RESCHEDULED - Double Book Launch Author Event: On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards AND The Disappearing Circus, co-written with Kate Gordon

RESCHEDULED EVENT!

Join us for a DOUBLE book launch and afternoon of in-conversation with Award-winning Adelaide-based author Dr Helen Edwards. Don't miss the rescheduled Canberra launch of On Gallant Wings PLUS a very special pre-release launch of The Disappearing Circus, co-written by Helen with award-winning author Kate Gordon. Find out how Helen researches Australian history and weaves nature and magic into her stories. Peek into the ways in which two authors in different states create books together and how Helen writes characters who live with mental illness, chronic illness and/or who are neurodivergent from a lived perspective. There will be fun and games for the kids, book readings, light refreshments and an opportunity to purchase all of Helen's books.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

On Gallant Wings

Thirteen-year-old Ava lives in Darwin with her family and their homing pigeons, of which Essie is Ava’s favourite. A Japanese family live next door and their son, Kazuo, is Ava’s best and only real friend. Her father is serving overseas.vWhile Essie is taking her first flight, Ava overhears an argument between her mother, and her brother Fred, who has lied about his age to join the militia. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he trains in Darwin and later helps set up a pigeon service in Townsville. When most civilians are sent to safety down south, Ava remains in Darwin because her mother (who works in the post office) is essential to the war effort. Later that day, military police take Kazuo and his family away in a truck to a holding camp—much to Ava’s distress—along with many other Japanese people who call Australia home.
On February 19, 1942, Darwin is bombed, and Ava and her mother are evacuated in a cattle train with the remaining women and children. After a very difficult journey, they arrive, exhausted, at her grandparent’s home in Lake Boga, where they discover the extent of the damage to Darwin is being concealed from the population. Even those who were actually there know only part of the truth. Desperate to do something to contribute to the war effort, Ava’s mother joins the WAAAF and begins work at the secret Catalina Flying Boat Base. In the meantime, the authorities decide to transfer Kazuo to the men’s camp, separating him from his parents and siblings. Living by rules and rituals has always been how Ava has felt safe, but when Kazuo escapes, she is faced with the hardest decision of all—whether to report a ‘potentially dangerous’ escapee to the authorities, or to protect a beloved friend …

The Disappearing Circus

Step right up and prepare for the most magical show of all! 

Step right up and prepare for the most magical show of all!

When Emme and Ivy—two runaway girls weighed down by grief—stumble upon a strange circus on the moors, they are flung together, as they discover a world unlike any other. Ghostly performers, mythical creatures, and a Ringmistress with dark secrets await them beneath the blood-red Big Top. To save the fading circus from vanishing forever, Emme and Ivy must uncover their hidden talents and put on a show to end all shows. But do they even have talents? And can they discover them in time? As the girls navigate dizzying trials of magic and mystery, they realize that the circus isn’t just disappearing—it’s somehow connected to the very threads of their pasts. As secrets are unravelled, Emme and Ivy must step into the spotlight and take a chance on themselves and each other, proving that you must always hold onto wonder and that even the smallest sparks of magic can change everything . A breathtaking blend of magic, mythology, and heart, The Disappearing Circus reminds us that friendship and courage can be found in the most unexpected of places, that the future is ours to hold—and that some stories are too powerful to ever truly disappear. Take your seats. The show is about to begin!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Helen Edwards is an award-winning author who lives in Adelaide. She writes stories that reduce stereotypes, increase understanding of diversity, and feature Australian nature and history. Helen has a PhD in Psychology and a long background working in mental health. Helen’s debut middle-grade novel, The Rebels of Mount Buffalo, was longlisted in the DANZ Children’s Book Award for books which feature diversity in all forms. In June 2024, it was shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards. Helen is a mid-career SA State Library Fellow in 2025 and her middle-grade magical historical novel Legend of the Lighthouse Moon, won first place in category two of the Forevability Awards in April 2025. In 2001, Helen founded an award-winning online counselling service for people with diabetes, which she ran for 16 years and for which she was a state finalist in the Australian of the Year. Over 90,000 people follow her across social media, where her platforms inspire action for people and the planet, with kindness and hope, focusing on our children's future.

You can see more about all Helen's books here: https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/authors/Helen-Edwards/217702334