The Goldseekers

This is a riveting story… a very readable and enthralling tale for adolescents. It includes thought-provoking information on the sort of hideous racial hatred that pervaded this particular time and space. A very worthwhile novel.  Reading Time, Vol 5, November 2006.

The Goldseekers is an acutely and sensitively observed tale of cultural clash – and its consequences.   Melbourne Age

The Goldseekers cleverly views many situations from different perspectives, highlighting the struggle each character faces in understanding an alien culture. The characters are all believable, and the present-tense style is effective, making the situations, actions and emotions more immediate. Suitable for a young adult audience.   Magpie Magazine - Volume 21, June 2006

Readers young and old will be taken in by The Goldseekers’ compelling plot, its rich recasting of history, and its positive morality. A lovely, moving, and very edifying novel which, as a parent as much as a critic, I can heartily recommend.    Compulsive Reader.com.

A heartwarming tale about the struggles faced by two Korean children living on the Australian goldfields in the 1850’s.   Northern Daily Leader

The Great Secondhand Supper

An outstanding new Australian novel...a restrained, wry humour. Sally McInerney, Sydney Morning Herald
All the characters are portrayed realistically, with perception and humour...good Australian material to include in wide reading.Scan (NSW Dept. of Education)
The view Bastian provides of country town life is both accurate and entertaining. AATE Guide to English Books and Resources
A well-written and engaging novel...highly recommended. Language Arts Resource Centre
Humour and tension feature in the unravelling of situations developed in this well-written teenage novel. Queensland. Dept. of Education
A story which is always engaging. Australian Book Review
A rollicking, funny novel with all kinds of sly undertones. Sophie Masson, 2ARM

Lies and Alibis

A very gripping story...an excellent read...Bastian keeps you on tenterhooks for the whole novel. Leon Trainor, The Australian
Perceptive insight is given into the character of an intelligent, disturbed adolescent. The denoument is unexpected and satisfying. This well-crafted and beautifully written novel is an engrossing read from page one. Australian Association for the Study of English.
...cleverly contrived...a well constructed and intriguing novel.Scan (NSW Dept of Education)

Ride the Tiger

A well-written, pacy rite of passage novel, with many interesting issues of rights and responsibilities, both personal and social. Magpie Magazine
It is great to read a novel for young adults that tackles such important themes as youth homelessness, poverty, unemployment, mental health and drug addiction. Erica Irvin, Penguin Australia

Awards

• Writer’s residency, Varuna Writers’ Centre, 1990
• Writers Development Grant, Literature Board, Australia Council, 1995
• Postgraduate Certificate in Writing, University of Technology, Sydney, 1999
• Fellowship, Booranga Writers Centre, Charles Sturt University, 2001
• Asialink Literature Fellowship, Sogang University, Seoul, Sth Korea, 2003