Bookshelf | Busybird Publishing

Battle for the Second Realm

It is a world where magic once ruled. Where mystical beasts and power-hungry magic-wielders fought for control. The balance ever shifting between order and anarchy.

It is our world and the struggle is no longer forgotten. The old legends have proven to be true and the mystical band of protectors known as the sleeping warriors have awoken to defend the land against the evil that once again fights for dominance. A new generation of magic-wielders has risen to oppose those who would put the delicate balance of the realms in jeopardy.

But how many faces does evil have? Not all the old fairytales can actually be true, can they?

With Michael’s family reeling in the aftermath of a fiery battle outside their home, they must now cope with the loss of Nicola, her mind gone, her body inhabited by the soul of an unhinged mage set on revenge at any cost.

But Michael is now bonded, a member of the sleeping warriors. Nightmares are the least of Michael’s concerns, now he must fight creatures emerging from the depths of the second realm.

A struggle to contain a deadly contagion, threatening to break out beyond just one suburban family home.

A spate of violent behaviour and illness plaguing the neighbourhood.

And evil turning its face towards Dana – does she have more resources at her disposal that anyone suspects?

With alliances threatening to fracture as new players alter the dynamic and evil beginning to turn against itself, Michael must do everything he can to keep his family together and stop himself from succumbing to the danger that lurks within his own blood.

Deep within

Sarah Basheer, a seventeen year old Lebanese Druze girl from an undesirable neighbourhood, develops a yearning desire to discover who she really is and ponders her life, religion and her growing infatuation with her high school teacher.

At the same time, her yearning desire to find out more about the secretive Druze religion, not openly displayed or marketed like The Bible and Quran, sparks an intrigue and conviction.

Sarah’s parents, having firm strict religious beliefs and ideals, want to take Sarah to Lebanon and plan her arranged marriage, as they fear they will lose their daughter to an Australian man.

Will Sarah discover the truth behind her masked religion? Will she reunite with her unrequited love, or conform to her parents’ rigidly enforced principles? Interwoven student crush, teenage self-discovery, and depth of a masked religion and finally struggles of everyday teenage quandaries.

In life, it is the choices we make that determine our inevitable outcome. Will Sarah find the kindred spirit she strongly believes is lurking in the world, awaiting her return?

At the same time, her yearning desire to find out more about the secretive Druze religion, not openly displayed or marketed like The Bible and Quran, sparks an intrigue and conviction.

Sarah’s parents, having firm strict religious beliefs and ideals, want to take Sarah to Lebanon and plan her arranged marriage, as they fear they will lose their daughter to an Australian man.

In life, it is the choices we make that determine our inevitable outcome. Will Sarah find the kindred spirit she strongly believes is lurking in the world, awaiting her return?

Times and Seasons

Stir of Wings

Love is everywhere, claims the song. It is, too. In supermarkets, windswept docks, and op shops. Lost children love sacrificially, and kids on school buses suffer pain worthy of Shakespearian tragedy. Girls in flats share cold germs and weak lemon drink, and migrants find friendship and community support. You’ll find it all here, along with laughter, tears, beanie hats and hurting shoes.

Many of these stories have received awards. But more to the point, they may encourage you to give the world a gentle shove.

Up here

Can you have more than one soulmate at the same time?

After two blissful marriages are cut short by tragic circumstances, Peter’s own early entry to heaven fills him with skepticism. Peter soon faces an impossible choice: with both wives Up Here, which woman is his eternal soulmate?

Christina and Jane have their own issues to resolve, especially considering they were best friends.

From two marriages made in heaven, all three now have one hell of a dilemma. And with Peter’s mother Up Here, too … well, she’s got her opinion!

The debut novel from Australian film & TV pioneer Jim Shomos. Up Here is a unique love-triangle featuring two dynamic women and one ro-man-tic; it’s a feel-good exploration of a modern romantic dilemma that asks the age-old question: what if?

Can you have more than one soulmate at the same time?

Christina and Jane have their own issues to resolve, especially considering they were best friends.

From two marriages made in heaven, all three now have one hell of a dilemma. And with Peter’s mother Up Here, too … well, she’s got her opinion!

Never too late

A man gets more than he bargained for on a holiday to Sydney, thanks to a crafty seagull; one woman discovers it’s not just meals she’s delivering on the first day of her new job; in 1965, music, friendship and love collide; she is Ray of Sunshine by name and ray of sunshine by nature for the residents at the nursing home on Evergreen Road; one little girl’s life is changed forever when her teacher alters the marks on a report card …

In this wonderful collection of short stories, Ruth Philbrick shows us why it’s never too late to find love, make friends or take on a new lease of life where anything is possible.

Never Too Late is a charming mix of humour, heartache and endearment. Filled with heart, the characters and their stories will be remembered long after the last page is turned.

In this wonderful collection of short stories, Ruth Philbrick shows us why it’s never too late to find love, make friends or take on a new lease of life where anything is possible.

Never Too Late is a charming mix of humour, heartache and endearment. Filled with heart, the characters and their stories will be remembered long after the last page is turned.

The Heat

Waldene

In the Valley of the Kings

Two boys and a cage

Dylan is the new boy at school. The only thing he’s ever known is the School of the Air and getting around his property on his horse. Now his body is letting him down and here’s this bully, Liam, telling everyone that he’s a liar.

The class loner, Liam, thinks that no boy has his own horse or eats cakes that are baked by their granny. And what’s with this contraption that he walks around with?

But those cakes, baked by Dylan’s gran, are a thread that brings these two boys together to form an unlikely friendship. Two Boys and a Cage tells a story of two boys from very different backgrounds and the bond that grows.

