Do you think about the future? Do you ever wonder where authors get their ideas? Come along on December 11 to hear about Isobelle Carmody's riveting new novel, Comes the Night set in a futuristic Canberra. Hear about a project Isobelle worked on in regional Queensland and how the ideas from the project fed into and shaped the writing of her book.

Will slipped on the left glove and twitched a finger to establish a link to the kite tronics. A shiver of electric energy ran through his hands as they synched to his nerves through the gloves...

Will lives with his father in a future domed Canberra where citizens are safe from extreme weather events, dangerous solar radiation and civil unrest. He does not question his carefully controlled existence until the recurrence of an old nightmare propels him on a dangerous quest. Gradually Will discovers his dreams hold cryptic clues that lead him into a shadowy alternate dimension. Here he must grapple with dark forces that operate in both worlds, with the help of his best friend Ender, her brilliant but difficult twin sister Magda, and a mysterious gift from his uncle.

This special in-conversation event will focus on how Isobelle and Karen's research as part of the Creativity and Human Flourishing project on the Western Downs informs the book.

Isobelle Carmody is one of Australia's most highly acclaimed authors of fantasy. At fourteen, she began Obernewtyn, the first book in her much-loved Obernewtyn Chronicles, and she has since written many works in this genre. Her novel The Gathering won the 1993 Children's Literature Peace Prize and was joint winner of the 1994 CBCA Book of the Year Award. Greylands was joint winner of the 1997 Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction (Young Adult), and was named a White Raven at the 1998 Bologna Children's Book Fair. Isobelle's work for younger readers includes her two series, The Legend of Little Fur and The Kingdom of the Lost, the first book of which, The Red Wind, won the CBCA Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers in 2011. She has also written several picture books as well as collections of short stories for children, young adults and adults. After living in Europe for more than a decade, Isobelle now divides her time between her home on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and Brisbane, where she completed a PhD at the University of Queensland, and has been conducting postgraduate research.

Karen Hollands has worked as a researcher, writer, teacher and speech language pathologist. She has an MPhil in creative writing and writes short and long fiction.

This is a free event but bookings are required.