Amy Laurens
1) Anamata
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Adela never imagined her life would end here: alone in a filthy spare room with a bucket for a toilet after days on days of torture.But she can wait a few days for her captors to tire of her-or she can save them the trouble. Not that they left anything for her to use for those purposes.Of course, a third alternative might exist. She knows the nephew of this house's owner, after all…A dark, heart-twisting story that proves that even the darkest tales...
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Kiana's last day at the magically-charged fence that protects the world from hyper-destructive unicorns: A day of celebration, right?Not when the extraction team runs late and an ominous storm brews-and her partner has been keeping a potentially fatal secret…For everyone who's ever been suspicious of the perfect-persona of the unicorn and who understands what true sacrifice means.
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In 2022, Amy faced the most challenging decision of her life: stay in the job she knew and loved as a high school English teacher, making a difference in the lives of teens, but continue to risk her relationship with her friends, her family, her health—and her own children?
Or leap into the unknown?
Amy's choice resulted in these poems, as she processed her way through grief into joy on the other side.
For everyone who knows what it takes to...
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**Winner 2019 ACT Writing & Publishing Awards - Children's Division**This is what the fairies never wanted you to know…Edge Tanning gets things done. She vanquished the shadows that threatened Sanctuary, magical home of the fairies, and saved her best friend from the clutches of the Valley-and called the power of Sanctuary to life. All well and good… except that calling the power of Sanctuary kind of broke the whole of the fairies' land. None...
5) Interchange
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The bad: Fed up with James trying to run her life, Ella hangs up on her boyfriend at the bus stop. The worse: Having to share the bus ride home with middle-aged drifters.But the worst of all? The skinny, shell of a man in the business suit next to her starting to cry. Can people not just keep their problems to themselves for once? A coming-of-age story that reminds us not to judge others before we know them. 1900 words / contemporary
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The summer sun bakes the boat, the catch, and the bait. Everything stinks of salt and prawns, and Ellie just needs a break.Falling overboard trying to reach her brother's litter? Not quite the break she intended. But Ellie takes advantage of the opportunity to swim for shore and spend some time exploring.Of course, finding confirmation of one of her town's oldest legends? Also not quite what she intended…A rich, salty tale about finding the magic...
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Certified to bring tagged people back from the dead, Anna knows responsibility. So when Millicent, local school bully, approaches Anna to raise Millicent's boyfriend Victor, Anna does the right thing: she refuses. Victor has no tag. But now? Millicent's steaming mad, and willing to risk anything-and everything-to get her revenge. Anna better watch out. This probably won't end well. A sassy little story about the consequences of overstretching our...
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The small town of Renph: a cosy, happy little place-at least until recently. Now, violence explodes in the streets, rumours whisper in the dark, and people hang in the square. And no one knows why. No one-except Tikva. But what can a seven-year-old do against a tidal wave of hatred? Or against the strange flame-haired woman who rode into town on her jet-black horse?A richly imagined tale that demonstrates the power of love-no matter what the age....
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Six years ago, Mina saved a fox in the bush. As thunder growled and lightning flashes, she thought she saw... Something. Now, as Mina plots her escape from backcountry Jilamatang to big-city Sydney, the town trembles. Two children, stolen from near their school. An elderly woman, missing. Mina wants to ignore it all, to focus on leaving her mother's depression behind for good. But the connection? More personal than she could ever imagine. If you love...
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Zac, young, smart and adventures, roams the eucalypt bush and pine forest around his house to his heart's content. But not over the old train tracks. Never that far. Until one day, he feels something magical calling…He knows he should ignore it. But even he can't imagine the consequences for listening this time.A tragic story about the mistakes we can make while grieving, and how clinging to our grief can cheat us of everything we ever loved, or...
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Evil Overlord in training? Check. Successfully hidden the true depths of her powers for four years so no one kills her? Check. Graduating at the top of her class from the Evil Overlord Academy so she can acquire her castle? ...Uncertain. And Mercury loathes uncertainty. If that smarmy git Deviran beats her for dux, Mercury needs to rethink her plans. Because the Tumul Tuos castle belongs to her. No matter what it takes to convince everyone else. ...
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Do you love worldbuilding for stories, games and other adventures? Do you delight in populating your world with terrifying monsters, wondrous creatures, and fantastic beasts? Do you know how to design these creatures, so they feel like plausible parts of their environments? Because if you don't, readers could be throwing your book against the wall in frustration at your lack of understanding. Why do ocean mammals live mostly at the poles? Why do vertebrates...
13) The Wasporcist
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Her ears buzz, day and night, like a wasp has taken up residence in her brain. The solution? Call whoever it takes to get rid of it. No matter what the cost. If you love stories that leave you glancing over your shoulder with a chill down your spine, don't miss The Wasporcist.1600 words. Welcome to Inklets, a series of short (and sometimes short-short) stories ranging from sci-fi to fantasy to lingering just on the edge of normal. One thing's for...
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Tonight: the formal dance. Everything she ever dreamed of. But the face looking back in the mirror? About three shades too orange. She needs to exchange this foundation pronto, before her plans-and dreams-for the night burn down. Because tonight will be perfect. No matter what the price. A wicked little story about the lengths that people go to for that one perfect evening.
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Welcome to a land where ignorance kills. The only way to survive is to walk the difficult road and stand against the dark.In The Wasporcist, Lily grows tired of everyone thinking she's mad. She knows the buzzing in her ears is more than her imagination, and calls in a Wasporcist. In Certified, Anna is a Raiser, able to raise from the dead anyone she doesn't know. So what can she do when her best friend murders her boyfriend?The maliche are devouring...
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When Adelaide falls from her horse in the paddock near home, her mother freaks out. But not without cause: Adelaide's terminal illness grows worse by the day, eating away at her energy, her body-and her independence. But that's nothing compared to the tragedy that happens next in the paddock, a tragedy that threatens everything Adelaide holds dear.Inspired by Greek mythology, Sea Foam and Bloodreminds readers of the importance of self-determination...
17) One Bad Man
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She waits on a frosty street corner in old Russia, armed with the gadgets her sponsor gave her. Ivanov draws near-to her, to his death.But first, she needs to know: Vasiliy Ivanov, good man or bad?Killing a good man risks her integrity-and her soul-so no matter what the bounty, she must make certain.For everyone who ever wondered about doing bad things for good reasons-and anyone who ever doubted what they believe.
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Parent-teacher interviews: a teacher's worse nightmare.
Especially with a parent like Alison Young.
Can this teacher find a way to solve this problem without getting everyone off side?
A slipstream sci-fi story that reminds us all that we control our own fate.
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Did you know that all cultures are a direct product of their environment? Do you know why? Better yet, do you know how an environment is likely to shape the culture that develops there, in order to make your own worldbuilding both rich and plausible?
How To Create Cultures is here to help!
In this comprehensively-researched, easy-to-read book, learn all the major biomes and climate zones you can expect to find either on Earth or in your fictional...
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The silver silence out in the forest refreshes Lily's spirits after being housebound with her family for the last three weeks. Hoping for mushrooms, instead Lily finds… something else. Something unidentifiable.Something with the power to remind Lily of everything truly important in her life.A lush, vivid story with mystery elements, for readers who love the soul-deep quiet of the outdoors and value finding peace in the everyday hustle of modern...