Author Event - Julie Bennett & Susan Mackie - Forster

Julie Bennett and Susan Mackie are great admirers of each other's writing and have chosen Forster Library to come together and meet for the first time. Listen as they compare and contrast techniques, content and experiences in the writing industry.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Bookings essential.

Julie and Susan will also be appearing at SIPs at Moby's Resort, Boomerang Beach on 23 November, presented by Seawardz - Gallery and Arts.

About the authors

Julie Bennett

Julie Bennett fell in love with words as a child and soon after leaving school began a career in libraries. In her late twenties she decided to follow her dream to write for a living and, after graduating from university, eventually became a journalist. In 2004 she launched a public relations company, which she still manages today.

Julie lives with her wonderful husband, Bruce and their gorgeous kelpie cross cattle dog, Riley, within walking distance of the Sydney Opera House where she performed as a child extra back in 1973, the year it opened. The Lost Letters of Rose Carey is Julie’s second novel. Her debut The Understudy was published by Simon & Schuster in 2022.

Susan Mackie

A voracious reader, Susan dreamed of becoming a writer from the age of eight. Career advisors told her it wasn't a real thing and suggested journalism. So she became a journalist, then took a zig-zag path to publish her first book, Charlie's Will, in 2020, via a varied career in publishing, marketing, tourism and small business.

Susan is an independent (Indie) Publisher of small town romance and women's fiction. She released book number eight - The Barrington Book Club - in June 2024. This one tells the story of several small town characters over the course of twelve months, punctuated by twelve book club meetings. The characters read and discuss twelve real books by Australian authors - including both of Julie Bennett's books - The Understudy and The Lost Letters of Rose Carey. Readers have loved this feature, with many checking out the reading list in the back of the book.

The Barrington Book Club reading list:

1. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

2. The Quarantine Station by Michelle Montebello

3. The Stationmaster’s Cottage by Phillipa Nefri Clark

4. The Work Wives by Rachael Johns

5. Runt by Craig Silvey

6. A Stranger in Featherwood Falls by Heather Reyburn

7. The Understudy by Julie Bennett

8. Buried in Between by Leanne Lovegrove

9. The Drowning by Bryan Brown

10. The Wattle Island Book Club by Sandie Docker

11. The Felicity Theory by Davina Stone

12. The Lost Letters of Rose Carey by Julie Bennett

The Barrington Book Club - Twelve books, nine friends, four babies and one unimaginable tragedy that will change their small town forever.

Host or Publisher MidCoast Council