New Releases by Julie Lawson

This research investigates the rationale for an Australian Housing and Homelessness Strategy. Applying contemporary thinking about the role of governments in complex problem-solving, and lessons from other ''national approaches'' here and internationally, it sets out options for achieving cohesive, co-ordinated action on housing and homelessness in the Australian federation.The landmark UN project Housing2030 conceives of good housing policy governance deriving from clear strategic frameworks, mission-focused institutions, capable stakeholders, long-term leadership and commitment. It typically requires multi-level governance, based on long-term agreements. It is also open to monitoring and critique, strengthens the voice of marginalised groups, learns from mistakes and adapts when necessary. In this way a national housing strategy can be market-shaping and transformative, addressing causes of well understood challenges, designing relevant policies and programs to ensure adequate housing for all.Australia''s primary housing and homelessness mission should be that everyone in Australia has adequate housing. Australian legislation should place an obligation on the Housing Minister to make an Australian Housing and Homelessness Strategy, as well as obligations to regularly report on progress and periodically evaluate and review the strategy.International experience shows the vital role played by dedicated housing agencies co-ordinating the development and implementation of strategies, and, with development, Housing Australia is well placed to be Australia''s lead housing agency and to present the public face of the Strategy as it progresses.

Life makes all of us feel stressed and overwhelmed at times, so how do some seem to manage it so well? How do they overcome fear to achieve remarkable success? They know how to be resilient. Whether it''s managing daily stress and burnout or overcoming life''s most difficult adversities, Warrior Principles helps you develop the seven most important characteristics for living resiliently. These principles, based on more than 20 years of research, build the emotional and mental strength you need to navigate life''s challenges.--Publisher.

A unique insight into the ways in which one of today''s leading artists is inspired by great works of the past. In 16 emphatically modern new paintings, renowned artist, Alison Watt, responds to the remarkable delicacy of the female portraits by eighteenth-century Scottish portraitist, Allan Ramsay. Watt''s new works are particularly inspired by Ramsay''s much-loved portrait of his wife, along with less familiar portraits and drawings. Watt shines a light on enigmatic details in Ramsay''s work and has created paintings which hover between the genres of still life and portraiture. In conversation with curator Julie Lawson, Watt discusses how painters look at paintings, explains why Ramsay inspired her, and provides unique insight into her own creative process. Andrew O''Hagan responds to Watt''s paintings with a new work of short fiction and art historian Tom Normand''s commentary explores further layers of depth to our understanding of both artists.

Safe, adequate, affordable and appropriate housing is critical to health, wellbeing, and social and economic security. However, many Australians cannot find housing in the private market, and the social housing system is under-resourced and manifestly unable to meet demand.In response to this, there is emerging interest in whether reconceptualising social housing as a form of essential infrastructure might help to attract additional investment, especially from private sector sources.

Compared to standard infrastructure assessments, establishing social housing outcomes are more complex and multifaceted. This research investigated various business case frameworks for funding social housing as infrastructure, including using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and other alternatives, in order to develop stronger analytical methodologies. The ''avoided cost'' approach estimates whole-of-government savings across portfolios, avoiding assigning financial value to the ''intangible'' dimensions of housing that a CBA would typically calculate. The ''housing adjusted life years'' (HALY) methodology sees social housing as a welfare/ public health intervention which improves life expectancy and quality of life.

It''s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The First World War is raging, and despite its distance from the conflict, the Halifax Harbour is bustling with activity. Anti-German prejudice is rampant, and though 12-year-old Livy Schroeder and her 15-year-old brother Will are still mourning the loss of their father, who died in a mysterious boating accident just six months before, his German heritage doesn''t merit them much sympathy. The rumours he''d been a German spy are only flamed by his disappearance. On the morning of December 6, while Livy is in Richmond begging forgiveness from the Schroeders'' former housekeeper, Will is atop Citadel Hill reporting for the school paper, when he sees two ships collide. A flash of light, then thunder from underground: the Halifax Explosion hits. Instantly, the city is unrecognizable. Lost and separated in the dark, destroyed city, will the siblings find each other again? Where is their mother? And who is to blame for the catastrophe? In A Blinding Light, award-winning author Julie Lawson (No Safe Harbour) tells a riveting story of the Halifax Explosion and its aftermath, exploring the concepts of guilt, blame, and taking ownership, the divide between the rich and poor, locals and immigrants, as well as the human bonds that arise in times of tragedy. Young readers will be spellbound, and teachers and librarians will find plenty of topics for discussion in the book''s historical and cultural lessons.

