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Petronella writes her books on Gadigal Country, where she is constantly inspired by the sandstone caves and rocks, the bush and the sea. She acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the Traditional Custodians of this land.

ABOUT PETRONELLA McGOVERN

Petronella is fascinated by people - what makes us tick, how we view the world, and the lies we tell others and ourselves. She's interested in the complexities of relationships and the dynamics in families. 

Her debut novel, Six Minutes, was published in July 2019 and short-listed in the 2020 Ned Kelly Awards by the Australian Crime Writers' Association and in the Sisters-in-Crime Davitt Awards. It was long-listed for the 2020 Australian Independent Bookseller AwardsThe Good Teacher, was released in September 2020 and long-listed in the Sisters-in-Crime Davitt Awards, 2021. The Liars was published in September 2022 and rapidly became a book club favourite. It was selected in the Top 100 Big W/Better Reading list for 2023


Petronella has co-written two non-fiction books - an Olympic memoir (Trailblazers: Australia's First Olympic Equestrians) and a travelogue (For Love and a Beetle).

She is a member of the Australian Society of Authors, the Australian Crime Writers Association and Sisters in Crime Australia. She has a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney and works as a creative writing tutor for the Australian Writers Centre.

Petronella grew up in a large family on a farm in the Central West region of New South Wales - building tree houses, chasing cows and avoiding snakes. Bitten by the travel bug, she backpacked in Africa, Europe, America and Russia. After working in Canberra for a number of years, Petronella now lives in Sydney with her family.

Literary representation

Alex Adsett Literary, Email: alexadsett@alexadsett.com.au

 
Publisher & publicity

Allen & Unwin Book Publishers, Australia.
Email: publicity@allenandunwin.com.au

For upcoming events, follow Petronella on Instagram or Facebook.

Image: Giles Park Photography.

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