Jane

Join us in celebrating the launch of Running from their Lives, a psychological thriller by Queensland author Jane Ellyson. The book includes dramatic scenes in Springbrook National Park which is why Albert’s on Lyrebird is the perfect place for the celebration.

Come along and hear author Jane Ellyson explain the inspiration behind Running from their Lives and buy a signed copy of the novel. Albert’s on Lyrebird is a gorgeous location for the launch, with an art gallery, cafe and gift store to visit while you listen to the lyrebirds in the surrounding bushland.

Curious to learn more about the book? Read on…

Juliet Gordon has spent years trapped in a marriage ruled by fear. When she wins a trip to Bangkok and her ailing father finally enters care, she seizes her moment to run. But freedom slips away when her husband Axel tracks her to the airport.

Eve Cross has just lost a job she never loved. Her adult children are at home, bickering and wearing her down. The offer of a year’s work at a New Zealand vineyard feels like salvation — a chance to reclaim the life she missed. Then she meets Juliet at Brisbane Airport: distraught, desperate, and begging for help. In a split-second decision, the two women swap tickets — and lives.

Across the Tasman, Olivia Rumble is hiding from the fallout of a terrible discovery. Her mother’s diary revealed a truth too dark to share, and New Zealand was meant to be her haven. But someone knows what she’s hiding, and they’re ready to expose it.

From suburban Brisbane to the chaos of Bangkok, from the vineyards of Hawke’s Bay to the wilds of Springbrook National Park, a deadly game of pursuit unfolds.

Can these women outrun the past — or will it find them, no matter where they hide?

Spaces are limited so please register here.

When a woman disappears, there can be many reasons — and often no immediate explanation.

Sometimes a person leaves voluntarily, seeking time away from family, relationship or financial pressures. She may be experiencing a personal crisis, feeling overwhelmed, or simply wanting to escape a difficult situation.

In other cases, a disappearance may be connected to domestic or family violence. A woman may leave suddenly because she fears for her safety and does not want others to know where she is. She may also deliberately limit contact with friends and family to avoid being found by someone who poses a threat.

Mental health difficulties, illness, injury, substance use or an unexpected accident can also play a role. A person may become disoriented, unable to contact those close to her, or find herself somewhere she did not intend to be.

There are also circumstances where a person may have been the victim of a crime or may be vulnerable to exploitation.

For families, the uncertainty can be devastating. The absence of information can leave loved ones wondering whether their relative is safe, whether she needs help and what might have happened.

Importantly, a missing person should never be presumed to have left voluntarily simply because there is no obvious evidence of foul play. Every disappearance is different, and police consider the individual circumstances when assessing what may have occurred.

Running from their Lives is available for preorder from Amazon here.

Bustling Bangkok, which is pictured above, is one of the locations visited in my soon-to-be released novel, Running from their Lives. It’s a psychological thriller set between Brisbane, Bangkok, Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand, Springbrook National Park in Queensland and British Columbia in Canada.

Curious to learn more about the book? Read on…


Juliet Gordon has spent years trapped in a marriage ruled by fear. When she wins a trip to Bangkok and her ailing father finally enters care, she seizes her moment to run. But freedom slips away when her husband Axel tracks her to the airport.

Eve Cross has just lost a job she never loved. Her adult children are at home, bickering and wearing her down. The offer of a year’s work at a New Zealand vineyard feels like salvation — a chance to reclaim the life she missed. Then she meets Juliet at Brisbane Airport: distraught, desperate, and begging for help. In a split-second decision, the two women swap tickets — and lives.

Across the Tasman, Olivia Rumble is hiding from the fallout of a terrible discovery. Her mother’s diary revealed a truth too dark to share, and New Zealand was meant to be her haven. But someone knows what she’s hiding, and they’re ready to expose it.

From suburban Brisbane to the chaos of Bangkok, from the vineyards of Hawke’s Bay to the wilds of Springbrook National Park, a deadly game of pursuit unfolds.

Can these women outrun the past — or will it find them, no matter where they hide?

Running from their Lives is available for pre-order on Amazon.

[Credit for Bangkok image to Geoff Greenwood on Unsplash]

A significant chunk of Alone with a Tasman Tiger is set in the Western Tasmanian wilderness during a survival competition. The Australian bush holds a certain allure for many North Americans because it offers a wild, untamed landscape that’s unlike anything found on the North American continent. There are several things that make it captivating including the exotic wildlife, its remoteness, indigenous cultural heritage, and the potential for danger.

