Laura Elizabeth Woollett delves into the darker aspects of human nature and relationships, exploring the allure of evil and its impact on those drawn into its orbit. Her collections of stories and novels often examine the lives of characters entwined with infamous or radical figures. Woollett offers a penetrating look at the motivations and consequences that shape her characters' destinies. Her writing is known for its intensity and ability to render unsettling scenarios with a chilling precision.
Draws upon primary source documents and survivor interviews to recount the story of one of the worst disasters in American history, the 1944 Hartford circus fire, which claimed the lives of over one hundred people.
The thrilling new novel, inspired by the events at Jonestown in the 1970s. It's the summer of 1968, and Evelyn Lynden is a woman at war with herself. Minister's daughter. Atheist. Independent woman. Frustrated wife. Bitch with a bleeding heart. Following her conscientious-objector husband Lenny to the rural Eden of Evergreen Valley, California, Evelyn wants to be happy with their new life. Yet she finds herself disillusioned with Lenny's passive ways -- and anxious for a saviour. Enter the Reverend Jim Jones, the dynamic leader of a new revolutionary church ... Meticulously researched and masterfully written, Beautiful Revolutionaryexplores the allure of the real-life charismatic leader who would destroy so many. It follows Evelyn as she is pulled into Jones's orbit -- an orbit it would prove impossible for her to leave.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION A schoolgirl catches the eye of the future leader of Nazi Germany. An aspiring playwright writes to a convicted serial killer, seeking inspiration. A pair of childhood sweethearts reunite to commit rape and murder. A devoted Mormon wife follows her husband into the wilderness after he declares himself a prophet. The twelve stories in The Love of a Bad Manimagine the lives of real women, all of whom were the lovers, wives, or mistresses of various 'bad' men in history. Beautifully observed, fascinating, and at times horrifying, the stories interrogate power, the nature of obsession, and the lengths some women will go to for the men they love. PRAISE FOR LAURA ELIZABETH WOOLLETT 'Like Helen Garner, Laura Woollett is impelled to explore the darkest corners of the human heart, the savage cognitive distortions of love; to understand and empathise with the monstrous, rather than to instinctively recoil or judge ... Woollett's pitch-perfect command of narrative voice, period, and psychology creates 12 tales to fascinate and unnerve.' The Age 'The Love of a Bad Manimagines the inner lives of historical figures who committed crimes all in the name of love ... The stories treat death with a gothic inevitability and explore human darkness with a light touch.' The Guardian
A gripping novelisation of an infamous murder, by the author of Beautiful Revolutionary. Paulina is the captivating newcomer on a sleepy Pacific island, known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone. But now, in a hotel room on the island, her mother Judy Novak waits. And worries. She can't ignore the island's jagged cliffs and towering pines -- or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life. So when Paulina's body is discovered, Judy's worst fears are confirmed. Only, Paulina didn't kill herself. She was murdered. So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina. But even death won't stop Judy Novak from fighting for her daughter's life.
Exploring the complex relationship between beauty and pain, the narrative delves into the protagonist's tumultuous journey through life. With a focus on the stark contrasts of existence, it reflects on the choices made in pursuit of beauty, even amidst chaos and destruction. The evocative imagery of jagged rocks and broken bones serves as a metaphor for the struggles faced, inviting readers to contemplate the deeper meanings of their own choices and the inherent duality of life.