Tara could not believe her luck when she landed her first publishing job at Sheil Land Associates, in the heart of Bloomsbury - next door to the house of Charles Dickens and home to so many of my literary heroes growing up. She joined Curtis Brown UK in 1998 and arrived at Curtis Brown Australia in 2002 inheriting a list of authors from internationally renowned writer, Garth Nix. Unashamedly more commercial in her leanings, she represents a broad range of plot driven fiction by writers from all walks of life. She loves psychological suspense, historical and crime as well as female focused fiction about life love and relationships. Her non-fiction taste is mostly driven by big ideas told through a more personal and accessible lens. As a mother of three she could not resist a few awesome picture books, middle-grade and YA writers too! She aims to work closely with her clients on a long term basis and strive to work together as a team. 
 
When not at the office you will find her sharing delicious food and wine with friends; hanging with the kids at home but mostly at the beach; walking the dog by the ocean or swimming in it! 
 
A few of her favourite books (not by my or CB Au clients) in the last five years:
Fiction: Girl, Woman Other, Shuggie Bain, Lessons in Chemistry, Lanny, Milkman, My Sister the Serial Killer and anything by Taylor Jenkins Reed, Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, