We are so pleased to welcome award-winning author Maura Pierlot back to The Book Cow for the launch of her new book The Lies We Tell Ourselves; a timely, smart and utterly compelling story of how to piece yourself together when your world’s falling apart. Maura is joined in conversation by special guest Barbie Robinson of Living Arts Canberra.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When gorgeous new student Carter struts into Year 10, Harley knows it’s time to reinvent herself. Before long, she’s shedding not only weight but her friends, her family and the person she used to be. Spiralling deeper into a world where nothing is as it seems, Harley is desperate to find her way back. But first, she must figure out why her dead grandmother is messaging her. Why her father’s never home. Why the voice keeps making her do things she doesn’t want to do. Why everyone she loves is out of reach. Why everything she wishes for is vanishing before her eyes – or is she the one disappearing?

Set here in Australia, The Lies We Tell Ourselves tackles issues at the heart of adolescence today: cyber-bullying, and the myriad of ways that young people can fall victim to intimidation; grief and the hole left behind when someone close dies unexpectedly; body image, particularly in a world constantly focussing on the external; and the heady, confusing world of teenage love. Combined, these themes are underpinned by existential tenets, eternal truths that are creatively explored in Harley's philosophy class. The story won the Children's Book Council of Australia NSW Aspiring Writers' Mentorship Program, The Charlotte Waring Barton Award and was shortlisted and named runner up for several other Australian writing awards.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maura Pierlot is an international award- winning children’s book author who creates on Ngunnawal country (Canberra). Her writing explores existential themes, prompting vital conversations about identity, mental wellbeing and the complexities of the human experience. She holds a PhD in philosophy, specialising in ethics, and is a qualified art therapist.