Every Time She Wakes Launch with Petronella McGovern

Join local bestselling author Petronella McGovern in conversation with Anna Downes to celebrate the launch of her fifth book, Every Time She Wakes.

Every Time She Wakes is a taut, time-bending thriller about family, identity and defying fate, partly set on the Northern Beaches.

When careers counsellor Suze and her family are evacuated from their home during a bushfire emergency, she suddenly realises they're being kidnapped. The van crashes and Suze thinks it's the end.

But she wakes up two weeks back in time. No one else remembers the terror that came before. Is it all in her own mind? Then it happens again. And again. With every loop, her world twists into a new version of itself. Suze must discover why it's happening and who is behind the kidnappings. She's running out of time to save her family and wake up in a world she recognises.

A twisty page-turner about how far we'll go to protect what matters most.

‘Gripping, unsettling and impossible to put down.' Sally Hepworth, author of Mad Mabel.

‘A clever, propulsive thriller that plays brilliantly with time and tension.' Christian White, author of The Long Night.

Books will be available for purchase and signing on the night.

$5.00 + booking fee

Non-alcoholic refreshments and nibbles on arrival.

Bookings required.

Enquiries: 8495 5028 or libraryprograms@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

Petronella McGovern is fascinated by people - what makes us tick, how we view the world, and the lies we tell each other and ourselves. She's interested in the complexities of relationships and family dynamics. Petronella is the best-selling author of Six Minutes, The Good Teacher, The Liars and The Last Trace. Her books have been nominated in the Ned Kelly Awards, the Davitt Awards and the Indie Book Awards. Petronella has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and tutors in creative writing. She grew up on a farm in central west NSW and now lives with her family in Sydney on Gadigal Country.

Anna Downes is the internationally bestselling author of The Safe Place, The Shadow House, and Red River Road (shortlisted for the 2025 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year), as well as the Penguin Voices audio exclusive Break Me Down. Born and raised in Sheffield, UK, she studied Drama at the University of Manchester and acting at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before working professionally until 2011, when she moved to Australia and turned her hand to writing. Her novels have been optioned for both film and TV, and translated into over ten different languages. She now lives on the NSW Central Coast with her husband and two children.