Enchanted Australia Series by Gillian Polack

Someone has to write this down.Someone who has seen it all.Seen the ghosts.Eaten the food.Even washed the dishes.Ghosts trail after us. They are our fears and the shape of our hates. We bring them into our lives and into our homes.A fairy – variety melusine – tells of her private ghosts in unreliable fairy stories. She handles her own haunting.Some years our fears and hates are so strong that we turn our ghosts tangible... moreSomeone has to write this down.Someone who has seen it all.Seen the ghosts.Eaten the food.Even washed the dishes.Ghosts trail after us. They are our fears and the shape of our hates. We bring them into our lives and into our homes.A fairy – variety melusine – tells of her private ghosts in unreliable fairy stories. She handles her own haunting.Some years our fears and hates are so strong that we turn our ghosts tangible. Instead of trailing after us forlornly, whispering “Believe in us, or you are damned,” they fracture our landscape. Poltergeists and the spirits of drowned girls; malicious presences and portents; cat vampires and roaming bushrangers.These ghosts haunt Canberra. These ghosts can kill.It takes four women, one cup of tea at a time, to deal with Canberra’s haunting. less

Pink tutus, sarcasm, amulets and bushfires: that is suburban fantasy in Australian cities. It is magic. Life is never quite what it seems, even without the lost family heritage delivered to Judith and Belinda in boxes. Judith (who owns the haunted lemon tree and half the boxes) wants an ordinary life. Mostly. Belinda wants to not be so very worthy. If Belinda weren't Judith's sister, and if it wasn't for bushfires and bigots, Belinda's life would be perfectly ordinary. Judith will tell you so... morePink tutus, sarcasm, amulets and bushfires: that is suburban fantasy in Australian cities. It is magic. Life is never quite what it seems, even without the lost family heritage delivered to Judith and Belinda in boxes. Judith (who owns the haunted lemon tree and half the boxes) wants an ordinary life. Mostly. Belinda wants to not be so very worthy. If Belinda weren't Judith's sister, and if it wasn't for bushfires and bigots, Belinda's life would be perfectly ordinary. Judith will tell you so. You don't even have to ask. Belinda's friend Rhonda has a superpower. Each time she sees the future or reveals deep secrets, seekers for the 'New Nostradamus' come closer to destroying her life. Her hold on normalcy is very fragile. So is her hold on safety. Judith and Rhonda are haunted, Judith by her past and Rhonda by her gift of prophecy. Will they ever come into the sunshine and find happiness? less

Fay invented a world of fantasy where she could dwell in happiness. Her friends in this perfect world were Belle and Persa, Enlai and Flor. She visited them on the edge of sleep, shaping their lives to suit herself. "I dream better than other people. More efficiently and effectively," she explained to herself. Her dreams were a flicker away from reality. After Gilbert turns up in her refuge, undesigned, unheralded, and disturbing, Fay's dream world shatters... moreFay invented a world of fantasy where she could dwell in happiness. Her friends in this perfect world were Belle and Persa, Enlai and Flor. She visited them on the edge of sleep, shaping their lives to suit herself. "I dream better than other people. More efficiently and effectively," she explained to herself. Her dreams were a flicker away from reality. After Gilbert turns up in her refuge, undesigned, unheralded, and disturbing, Fay's dream world shatters. But are her dreams really dreams, and should she leave her friends behind and live in the real world? less