The Long Weekend

Four perfect strangers. Three days. Can one weekend away change your life? The unputdownable new drama by one of Australia's most beloved storytellers

Coming together for a writing workshop with bestselling author Jan Goldstein, four strangers converge upon a luxury forest retreat. But along with their notepads and laptops, each of the participants has brought some emotional baggage.

Beth is a solo parent and busy career woman haunted by a tragic car accident. Simone, the youngest at 26, is a successful Instagram star but she's hiding behind a facade. Jamie is the only man. He's a handsome personal trainer - but he looks out of place with a pen in his hand. Finally, Alice is a wife and mum recovering from post-natal depression. She and Jamie soon realise they are not such perfect strangers after all.

Only one thing is for sure: on this creative getaway, nothing will go according to script.

'The Long Weekend delivers to readers the perfect chance to escape from their own lives, if just for a few hours. Readers can expect a raft of revelations around postnatal depression, secret affairs, hidden identities, parental neglect and untold truths, with a few steamy sex scenes' Books+Publishing

'Delves deep into themes of secret affairs, hidden identities, parental neglect and untold truths' Who Weekly

'Fiona Palmer is a writer who demonstrates great facility for storytelling, for swiftly moving a plot along. She writes relatable characters. I have no doubt that The Long Weekend will be another bestseller' Living Arts Canberra

'An emotionally charged and engaging novel, with a good and interesting cast' Canberra Weekly

Praise for Fiona Palmer:

'There's an honesty to Palmer's characters that transports you into the heart of their worlds' Australian Women's Weekly

'It's a story about family, female empowerment and matters of the heart' Woman's Day

'Her books are tear-jerkers and page-turners' Sydney Morning Herald

'Fiona Palmer just keeps getting better' RACHAEL JOHNS

'Heartbreak, love and sibling relationships' New Idea

Four strangers meet for a weekend writing retreat in an idyllic location south of Perth. While this might sound like a familiar premise for a work of commercial fiction, the individuality of the characters, and the poignancy of their particular issues, make The Long Weekend an interesting read. Fiona Palmer, billed as a 'rural author' in the style of Rachael Johns and others, has penned a number of novels, including Sisters and Brothers and Secrets Between Friends. Her latest centres on likeable single mum Beth, who nurses physical and emotional scars from a traumatic car accident in her youth. She attends the writers' retreat as a mysterious favour to her sister. There she meets ruggedly handsome gym owner Jamie, impeccably presented full-time mum Alice, Instagram weight-loss sensation Simone and acerbic successful author and tutor Jan. True to genre, each character brings their own secrets and problems as, over a weekend of wine, nibbles and intrigue, they transition from wary strangers to supportive friends. Readers can expect a raft of revelations around postnatal depression, secret affairs, hidden identities, parental neglect and untold truths, with a few steamy sex scenes thrown in. While the plot may wade into familiar waters, with its fresh expression, endearing characters and their neatly woven backstories, The Long Weekend delivers to readers the perfect chance to escape from their own lives, if just for a few hours. Joanne Shiells is an English teacher, editor and former retail book buyer.

Before becoming an author, Fiona Palmer was a speedway driver for seven years and now spends her days writing both women's and young adult fiction, working as a farmhand and caring for her two children in the tiny rural community of Pingaring, 350km from Perth. The books Fiona's passionate readers know and love contain engaging storylines, emotions and hearty characters. Her novels are consistently Top 10 national bestsellers.

Four perfect strangers. Three days. Can one weekend away change your life? The unputdownable new drama by one of Australia's most beloved storytellersComing together for a writing workshop with bestselling author Jan Goldstein, four strangers converge upon a luxury forest retreat. But along with their notepads and laptops, each of the participants has brought some emotional baggage. Beth is a solo parent and busy career woman haunted by a tragic car accident. Simone , the youngest at 26, is a successful Instagram star but she's hiding behind a facade. Jamie is the only man. He's a handsome personal trainer - but he looks out of place with a pen in his hand. Finally, Alice is a wife and mum recovering from post-natal depression. She and Jamie soon realise they are not such perfect strangers after all.Only one thing is for sure: on this creative getaway, nothing will go according to script.' The Long Weekend delivers to readers the perfect chance to escape from their own lives, if just for a few hours. Readers can expect a raft of revelations around postnatal depression, secret affairs, hidden identities, parental neglect and untold truths, with a few steamy sex scenes' Books+Publishing 'Delves deep into themes of secret affairs, hidden identities, parental neglect and untold truths' Who Weekly 'Fiona Palmer is a writer who demonstrates great facility for storytelling, for swiftly moving a plot along. She writes relatable characters. I have no doubt that The Long Weekend will be another bestseller' Living Arts Canberra 'An emotionally charged and engaging novel, with a good and interesting cast' Canberra Weekly Praise for Fiona Palmer: 'There's an honesty to Palmer's characters that transports you into the heart of their worlds' Australian Women's Weekly 'It's a story about family, female empowerment and matters of the heart' Woman's Day 'Her books are tear-jerkers and page-turners' Sydney Morning Herald 'Fiona Palmer just keeps getting better' RACHAEL JOHNS 'Heartbreak, love and sibling relationships' New Idea

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