A tale of how community can heal the brokenness in everyone.

This book documents the work of two leading contemporary artists: Douglas Gordon and Graham Fagen; here, both artists respond to the representation and status of the famous Scottish Poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). 0Commissioned poems by Jackie Kay, the third Scottish Makar (National Poet of Scotland) feature at the centre of the book.0Douglas Gordon''s installation, ''Black Burns'', is a though-provoking response to the full-length marble statue of Robert Burns, by John Flaxman, which stands in the Great Hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.0''Black Burns'' will address many of the key concerns in Gordon''s work. Created on site in the Great Hall in July 2017, and aims to render Flaxman''s totemic sculpture of Scotland''s national hero at once more human, more vulnerable and more exposed.0Graham Fagen''s evocative video installation ''The Slave''s Lament'', 2015 is a response to Robert Burns'' The Slave''s Lament (1792), his only work to empathise with the appalling hurt of the displaced, the trafficked and the enslaved. A beautiful lyric written over 200 hundred years ago, it is a narrative that remains entirely contemporary. This part of the book serves as a photographic record of the installation that was met with great acclaim at the Venice Biennale in 2015.

On a trip to Chinatown in Victoria, British Columbia, thirteen-year-old Jasmine falls through a doorway back to the 1880s, and finds herself in caught up in a scramble for a lost amulet — and a race against time. Will she ever make it back home?

When Char Hawthorn''s husband dies unexpectedly, she is left questioning everything she once knew to be true: from the cozy small town life they built together to her relationship with her stepdaughter, who is suddenly not bound to Char in any real way. Untethered explores what bonds truly form a family and how, sometimes, love knows no bounds. Char Hawthorn, college professor, wife and stepmother to a spirited fifteen-year-old daughter, loves her family and the joyful rhythms of work and parenting. But when her husband dies in a car accident, the “step” in Char’s title suddenly matters a great deal. In the eyes of the law, all rights to daughter Allie belong to Lindy, Allie’s self-absorbed biological mother, who wants to girl to move to her home in California. While Allie begins to struggle in school and tensions mount between her and Char, Allie’s connection to young Morgan, a ten-year-old-girl she tutors, seems to keep her grounded. But then Morgan, who was adopted out of foster care, suddenly disappears, and Char is left to wonder about a possible future without Allie and what to do about Morgan, a child caught up in a terrible crack in the system.

Mara vecht tegen een onverbiddelijke ziekte, en Scott ziet zich gedwongen zijn pleegkind op te geven. Een hartverscheurende roman die vraagt: wat zou jij doen, de laatste vijf dagen met je dierbaren? Mara, een 42-jarige succesvolle advocaat, lijdt aan de ziekte van Huntington – een ongeneeslijke ziekte die haar van de controle over haar lichaam berooft. Over vijf dagen neemt ze afscheid van haar man Tom en dochtertje Lakshmi. Scott en zijn vrouw Laurie nemen over vijf dagen afscheid van hun pleegzoon Curtis, die teruggaat naar zijn biologische moeder die dan vrijkomt uit de gevangenis. Scott en Mara kennen elkaar van een internetforum voor ouders van geadopteerde kinderen, en ze delen een bijzondere vriendschap. Terwijl hun werelden volledig op hun kop staan, proberen ze tegelijk de laatste dagen met hun geliefden zo gewoon mogelijk te houden. ‘Nog vijf dagen’ is een ontroerende, rauwe roman over afscheid nemen en hoe het is als je de controle over je leven verliest.

Kate''s father is a builder for the Canadian Pacific Railway as it snakes across the mountains and through the Fraser Canyon. Everyone is excited about the "Iron Horse", but building the railroad is a treacherous undertaking. Kate is always thinking about her father''s safety, and the Accident Hospital next door is a constant reminder of the hazards the railroad brings. Despite the danger, there is tremendous excitement surrounding the creation of the transcontinental railroad as Kate, her town, and all of Canada eagerly await its completion. Vetted by historical experts, each book in this series contains maps, numerous period illustrations, and an extensive historical note.

“A beautifully drawn study of what is at risk when you lose control of your own life. Unique, gripping, and viscerally moving—this impressive debut novel heralds the arrival of an extremely talented writer.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times–bestselling author of Leaving Time Destined to be a book club favorite, a heart-wrenching debut about two people who must decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice for love. Mara Nichols is a successful lawyer, devoted wife, and adoptive mother who has received a life-shattering diagnosis. Scott Coffman, a middle school teacher, has been fostering an eight-year-old boy while the boy’s mother serves a jail sentence. Scott and Mara both have five days left until they must say good-bye to the ones they love the most. Through their stories, Julie Lawson Timmer explores the individual limits of human endurance and the power of relationships, and shows that sometimes loving someone means holding on, and sometimes it means letting go.

