Showing results by narrator "Louise Crawford" in All Categories

At just 15-years-old, Geena had no choice but to leave home. Without an education or any real options, she found herself being lured into the sex industry by the promise of big money and the validation of strangers. She turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of day to day life as a call girl and to overcome the emotional scars of her past. But even in her darkest hours, Geena refused to accept her circumstances and never stopped striving for freedom and a better life. Eventually, she found the strength to turn things around and set herself on a path to a brighter future.

When society seems to demand confidence and certainty, how much courage does it take to admit doubt, especially self-doubt? In this personal essay, one of Australia's most respected journalists argues in favour of a doubtful mind. Her classic personal essay carries a message about the value of truth, scrutiny and accountability - a much-needed antidote to fake news. Donald Trump, the post-truth world and the instability of Australian politics are all examined in this fresh take on her prescient essay on the media and political trends that define our times.

When Kitty and Rian Farrell sail their schooner Katipo III into Dunedin Harbour in 1863, they are on tenterhooks. The new Otago goldfields have attracted all-comers, including their friend Wong Fu from Ballarat, who has sent a message for their help. To their surprise, Wong Fu reveals he is more than a mere fortune seeker - he is in fact a Cloud Leopard tong master, and his daughter, Bao, has been kidnapped and taken to opium-ridden China. Kitty and Rian agree to retrieve the missing Bao, but as they sail closer to their quarry, the stakes jump dramatically.

It's Sarah Clarke's dream to experience the real Australian outback. When the opportunity comes up to join her boyfriend, Brad, on remote property Rosalee Station, she jumps at the chance. But within days of arriving, her relationship is in tatters and the reality of outback life is fast losing its appeal. Determined to prove herself, Sarah stays on, earning the admiration of Matt, the station owners' son. Beneath the wide outback skies, the pair are irresistibly drawn to each other, until a stolen kiss leads to disaster.

Grace has the perfect life: a job she loves, a beautiful daughter and a rich, successful husband. But one night, when their world falls apart in a shocking disaster, Grace suddenly sees what she couldn't admit - her marriage and her husband are a fraud. With the life she knew in tatters, she takes an assignment promoting the launch of a unique luxury hotel, hidden in a stunning, untouched oasis in the heart of tourist-crazed Bali.

Wicked Words - a collection of saucy and compelling short stories. From the Manhattan skyscraper to the provincial factory, dirty minds think alike. Sex...in the Office showcases some of the best erotic writers on both sides of the Atlantic. This book, the first themed collection in the Wicked Words series, brings you unashamed, wildly entertaining stories which explore the forbidden lusts that abound in the work environment.

When you have an eating issue it can feel like the loneliest, hardest place in the world to be. But it doesn't have to be this way. No one knows this better than author Melinda Hutchings, who battled anorexia for three years. Drawing on her own experience, as well as other people's, Melinda openly discusses what this feels like on the inside, how to cope with the complexity of emotions, what to do about where you are at with your eating issue, and what you can look forward to when you get to the other side.

We all carry stories within us - wrenching, redemptive, extraordinary, and laced with unexpected and hard-won wisdom. These are the real-life stories that a group of women tell each other when they gather for a deep and structured conversation - once a month in a suburban living room - about the things that really matter. They discover that life can be a heartbeat away from chaos; that bad things happen to good people; that good people do outrageous things; that the desire for transformation is enduringly human.

Money and success are not enough when love dies and secrets turn deadly.... Cass, Fran and Angela share one of the city's best addresses, yet behind the successful careers and designer clothes each is facing the crisis of her life.

Molly's life is almost perfect. She's the devoted mother of Rose and a renowned horse trainer. She lives amid the beauty of Jacaranda Farm in the beautiful Far North Queensland countryside, surrounded by family and friends - none closer than hunky stockman Heath. But she's still looking for the love of her life and wonders whether that could be Mark, the long-lost father of her daughter.

