Q&A with Mary-Lou Stephens- Author talk
About
Mary-Lou Stephens grew up in Tasmania. The Apple Isle.It was also the island Cadbury’s chose to build their first overseas factory in the early 1920s.
At one time Hobart was the jam capital of Australia.
And Wrest Point Hotel Casino was the first legal casino in Australia.
It is clear that Mary-Lou Stephens loves her island home, Tasmania, an island of apples and chocolate, jam and roulette.
The Last of the Apple Blossom is a novel set in the orchards of the Huon Valley, a love song to a way of life long gone, erased by natural and economic woes. Two orchards, two women…and a secret that binds them.
The Chocolate Factory is a story of love, friendship and dangerous secrets in the early years of Cadbury’s Tasmanian factory. F
The Jam Maker. Intertwined with the fascinating history of the Tasmanian jam industry and the striking historical figure Henry Jones, The Jam Maker is a tale of danger, deceit and the desperate measures one woman will take to succeed in love and life.
And her latest novel The Hobart Hotel. Glamour, intrigue and two women who will gamble their lives to survive. Told over two timelines this is the story of Australia’s most glamorous, talked about and controversial hotel.
December 1939: The grand opening of Australia's most glamorous and talked about hotel, the Wrest Point Riviera.
The equally glamorous Sabine Winters, recently arrived in Hobart from the Continent, anticipates a safe port from the storm that rages in Europe along with a few select items of jewellery to add to her (stolen) collection. What she doesn't expect is to be blackmailed into becoming a spy, torn from the safety of Tasmania and taken to the viper's nest of intrigue and plots that is South America during the rise of Nazi power. Her instincts and charms will only get her so far ...
February 1973: The grand opening of Australia's most glamorous, talked about and controversial hotel, the Wrest Point Hotel Casino.
Jenny Davies anticipates a night surrounded by dizzying decor and thrilling action. What she doesn't expect is an invitation to become a Ladybird, one of the casino's croupiers. But Jenny's choice to pursue this exclusive career creates a devastating chain of events that could destroy her life as she knows it. Can a mysterious letter and the gift of a key from a relative Jenny has never heard of somehow be the answer to all of her problems?
Don’t miss this chance to hear bestselling Australian author Mary-Lou Stephens talk about her Tasmanian historical fictions, share her insights into her writing and the inspiration behind her new novel The Hobart Hotel.
Date & Time: Saturday 11th April 2026 at 6pm
📍 Location:Bayside Hotel, Conference Room, 2 Cecilia Street, St Helens
Date
Saturday 11 April 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (UTC+10)Location
Bayside Hotel- Conference Room
2 Cecilia Street, St Helens Tasmania 7216
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Q&A with Mary-Lou Stephens- Author talk
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