A real fish tale! When "the big one" gets away, Amy figures the day is ruined. Or is it? Set on Canada''s west coast, A Morning to Polish and Keep is a story of adventure, family interaction and the lasting comfort of memory. Recommended reading ages: 4-10

Published to accompany the exhibition of the same name held at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 14th June-19th October, 2014.

A holiday treat for fans of the Dear Canada series, and all lovers of historical fiction! Celebrate the holidays with someone new. After growing up at bustling Fort Edmonton on the Prairies, Jenna found it hard to follow the stricter rules at the more "civilized" Fort Victoria. Even with new friends and different family ties, she still treasures her exciting make-believe world of Villains and Heroes. Adventure is never far from Jenna''s mind . . . and sometimes it erupts right into her life. This short story was originally published in Dear Canada: A Christmas to Remember, a collection featuring many of Canada''s top writers for children, including Jean Little, Sarah Ellis, Carol Matas, and more. New readers will adore this stand-alone holiday tale, while fans of the series will recognize the voice of Jenna, whom they first met in the award-winning Dear Canada book Where the River Takes Me. Collect all 12 Dear Canada Christmas stories this season and enjoy a very happy holiday!

Les dix récits rassemblés dans ce roman relatent les événements qui sont survenus durant la période des fêtes, après que les héroïnes des romans de la collection Cher Journal eurent terminé d''écrire leur journal intime.

Charlotte struggles to find her twin brother after the rest of her family is killed in the tragic Halifax explosion.No Safe Harbour is set in the months before and after the December 6, 1917 Halifax explosion, which was the largest man-made blast in history until the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The explosion levelled most of the city and sent shards of glass and burning debris flying for miles. It left thousands dead, blinded or homeless. Suddenly orphaned, Charlotte turns to her diary to help her cope with the events that killed her entire family — leaving her older brother, still fighting in the trenches of WWI, as her only surviving relative. This is an affecting story of loss and recovery, powerfully told by award-winning author Julie Lawson.

A teenage boy finds himself caught up in a century-old mystery -- aboard the Titanic! Kevin and his family are enroute to Halifax to check out a house they have mysteriously inherited from a man named Angus Seaton -- mysterious because none of them have any clue who he was or why they would be named in his will. While at the house, Kevin does his own investigating and discovers some old artifacts hidden behind a wall, including enigmatic photographs dating back to 1911, which show a young woman and her baby. This puzzling discovery leads to troubling dreams for Kevin -- haunting dreams and a voice that plagues him, a voice he cannot escape. Someone -- somehwere -- needs his help. One night he tries to answer the call, and finds himself in another reality, another time, in a flooded corridor... ... aboard the ship Titanic. In this ghostly new mystery by award--winning writer Julie Lawson, the terror, anxiety and reality of the sinking of the Titanic comes to life, as a teenage boy tries to right the wrongs of the past... and put some troubled souls to rest.

While heading for the Klondike to look for gold, Noah takes his cat, against his father''s wishes.

Eleven-year-old Sam''s first visit to the remote west coast of Vancouver Island is nothing like she''d expected. Her older cousins tease "the city kid" mercilessly when they''re not ignoring her altogether. She often finds herself left to her own devices. Still, the woods and beaches around Brackenwood Point offer plenty of room to explore. Then, one day, Sam comes face-to-face with a wild cougar and her two cubs, and her summer vacation suddenly gets much more exciting.

In "Emily: Building Bridges," Hing''s family finally arrives and Emily at last meets Mei Yuk, Hing''s daughter. After a rocky start, the two girls become fast friends. But as Emily begins to include Mei Yuk in her social life, she finds things changing between her and Alice, her best friend. Inspired by her art teacher, a young Emily Carr, Emily learns the importance of staying true to oneself. She also learns the meaning of tolerance and friendship.

Sixteen-year old Ned Turner sets off for the goldfields of the Klondike in 1897 and encounters adventures.

The year is 1896 and Emily pines for a bicycle, the latest craze. On the other side of Victoria''s James Bay Bridge is Chinatown and thousands of Chinese immigrants who are looking for a better life in Canada.