ABOUT THE EVENT:

It starts with a lie. One small lie to get everything he wants. But one lie leads to another, and another. Caught in his own web of deception, how can he recognise the truth? And what is it going to cost him?

On Thursday 22nd May at The Royal Oak, Balmain, join Dominic Amerena in conversation with Andrew Pippos.

Copies of I Want Everything will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with Amerena signing copies after the discussion.

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ABOUT THE VENUE

Attendees are asked to arrive at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Seating is unallocated – another reason to arrive early to secure an optimal spot. Why not make a full evening of it, too, by ordering a meal at the Royal Oak before or after the event? One of Balmain's oldest and most loved pubs, it serves a delicious range of food and beverages.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

The legendary career of reclusive cult author Brenda Shales remains one of Australia’s last unsolved literary mysteries. Her books took the world by storm before she disappeared from the public eye after a mysterious

plagiarism case. But when an ambitious young writer stumbles across Brenda at a Melbourne pool, he realises the scoop of a lifetime is floating in front of him: the truth behind why she vanished without a trace. The only problem? He must pretend to be someone he’s not to trick the story out of her.

One innocent lie leads to a slew that are definitively not, as Brenda reveals the strange and troubling truth of where her books came from. Yet the more the author unravels about Brenda’s past, the more he begins

to question whether Brenda is a reliable narrator. Is she spilling secrets or spinning tales? Is she, like him, little more than a talented thief ? To write the book that will make his name, he must balance his ethics and ambition and decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to become the next great Australian writer.

This astonishing debut, full of delicious twists and wicked insights, is a dazzling novel of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the costs of creative ambition.

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ABOUT DOMINIC AMERENA

Dominic Amerena is an Australian writer whose work has been widely published and anthologised. He has won numerous prizes, scholarships, fellowships, and grants, including the Vil La Joana Residency, the Hawthornden Fellowship, the inaugural Speculate Prize, an Australia Council New Work Grant and the Alan Marshall Short Story Award. He has a PhD from the University of RMIT and he lives between Melbourne and Athens, Greece. I Want Everything is his debut novel.

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ABOUT ANDREW PIPPOS

Andrew Pippos is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Technology Sydney. His first novel, Lucky’s, was published in 2020 and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Lucky’s won the 2021 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. His second novel, The Transformations, will be published in October 2025 by Picador.

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

Refunds

Please note that tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled or postponed due to extenuating circumstances. Refunds are not issued within 48 hours notice of event date. Humanitix fee is nonrefundable.

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This event is presented by Roaring Stories Bookshop Balmain.

With thanks to our venue partner The Royal Oak.

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