Margaret River writer and librarian Ana Brawls will publish her debut novella, The unbinding of Virginia Brown, on 21 November 2026.

The literary speculative novella is set in near-future Perth, where physical books and their devoted readers are hard to come by. A book conservator by trade, Virginia Brown’s dream of joining the prestigious Guild of Conservators is threatened when a book dealer arrives with a forged Agatha Christie novel and a threat.

‘When I first started the manuscript, I came across an article about a 1924 copy of Agatha Christie’s Poirot investigates,which was sold at auction, with the dust jacket intact, for about £40,000. That struck me as a lot of money, and I used it as the idea for the story. The main character, a book conservator, struggles with her past and has a deeply moral issue to deal with, and that is what drives the story.’

It was not until 2022, when Brawls received the Centre for Stories Writing Fellowship, that she could dedicate time and creative energy to completing the manuscript under the guidance of her mentor Josephine Taylor, author of Eye of a rook.

Brawls chose to publish independently and managed the editorial process herself, working with local professionals: Abbey Carson, editor/proofreader and Mia Yokohata, typesetter; and Brazilian cover designer Rafael Nobre.

‘It has been an incredible journey, and I learned so much from the process. The creative freedom it gave me and the connections I made have been invaluable. I have been lucky to work with a dedicated group of professionals, and I wouldn’t wish for any other way to bring this book into the world.’

Brawls was born in Brazil and works as a librarian. Her writing has appeared in Westerly magazine, Fabled magazine and the Australian Poetry Anthology, among others. She is a Westerly Writers Fellow, a KSP Writer-in-Residence and a recipient of the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund.

The unbinding of Virginia Brown will be available as a paperback ($24.99) from 21 November, and as an e-book ($12.99), with Kindle pre-orders open.

Media contact: Ana Brawls, [email protected]. Review copies, images and interviews available on request.

Details: The unbinding of Virginia Brown · Ana Brawls · Paperback, 254 pages · ISBN 978-1-7646767-0-0