The Watervale Ladies' Writing and Firefighting Society

A heartfelt and moving story of friendship, secrets and self-discovery, for readers of Tricia...

Mette Menzies

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Paperback

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English

HARPER360
01 September 2025

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It's never too late to start over - sometimes all you need is a spark.

In the tradition of Sophie Green, Joanna Nell and Tricia Stringer comes an absolutely sparkling, feelgood delight of a novel, where four very different women are thrown together in a creative writing course in the library of a small country town.

When international lawyer Matilda 'Tilly' Marr is summoned back from London to a small town in South Australia's wine country, she expects to close a billion-dollar deal in a matter of days. Instead, she's handed an ultimatum: stay for a month and serve as the town's only solicitor, or watch the opportunity slip away. Setting up shop in the Beechwood Cafe, Tilly braces for a brief detour, but life in Watervale Downs soon proves to be anything but simple.

Drawn into the orbit of three very different women - fierce matriarch Bev Jackson, fallen TV star Fenna de Vries, and warm-hearted librarian Jane Robertson - Tilly unexpectedly finds herself joining a local writing group and training with the country fire service. Slowly, friendships form, long-held secrets surface, and the rhythms of country life begin to change her in ways she didn't anticipate.

As the season turns and challenges mount, each woman finds herself at a crossroads. Bev must confront a past she has kept hidden for sixty years, Fenna must decide whether she is ready to stop running, Jane must summon the courage to reimagine her future, and Tilly must ask whether the life she has built is truly the one she wants. And in the meantime, bushfire season is approaching and a day of reckoning is coming for them all.

Sparkling, warm, heartfelt, wise, and irresistibly uplifting, The Watervale Ladies' Writing and Firefighting Society is a story of friendship, second chances, and the bravery it takes to begin again. For anyone who has ever felt stuck, adrift, or quietly wondered, 'Could there be more to life for me?', this novel will feel like an open door.

'An uplifting story of friendship and being true to oneself ... a delightful dose of sunshine. I loved it' Tricia Stringer, Birds of a Feather

'A charming and layered exploration of unexpected friendship, personal reinvention and the quiet strength of women who show up for themselves and each other ... [with] a satisfying emotional centre. A thoroughly enjoyable and easy-to-devour read' Books+Publishing

By: Mette Menzies
Imprint: HARPER360
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 34mm
Weight: 460g
ISBN: 9781460766019
ISBN 10: 1460766016
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 01 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Mette Menzies is the pen name of longtime best friends and writing partners, Steven Reynolds and Viktoriya Butler. For more than two decades, they've shared a passion for great storytelling, spirited banter, and the kind of friendship built on sharp wit, triple-shot espressos, and a mutual affection for Oxford commas and sun-soaked holidays. They both live on Sydney's leafy North Shore, where they can often be found in local cafes, bookstores, and wine bars, sketching characters inspired by the world around them and quietly observing the magic in everyday lives. Their debut novel, The Watervale Ladies' Writing & Firefighting Society, is a celebration of friendship, second chances, and the quiet strength of women who show up-for themselves and each other.