MidnightSun Publishing is excited to announce the joint release of two short story collections: Life, Bound by Marian Matta and Rural Dreams by Margaret Hickey. These debut collections showcase two vibrant and original voices in Australian short fiction. The stories in these collections are sharp, funny, insightful and they linger with you long after you have put the books down. We are so proud to be bringing you two new voices in Australian fiction.

MidnightSun’s Anna Solding says she is excited to be releasing two new collections at the same time. ‘It’s always wonderful to find a short story collection that really grabs you, where every story is as compelling as the last,’ she says. ‘We are lucky enough to be able to offer two collections that are both distinctive and unique by immensely talented debut authors.’

Both Hickey and Matta are equally thrilled that MidnightSun is championing the art of the short story. ‘What I felt when Anna called me was, “at last”,’ says Hickey, ‘because she is the one to have picked my work and recognised the potential. MidnightSun is to be credited, not only for publishing excellent and award-winning works, but for taking risks with relatively unknown authors — even the ones who have been at it for what seems a very long time.’ Likewise, Matta is delighted that MidnightSun recognised the place for her work in the market. ‘Writing stories is a little like creating children,’ she says. ‘When one of my stories gets noticed I feel happy for it, and I feel sorry for those poor tales that get overlooked. So when Anna said she loved my collection and wanted to publish it, I was delighted that a whole family of stories was about to set off into the world. I wish them well.’

Both books are set to be released in October 2020, and their launches will coincide with the 2020 Australian Short Story Festival, due to be held in Adelaide 16-18th October.

Find out more about Rural Dreams here.

Find out more about Life, Bound here.