ABOUT PETRONELLA McGOVERN

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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. 

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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 Awards. The 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).

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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.

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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.

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Literary representation

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

 

Publisher & publicity

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

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For upcoming events, follow Petronella on Instagram or Facebook.