the urgency of the diplomats in Beijing. They live it, they get it. And they wanted me out.' Bill Birtles was rushed out of China in September 2020, forced to seek refuge in the Australian Embassy in Beijing while diplomats delicately negotiated his departure in an unprecedented standoff with China's government. Five days later he was on a flight back to Sydney, leaving China without any Australian foreign correspondents on the ground for the first time in decades. A journalist's perspective on this rising global power has never been more important, as Australia's relationship with China undergoes an extraordinary change that's seen the detention of a journalist Cheng Lei, Canberra's criticism of Beijing's efforts to crush Hong Kong's freedoms, as well as China's military activity in the South China Sea and its human rights violations targeting the mostly Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang province. Chronicling his five-year stint in China as he criss-crossed the country, Birtles reveals why the historic unraveling of China's relations with the West is perceived very differently inside the country. The Truth About China is a compelling and candid examination of China, one that takes a magnifying glass to recent events, and looks through a telescope at what is yet to come.

Yumiko Kadota was every Asian parent's dream- model student, top of her class in medical school and on track to becoming a surgeon. A self-confessed workaholic, she regularly put 'knife before life', knowing it was all going to be worth it because it would lead to her longed-for career.But if the punishing hours in surgery weren't hard enough, she also faced challenges as a young female surgeon navigating a male-dominated specialty. She was regularly left to carry out complex procedures without senior surgeons' oversight; she was called all sorts of things, from 'emotional' to 'too confident'; and she was expected to work a relentless on-call roster - sometimes seventy hours a week or more - to prove herself.Eventually it was too much and Yumiko quit.Emotional Female is her account of what it was like to train in the Australian public hospital system, and what made her walk away.Yumiko Kadota is a voice for her generation when it comes to burnout and finding the resilience to rebuild after suffering a physical, emotional and existential breakdown. This is a brave, honest and unflinching work from a major new talent.

INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The first, epic and true story of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s life together, finally revealing why they chose to pursue a more independent path, despite Harry’s deep devotion to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, and the reasons behind their unprecedented decision to step away from their royal lives, from two top royal reporters who have been behind the scenes since the couple first met. Finding Freedom is complete with full color photographs from Harry and Meghan’s courtship, wedding, Archie’s milestones, every unforgettable moment. When news of the budding romance between a beloved English prince and an American actress broke, it captured the world’s attention and sparked an international media frenzy. But while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have continued to make headlines—from their engagement, wedding, and birth of their son Archie to their unprecedented decision to step back from their royal lives—few know the true story of Harry and Meghan. For the very first time, Finding Freedom goes beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan’s life together, dispelling the many rumors and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond. As members of the select group of reporters that cover the British Royal Family and their engagements, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have witnessed the young couple’s lives as few outsiders can. With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, Finding Freedom is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.

SET TO BE ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN. Like Michael Connelly’s Bosch, John Bailey will risk everything to get to the truth – and bring down the world’s most wanted terrorist.Catching the world's most wanted terrorist was supposed to be someone else's job...John Bailey has a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The former war correspondent has been kidnapped and tortured – twice. Finally he’s living something that resembles a normal life. But all that changes when a terrorist murders a woman in front of Bailey in London.The mastermind behind the attack is Mustafa al-Baghdadi – No.1 on the FBI’s most wanted list – and the man who tortured Bailey in Fallujah a decade ago.Mustafa has a deadly axe to grind with Bailey. He taunts him with threats of more attacks in other cities, closer to home. Back in Sydney, the people who matter most to Bailey have become targets.Bailey turns to the only man who can help – ruthless CIA veteran Ronnie Johnson – to bring down the world’s most deadly terrorist.The brilliant second book in Tim Ayliffe's bestselling John Bailey series. Bailey's adventures in State of Fear, The Greater Good and The Enemy Within will be adapted for the screen by CJZ Productions, Australia's largest independently owned production company.Praise for State of Fear ‘Another brilliantly crafted thriller from Ayliffe that fits perfectly in today’s worrying world … Get this guy on TV’ Herald Sun‘Sharp, incisive and scarily prescient, I was hooked from the first chapter to the final page.’ Sara Foster, bestselling author of The Hidden Hours ‘Utterly compelling and terrifyingly timely. I could not put it down’ Pip Drysdale, bestselling author of The Sunday Girl‘As a correspondent, I lived this world. Tim Ayliffe has written it’ Stan Grant, writer and broadcasterPraise for The Greater Good‘A brilliantly written character starring in cracking crime thriller’ Herald Sun‘A fun and exhilarating political crime thriller that is guaranteed to electrify and entertain in good measure.’​ The Unseen Library ‘Readers will not fail to enjoy the ride from start to finish.’ Good Reading ‘A crime thriller with the murder, deceit, corruption and a hint of romance … Ayliffe takes you deep inside the worlds of politics and the media, with a heavy dose of international intrigue thrown in.’ Michael Rowland 'Ayliffe delivers a taut, nail-biting page-turner, stamping his mark on the modern day Australian thriller.’ Better Reading‘If Rake were a journalist, with a talent that equals his capacity to survive being beaten up, Bailey would be him.’ Julia Baird‘An absolute cracker of a thriller.’ Chris UhlmannPraise for The Enemy Within :‘A breathlessly written book, ripped from today’s headlines, this is a cracking read that blurs the line between fact and fiction. More please.’ Michael Robotham'A cracking yarn told at breakneck speed. I couldn't put it down.' Chris Hammer‘Sharp, gritty, sophisticated. Ayliffe’s criminal world is terrifyingly real.’ Candice Fox