The Australian bush is home to unique creatures like kangaroos, koalas, quolls, wombats, and the elusive platypus—animals most North Americans only encounter in zoos. This diverse, sometimes quirky wildlife seems both familiar yet very foreign, offering a mix of fascination and wonder.

The vegetation is distinct as well. Eucalyptus forests, ancient cycads, and colourful wildflowers create a plant life panorama unlike the forests of North America.

The sheer remoteness of the bush, along with its vast open spaces and dramatic landscapes, brings a sense of mystery and adventure. Many places in the Australian bushland are sparsely populated, rugged, and somewhat dangerous, which appeals to the American sense of frontier spirit and the quest for untouched wilderness.

Aboriginal cultures have a deep connection to the land, and their art, legends, and spiritual practices often evoke curiosity and respect. This rich cultural heritage, tied intimately with the bush, adds layers of meaning and history to the landscape. For many, exploring the bush feels like connecting with one of the oldest living cultures in the world, learning about Dreamtime stories and sacred places embedded in the landscape.

And finally, there is adventure and potential danger. Australian bushland has a reputation for being a challenging, even dangerous environment, filled with venomous snakes, spiders, and other unpredictable wildlife. This adds a thrill for many North Americans who seek adventure. Whether it’s the idea of surviving in the outback, going bushwalking, or learning bushcraft skills, there’s a rugged appeal to the Australian landscape.

Iconic images from movies, television shows, and literature about the bush and outback often paint it as a vast, golden, sun-baked expanse with dramatic skies and rugged terrain. Films like Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max (albeit set in more barren parts of the outback) have romanticized it as a place of adventure and resilience.

Who knows if Alone with a Tasman Tiger: A high stakes race, a missing friend and a search for the impossible will make it to the big screen. I’m ever hopeful and would love to know who you would recommend to play Sebastian Ward and Galina, ‘Betty’ Ivanof.

Do you love a good mystery?  If yes, then you’ll appreciate these three novels.

Plantation Murders by Karen Thurecht is delightful and unsettling and would be enjoyed by readers of Australian history. It’s a who-done-it murder-mystery, based on real events in the 19th century. Dr Hamish Hart investigates Kaelo Rees’ wrongful arrest for murder with his friend Rita Cartright. It’s a twisty-turny story with delightful reveals about everyday life in this period.

In Alone with a Tasman Tiger, a fight for domination in the Tasmanian bush, and on the sea during a high-profile yacht race has devastating consequences. Now it’s up to fashion designer Charlotte Harmon together with drummer, Galina Ivanov to follow the clues which will save their partners and stop the spread of a devastating weapon

The Torrent, is a descriptive and highly evocative police procedural novel set during a period of flooding near Murwillumbah in northern NSW. It has diverse and beautifully described characters, with story reveals up until the final pages.

Nearly all action, adventure, spy-thrillers of the James Bond ilk, have a major chase scene in the final moments of the story. Fans expect it. Alone with a Tasman Tiger is no exception. The winner of the Survival Competition needs to be announced at a great location, and there needs to be a way of bringing the spy story to a conclusion. Why not with a major chase scene in a famous venue?

Curious? For those of you, not-in-the-know, Alone with a Tasman Tiger: A high stakes race, a missing friend and a search for the impossible is a mystery thriller set across Australia and in the United Kingdom.

The plot in a nutshell.

A fight for domination in the Tasmanian bush, and on the sea during a high-profile yacht race has devastating consequences. Now it’s up to fashion designer, Charlotte Harmon together with drummer, Galina Ivanov to follow the clues which will save their partners and stop the spread of a devastating weapon.

As most of the story is set in Tasmania, I needed to find an iconic location for the resolution of the two main stories. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), including the Moorilla Estate, perfectly matched my need for a beautiful and dramatic setting.

The MONA is self-described as a museum, or something. The statement reflects their eclectic vision and culture. They are known for being controversial having recently displayed a number of Picasso paintings in the ladies’ toilets. Indeed, the museum often hosts provocative and unconventional exhibitions on topics such as gender, death and religion. Many of the artworks deal with sensitive social and political issues, such as climate change, human rights, and personal freedoms which challenge social, religious, and moral norms.

One of my favourite things is having conversations with people that force me to thing differently. This is clearly the ethos of the MONA. With a few of the stories within Alone, pushing the boundaries of reality, the choice for the site for the final scene, was obvious.

References:

https://mona.net.au