How to Talk to Boys gives a realistic picture of the challenges and choices that face girls today when they're talking to boys. Written by a highly experienced educator, it provides a clear and informative guide to help girls through obstacles like shyness and awkwardness. Featuring 'uncut' individual comments from girls, this audiobook links their ideas about their ability to develop boys as friends and looks at what is needed to further a friendship into a relationship.

When 18-year-old Kitty Carlisle's father dies in 1838, her suddenly impoverished mother hopes her beautiful daughter might at least find a good husband. But then Kitty is compromised by an unscrupulous adventurer, and she is banished in disgrace to the colonies. In the infamous whaling port of Kororareka—known as the Hell-Hole of the Pacific—Kitty falls in love with Rian Farrell, a mysterious sea captain with secrets of his own. Shocking events force her to flee the Bay of Islands for Sydney, but her independent heart leads her into a web of illicit sexual liaison, betrayal and death.

Poppy's world has tipped sideways: the husband who never wanted children has betrayed her with her broody best friend. At least Annalise is on her side. Poppy's new friend is determined to celebrate their freedom from kids, so together they create a Facebook group to meet up with like-minded women and perhaps vent a little about smug mums and their privileges at work.

In Quarterly Essay 46 Laura Tingle shows that the answer goes to something deep in Australian culture: our great expectations of government. Since the deregulation era of the 1980s, Tingle shows, governments can do less, but we wish they could do more. From Hawke to Gillard, each prime minister has grappled with this dilemma. Keating sought to change expectations, Howard to feed a culture of entitlement, Rudd to reconceive the federation. Through all of this, and back to our origins, runs an almost childlike sense of the government as saviour and provider.

A uniform can make a man irresistible, especially if he's tall, brawny, and resonates authority. Whether he is flying a plane, taking confession, or collecting tickets, a smart professional man doing his job can attract more than just a second look. And a lady in a uniform can raise the temperature anywhere - whether she is driving a Bentley, taking one's pulse, or showing one to a seat at the movies. This themed collection explores the erotic button-pushing that can occur whenever a uniform appears.

Growing up in inland Australia, Judy, a young teacher, has rarely seen the sea. But when she flees a rioting classroom one dismal Friday, a dud and a failure, she gets drunk and wakes up on a boat. Overnight her life changes; she is in love with being on the water and in love with Wes Bannister, who lives on the boat.

Come have a roll in the hay with one of Australia's leading rural-fiction authors, Rachael Treasure, in her romping, rollicking first-ever collection of Agricultural Erotica. Guaranteed to get your tractor revving, Fifty Bales of Hay is an honest and imaginative exploration of everyday men and women getting down and dirty on the land. From the dairy shed to the Royal Agricultural show pavilion, Treasure's cheeky satirical humour and wicked imagination offers up a dozen fun-filled, and sometimes poignant, tales of dust and lust. This collection will have you clamoring for a stock whip, a saddle, and a cowboy.

The first themed collection in the Wicked Words series, bringing together unashamed, wildly entertaining stories which explore the forbidden lusts that abound in the work environment. All the favourite fantasy archetypes are here: lady bosses in high heels, executive hunks in suits, motorbike couriers in leathers and security guards in uniform - all doing something they shouldn't, with someone they shouldn't.

The first themed collection in the Wicked Words series, bringing together unashamed, wildly entertaining stories which explore the forbidden lusts that abound in the work environment. All the favourite fantasy archetypes are here: lady bosses in high heels, executive hunks in suits, motorbike couriers in leathers, and security guards in uniform - all doing something they shouldn't, with someone they shouldn't.

A uniform can make a man irresistible, especially if he's tall, brawny, and resonates authority. Whether he is flying a plane, taking confession, or collecting tickets, a smart professional man doing his job can attract more than just a second look. And a lady in a uniform can raise the temperature anywhere - whether she is driving a Bentley, taking one's pulse, or showing one to a seat at the movies. This themed collection explores the erotic button-pushing that can occur whenever a uniform appears.