The class loner, Liam, thinks that no boy has his own horse or eats cakes that are baked by their granny. And what’s with this contraption that he walks around with?

The Burnstones Game

Jackson and Tess are trapped in a dangerous game. The only way out is to navigate through the game levels.

Escape from these foreign lands is dependent on them conquering their fears.

Can they use human knowledge and develop game skills to battle unnatural predators in their desperate search for the Burnstones?

Can they find a way to restore the balance of nature? This is crucial to their survival.

Help will be offered from inside and outside the game, but how can the siblings be sure who is a friend and who is an enemy? Searching for the Last Door will test Jackson and Tess in ways they never thought possible – but there is no choice.

The Burnstones Game – In Search of the Last Door is appropriate for young adolescents and is reminiscent of Jumanji and the Deltora Quest series. An imaginative and engaging story, this book addresses important environmental issues and is led by characters that will resonate with young audiences.

Jackson and Tess are trapped in a dangerous game. The only way out is to navigate through the game levels.

Escape from these foreign lands is dependent on them conquering their fears.

Can they use human knowledge and develop game skills to battle unnatural predators in their desperate search for the Burnstones?

Can they find a way to restore the balance of nature? This is crucial to their survival.

The Letters

Des Jamieson, cunning businessman, wealthy empire builder and powerbroker, is dying.

Did he really rise to the top through hard work alone? What secrets are still lurking in the back of a dying man’s mind?

Lauren’s job looking after patients in the final stage of their lives is challenging, and she is dedicated to helping them pass into the next life peacefully.

She has plenty of problems in her own life, but her new patient Des is stubborn and yet intriguing.

What is really important to him? Is it all just a game or are there complex mysteries that must be solved before the inevitable occurs?

Des Jamieson, cunning businessman, wealthy empire builder and powerbroker, is dying.

Did he really rise to the top through hard work alone? What secrets are still lurking in the back of a dying man’s mind?

Lauren’s job looking after patients in the final stage of their lives is challenging, and she is dedicated to helping them pass into the next life peacefully.

She has plenty of problems in her own life, but her new patient Des is stubborn and yet intriguing.

What is really important to him? Is it all just a game or are there complex mysteries that must be solved before the inevitable occurs?

Claypan

Rose Garden Reverie

The Strange Adventures of Charles P Dalwell

The Last Tusinnia

The Watcher is waiting …

It’s the day before Christmas, and Tilda and Coz sneak under the tree to meditate on what gifts they’ve received, only to slip through an enchanted circle into the Realm of Possibilities, a world within worlds where they embark on a spectacular journey full of magic, fairies and wondrous ideas.

But the Realm is dying, colours fading, fairies ailing.

In Tilda, The Watcher recognises the magic to restore the Realm to its former glory, and Tilda wants to stay in the Realm with its amazing floating forests, giant goldfish, sudden transformations and dream-obsessed locals. It’s a world of fantasies, thoughts and adventures that would seem perfect for a child. Coz is not convinced, though, and only wants to find a way home.

But how do you get back home when no one wants you to leave?

Tilda & Coz: The Last Tusinnia is a fast-paced, adventure fantasy, punctuated occasionally by hard-hitting comments from a former president of the Sceptics Society (sorry about that!). It’s a story that’s sure to delight children and parents alike.

The Watcher is waiting …

But the Realm is dying, colours fading, fairies ailing.

But how do you get back home when no one wants you to leave?

Watch this space

Choose

The Bennet’s move to a tranquil, peaceful country town in North-East Victoria is to be the start of country living. A carefree lifestyle is important to them as they raise their young family. The prospects and opportunities are endless, they think.

But the events of one night change this forever.

An unimaginable choice that a mother has to make under terrifying circumstances; a decision that rips the family apart and eventually destroys her.

But the events of one night change this forever.

An unimaginable choice that a mother has to make under terrifying circumstances; a decision that rips the family apart and eventually destroys her.

The Gifted

Elly must never stop running. Never for one minute let her guard down. Any slip and she would be captured, sent back to the top-secret government facility tucked away in the Nevada Desert. She would never escape a second time. Elly is too precious to the US Military. Designed from the embryo, her mental powers allow her to see into the minds of terrorist and criminals. With her, the government has the power to shut down crime. But Elly isn’t treated like a superhero — rather a prisoner.

Now she must never let anyone in, always on guard, always hiding her powers. That is until she meets Jessy— a gorgeous man who seems to disarm her with a smile, who seems persistent in getting her attention. As Elly grows to love Jessy, she starts to believe maybe this time she can let her guard down.

The Veritas team sent to catch her is closing in fast, spearheaded by her very own father the scientist behind her power. Elly must make a choice. Will she trust Jessy? And will she be able to escape before her twentieth birthday and the next evolution of her powers?

Roscommon Downs

The throb of diesel engines and the blast of horns greet Mary O’Rourke as she enters the railway station bound for the next phase of her life.

The Western District of Victoria beckons with the promise of employment at Roscommon Downs.

Excited and somewhat apprehensive, Mary is determined to make the most of the opportunity.

With an upbringing at an orphanage well behind her, new people enter, influence and shape her future. A future that eventually leads to an unexpected discovery.

Join Mary on her journey as through times of joy and trouble she eventually fulfils a lifelong ambition when circumstances emerge to uncover the hidden truth that lies behind her constant search for answers.

The throb of diesel engines and the blast of horns greet Mary O’Rourke as she enters the railway station bound for the next phase of her life.

The Western District of Victoria beckons with the promise of employment at Roscommon Downs.

Excited and somewhat apprehensive, Mary is determined to make the most of the opportunity.

With an upbringing at an orphanage well behind her, new people enter, influence and shape her future. A future that eventually leads to an unexpected discovery.