Red Dirt Talking

It's build-up time in the north-western town of Ransom, just before the big wet, when people go off the rails.In the midst of a bitter custody battle, an eight year old girl goes missing.Annie, an anthropology graduate fresh from the city, is determined to uncover the mystery of the child's disappearance.As Annie searches for the truth beneath the township's wild speculations, she finds herself increasingly drawn towards Mick Hooper, a muscly, seemingly laid-back bloke with secrets of his own.Praise for the Book'an insightful and wryly funnylook at life in the remote Outback.' Melissa Lucashenko'the characters who inhabit and walk through this story are very real people, with all the human strengths and weaknesses that make us who we are.' Samuel Wagan Watson

Jacqueline Wright is a linguist, a publishing intern at Magabala Books, a sports producer at ABC radio in Broome, Australia, and a former teacher. She is the recipient of the T. A. G. Hungerford Award.