Fremantle Press invites you to celebrate the release of two brand-new novels, Last Best Chance by Brooke Dunnell and The Players by Deborah Pike. Hosted by Manning Library, Fremantle Press CEO Alex Allan will officially launch the two novels. Brooke and Deborah will be sharing their experiences as contemporary fiction authors and discussing the lengths they have gone to, both around the world and with research, to bring their novels to life.

Doors will open at 6:00 pm for a 6:30pm start. Copies will be available for purchase on the night, courtesy of Millpoint Caffe & Bookshop. The event is free to attend, but bookings are essential.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Free under cover parking at Manning Library is available in the basement off BRADSHAW CRES. Please ignore the 7 pm closing sign. The carpark door is sensor activated to open as you drive up to it. You will not be locked in. Do NOT park in the Medical Centre carpark – clearly marked with signage. That area does lock and there will be a fee to get your car out.

The lifts will take you to the Manning Hub foyer – turn RIGHT and you will see the entry to the Community Hall.

We hope to see you there!

ABOUT LAST BEST CHANCE

With her biological clock ticking, Rachel embarks on a clandestine mission to an Central European fertility clinic. There, in the chilly heart of the nation’s capital, expat Jess revels in her life with Viktor, despite struggling to make ends meet. When a green energy expo comes to the overlooked city, Jess uses the opportunity to kickstart a business venture, while Rachel fears the heightened scrutiny might jeopardise her chance for a child. When the two women meet, they do not know it, but each has something the other one needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brooke Dunnell is an author, manuscript assessor, mentor, creative writing competition judge and workshop facilitator. Her short fiction has appeared in journals and anthologies around Australia. She has been shortlisted for the Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award, the Woollahra Digital Literary Award and her novel The Glass House won the 2021 Fogarty Literary Award.

ABOUT THE PLAYERS

One hot summer, a group of university students gathers in an orchard to rehearse a play. Veronika is born for a life on the stage while Felix seizes his last chance for creative freedom. Sebastian woos Veronika, while Cassie longs for Sebastian. Josh and Gloria each carry a secret they are unable to share. Passion, rivalry and enduring connections will bind the players across years and continents, long after the final curtain falls.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deborah Pike grew up in Western Australia and now lives in Sydney where she lectures in English Literature at the University of Notre Dame. Deborah is the author of The Subversive Art of Zelda Fitzgerald, which was shortlisted for the AUHE award in literary criticism.

Fremantle Press presents the Great Big Book Club: Last Best Chance and The Players

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