Bullet Train is out! ๐
28 August 2026
Page 1:
Hello from the back of a taxi, where I'm typing this on my phone, because it really can't wait. I have an event tomorrow morning, and I just saw my new book in a school library! It's out!
If you want to hear about the book, turn to page 2.
If you're more interested in the events, turn to page 3.
Page 2:
Great choice. OK, soโฆ
You take your seat on the world's fastest train, ready to zoom up the side of the mountain. You try not to think about the rumours you've heard. Bears. Bandits. Paralysis ticks. But who is that shadowy figure outside the window? Is that the engine rumbling beneath you, or is it the mountain itself? And why do your memories feel distorted and strange?
This book was previously published as Bullet Train Disaster, but if you didn't read it back then, now's your chance! It's perfect for reluctant (and voracious) readers aged 10+. Grab a copy of Bullet Train (30 Minutes to Escape #1) from your local bookshop or online โฆ unless your name is Femke, in which case you pre-ordered it so long ago that you may have forgotten. Don't worry, it's coming. (I have so few subscribers that I can call you out individually. Hi, Tristan! Hi, Anne! Hi, Dean! Hi, Sarah! Hi, Hayley! Hi, Em! Hi, Zoe! Hi, Shelley! Hi, Patrick!)
Go to page 3.
Page 3:
Tomorrow morning I'll be at Queanbeyan Library interviewing Joanna Jenkins, author of Bad Neighbours. I've read the book (it was awesome!) but I haven't prepped any questions. Any suggestions? ๐ฌ
On Monday I'll be at Canberra Grammar interviewing Tamara Moss, author of Five Voices. I'm halfway through, and enthralled. I still have no idea who the killer is. Maybe that could be my first question?
And next weekend I'll be at Gleebooks interviewing Will Kostakis about his new book, Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky. I haven't read the book yet, but it's likely to be good, given the many, many, many awards he's won. Will's an old friend of mine, and I enjoy winding him up. Suggestions on that are most welcome. (Maybe I could ask him who the killer is in Tamara's book?)
Aw geez, I'm no longer in the cab (buh-buh-buh-buh-business lounge!) and I still have so much to tell you about. Theย Write Around the Murray Festival in Albury!ย Love, Crime, and Wine in Adelaide! Light Rail Local Reads in Canberra!ย Once Upon a Festival in Adelaide again! The Sydney launch for Choppy Water on November 4! The Canberra launch on November 7! (Details still to comeโI'll put them up on my events page.)
OK, I really do have to go. Thanks to all of you for being so awesome.
โJack ๐๐