William McInnes – författare

One of Australia''s best loved writers, William McInnes makes us laugh, cry and grab life with both hands.Chris Andersen loves cricket. He may not be a legend like Bradman or Boonie, but in the Yarraville West Fourths, Chris Andersen is king. He is the captain, the coach, the manager and, thankfully, a player. They are getting hard to find, players.Every Saturday in summer Chris ropes together a motley team of men and a couple of boys to turn up in their cricket whites to try and win a game. Everyone has a different reason for being there: to hear the music from a nearby house, a block out the memories of another place, to be entertained, to please their dad, or just to have a go.And everyone has a story to tell.''Marvellous reading'' - Woman''s Day''Entertaining'' - West Australian''A book about a lot more than cricket… And even though you laugh out loud, you recognise something real'' - The Age''Big-hearted novel with character, leaving the reader with the urge to stand up and cheer'' - Sunday Telegraph''An affectionate, gentle and touching tribute to cricket and blokes who play it for love, not money'' - Adelaide Advertiser

William McInnes'' bestselling memoir, A Man''s Got To Have A Hobby, takes us back to the long summer holidays of the 1960s and 70s, and the last of the baby-boomer childhoods. William writes with humour and affection about his family, and especially his mum and dad, who talked to the TV set and enjoyed life in their house near the bay.William McInnes is a talented writer and a natural storyteller. A tail-end baby boomer, he recalls summer holidays that seemed to go on forever, when he and his mates would walk down to fish in the bay; a time when the Aussie battler stood as the local Labor candidate and looked out for his mates; and a time when the whole family would rush into the lounge room to watch a new commercial on TV.He writes about his father - a strong character who talks to the furniture, dances with William''s mother in the kitchen, and spends his free time fixing up the house and doing the best for his family. In William''s writing you can hear his father speaking and listen to his mother singing.This is a book about people who aren''t famous but should be. It''s about cane toads and families, love and hope and fear, laughter, death and life. Most of all, it is a realistic, down-to-earth book by a man who had a great time growing up. His warmth and humour come through on every page. This Australian memoir tells of a time that will be familiar to many readers and a delight for all.''McInnes applies a deft touch to a swag of recollections, shaping a yarn that should be listed with the national treasures'' - The Courier Mail ''This will make you laugh till you cry'' - The Age''A perfect balance between humour, humility, seriousness and light, laughter and tears'' - Sunday Telegraph

''a funny and clever reminiscence about what happened in Australia over the past 30 years ... Told with a delightful insight and sense of whimsy.'' Daily Telegraph In THAT''D BE RIGHT, much loved actor and author William McInnes gives his personal view on the things we love – sport, families, politics and the greatest spectator sport of them all, an election campaign. He takes the momentous landmarks that fascinate us, such as Melbourne Cup Day, Grand Final wins and election night parties, and brings them into our back yards. He also writes about early morning swimming carnivals, lawnmowers and sitting in the stands at the cricket with his son. THAT''D BE RIGHT is a biographical trip through Australian life with lots of yarns along the way.

When a developer asks Peter to assess a prime piece of Queensland real estate – the Pickersgill Peninsula Showgrounds – he jumps at the chance. It will give him time out from having to be with the family he loves. And it will take him back to his childhood home; to his parents, his twin sister, Pearl, and his brother, Gary, the TV weatherman.Over these few days, he will come to realise that sometimes when you go back to where you came from you find out how much you actually have, and how much you could lose. He just has to make his mind up, and listen to the advice that’s given by, of all people – the King of Hot Dogs. But will he?''For a novel that has so few pretensions, this is a skilfully constructed story that manages to be insightful, understated and very funny simultaneously'' - Sydney Morning Herald''William McInnes is insightful, thoughtful and funny. He has a flair for fiction as much as memoirs and non-fiction, as The Laughing Clowns will attest'' - The Daily Telegraph

A novel about love, about twitchers, and about learning to trust from bestselling, award-winning author, William McInnes.This is a story about a bloke who''s losing his hearing; a bird that can''t fly but likes being read to; and a teenage daughter who doesn''t know who to be angry at.It''s about a woman living with the echo of illness finding out how much fun it can be to trust someone; a man called Murph who has a secret; and Perry Como.It''s part love story, part Hot Diggity moments of discovery, whether they happen in a rainforest or while sitting on a verandah, or in somebody''s heart.It''s about cold outdoor showers and people not quite being complete. But, most of all, it''s about giving yourself the gift to be still while you wait for the lights to change or the rain to stop, so you have time to think.For all of us, there are memories and secrets that can change our lives. If we let them.

