Supported by grants and residencies from Arts Tasmania

and a mentorship from the Australian Society of Authors

A young unemployed art restorer discovers a lost historic painting that reveals an appalling event in Tasmania’s past, a subject of acrimonious debate. The canvas is damaged and the figures unclear.

To create a career for himself, and save his faltering marriage, Paul Collins must somehow find a way to use this discovery by forging a pact with those who want the truth known, along with those that don’t.

A novel of art, history and deception.

Read an excerpt of Past/Present

Shadow in the Forest can best be described as a psychological thriller. In brief, it follows the inner and outer journeys of an idealistic young zoologist, Evelyn Carter, who travels to the Tasmanian wilderness as part of a study to help evaluate the impact of tourism on specific wilderness areas, in her case, the Walls of Jerusalem.

The story is set in the 1980’s following the successful actions which saved the Franklin River and it references some important movements and moods of the time, such as the influence of growing environmentalism and feminism. Isolated in the wilderness, Evelyn sights and eventually befriends an animal which she believes to be the extinct ‘mythical’ Tasmanian Tiger. Gradually she becomes obsessed with the beast and the various potential issues arising from her ‘discovery’. A peculiar psychosexual ‘love affair’ builds between woman and animal, leading eventually to a heart-breaking outcome. On the sidelines is a friendly ‘greenie’, Graeme, also part of the project, who fancies Evelyn and is concerned and watching out for her.

Ethical zoological, personal and environmental issues are tied in with the examination of a mind descending into madness.

Read an excerpt of Shadow in the Forest