Susie Moloney

Melbourne has had the fastest-growing population of any Australian capital city for more than a decade. It is expanding outward while also growing upward through vast new high-rise developments in the inner suburbs. With an estimated 1.6 million additional homes needed by 2050, policy-makers need to address current and emerging issues of amenity, function, productive capacity and social cohesion today. Planning Melbourne reflects on planning since the post-war era, but focuses in particular on the past two decades and the ways that key government policies and influential individuals and groups have shaped the city during this time. The book examines past debates and policies, the choices planners have faced and the mistakes and sound decisions that have been made. Current issues are also addressed, including housing affordability, transport choices, protection of green areas and heritage and urban consolidation. If Melbourne's identity is to be shaped as a prospering, socially integrated and environmentally sustainable city, a new approach to governance and spatial planning is needed and this book provides a call to action.

Desperate Housewives meets The Witches of Eastwick in Susie Moloney's wonderfully creepy novel, The Thirteen. A paranormal thriller that blends contemporary suburban concerns and mores with the fiendishly supernatural, The Thirteen is the story of a woman who returns to her childhood home with her daughter, only to discover that the community is now run by a group of witches with nasty plans for the both of them. A wonderfully dark and original tale, The Thirteen will appeal to a wide range of readers--from fans of Laura Kasischke, Jennifer McMahon, Melissa De la Cruz, and Melissa Marr to anyone who has ever appreciated the delicious chills of Rosemary's Baby.

The house had history. Perhaps "too" much history. 362 Belisle Street is a homeowner's dream. A nice neighborhood, close to schools, new hardwood oors, unique original detail. So why then, wonders real estate agent Glenn Darnley, won't this charming property stay off the market? Perhaps the clawed feet of the antique bathtub look a little too threatening. Or maybe it's the faint hospital-like smell of the room off the top of the stairs. It's possible that the haunting music that pours out from under the steps keeps the residents awake at night. In the three parts of Susie Moloney's hair-raising novel "The Dwelling, " ownership of 362 Belisle changes four times -- with Glenn Darnley brokering each deal. The rst occupants are a young couple, Rebecca and Daniel Mason, who have big dreams of wealth and success. It doesn't take long for them to realize that they're not welcome in their new house. After a ghostly seduction and a violent confrontation, the property is once again for sale. Next comes Barbara Parkins, a divorcee, and her unhappy young son, Petey. Lonely and looking for companionship, the two nd comfort in some new, playful young friends. When the Parkins family leaves, the house is sold again. Last, ownership goes to Richie Bramley, a drunken writer and lost soul. But like the others, he can't settle down in this house -- which has a mind, and a heart, of its own. For Glenn, however, the house is a dream, always warm and welcoming. The oors gleam, and sun pours in through the windows. Owners come -- and 362 Belisle makes sure owners go. It's waiting patiently for its beloved to realize how much it loves her. It's waiting for Glenn, the very special person who can nally turn this house into a home. "The Dwelling" is clever, scary, and ultimately moving. It's a novel for everyone who ever spent time looking for "just the right house."