From bestselling author William McInnes, a book about the languid, unending holidays of summer; it''s about going away and staying at home, about sunburn, seagulls, family and friends.Remember those long, languid holidays when the only decisions to be made were what to pack in the Esky and who should get the front seat on the drive to the beach?Let William McInnes reignite your nostalgia for holidays past, and give you a taste of the boundless opportunities that await in holidays to come in this book about our love affair with life away from the everyday.This book will take you back to the holidays you had as a kid and remind you of the ones you''ve had with your own family or friends or even the ones where you''ve flown solo.Holidays are the runway to possibilities - a romantic sunset, the spare seat at breakfast being taken by an attractive stranger, a miraculous airline upgrade - or missing bags, unfortunate rashes and wrong turns that lead to places you definitely did not intend to go. Whether you are away from home and somewhere exotic or just in your own backyard on a lilo in an above-ground pool, whatever happens, you know that life is sweet because you''re on HOLIDAYS.**Includes a bonus extract from William''s hilarious and heartwarming memoir Fatherhood**"McInnes is a natural storyteller . . ." - Sun Herald, Sydney"McInnes enjoys a quirky love affair with the quintessential Australian holiday" - Brisbane News"Proves that the journey is just as agreeable as the destination" - Sunday Age". . . full of beautifully crafted childhood reminiscences and anecdotes" - Sunday Examiner"McInnes is a wonderfully engaging writer - witty and warm and a master of a good yarn. If your holidays aer a way off, curl up with William and he''ll take you away" - Adelaide Advertiser

William McInnes, one of Australia''s best-loved entertainers and authors, takes a look at the Aussie obsession with sports and pop culture.A chance encounter in an auction house is the jumping-off point for William''s inimitable take on our sport-obsessed nation, Australian popular culture and the artefacts and memorabilia that both make us cringe with recognition and laugh with warm affection. His trademark humour and anecdotes litter this collection, making it a true delight.These are truly Aussie stories: about us, and about the things - and the people - in our lives.**Includes BONUS CHAPTERS of two William McInnes classics: A Man''s Got to Have a Hobby and Holidays and an extract from his latest hilarious and heartwarming memoir, Fatherhood**PRAISE FOR WILLIAM McINNES'' WRITING''warm, nostalgic, funny and undeniably Australian'' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD''a natural storyteller'' SUN-HERALD''If there is a quintessence of Australianness at its best, William McInnes has distilled it.'' THE AGE

William McInnes, one of Australia''s best-known storytellers and actors, has turned to a subject that is close to his heart. Fatherhood is about family, about memories of his father and the memories he''s creating as a dad himself, with his own son and daughter.Warm, witty and nostalgic, these tales are just like a friendly chat over the back fence, or the banter of a backyard BBQ. They will stir your own memories: of hot summer days and cooling off under the sprinkler while Dad works in the garden with the radio tuned to the sports results; that time Dad tried to teach you to drive - and then got out of the car and kissed the ground; or taking your own kids on a family road trip.Fatherhood is full of memories: the happy, the hilarious, the sad, bad, and the unexpectedly poignant moments. You will laugh, you may even cry - but you will recognise yourself and those you love somewhere in these pages.

I can''t help it if I''m a boring conservative dag, but I love Christmas, always have and hopefully always will. Whatever brand of faith you fly under, even if you proclaim you don''t have one, Christmas is a time of generosity, good citizenship and decency.It''s the holiday where shopping centres become a sea of dazed shoppers bearing checklists as long as your arm, lunch is a neverending buffet of prawns and ham and your electricity bill is doubly struck by having to run the fan all day and keep those decorative lights blinking through the night.William McInnes, bestselling author of FATHERHOOD, WORSE THINGS HAPPEN AT SEA, and A MAN''S GOT TO HAVE A HOBBY tackles the silly season in a way only he can - telling stories brimming with good humour and nostalgia, to remind us what Christmas is all about: family.