Join us on Tuesday 29 September, 6:30pm for a special Books@Stones event with Peter Long, author of Wooden Ships and Iron Men.

The Coastwatchers risked everything for victory. This is one of their stories...

Will Red, a boxer turned novice sailor aboard two small Allied Intelligence boats during World War II, survive the dangers that lurk behind enemy lines? Tasked with spying and supporting the secretive Coastwatchers deep in Japanese-occupied territory, he faces betrayals, relentless enemy pursuit, aerial bombardment, and the constant threat of disease in the tropical wilderness.

Inspired by true events, Wooden Ships and Iron Men is a gripping tale of adventure, courage, and endurance – a story of family, passion, and the indomitable Aussie spirit, laced with moments of humour amid the horror of war.

Peter Long is a Brisbane writer with an interest in regional and historical fiction and any other topic that attracts his fancy. His poetry has been highly commended in the 1980 and 1981 McGregor Literary Competition and a long poem published in Paper Children, an anthology from that competition. He has been long-listed and published three times in both The Stringybark and Sydney Hammond short story competitions and his collection of short stories long-listed in the 2020 Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize. In 2023 he was placed second in the Fellowship of Australian Writers, Qld, Maureen Freer, Short Story Competition, and third in the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Competition. Peter Long was a QWC committee member 2021-23 where he focused on support for regional writers. Peter's works include Steve Hart: The Last Kelly Standing and Identity: Larry Cummins, Bushranger. His third book, Wooden Ships and Iron Men will be released 17 September 2026.

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All our events are free to attend, but bookings are required as seats are limited.

Contact the host of Books@Stones event: Wooden Ships and Iron Men by Peter Long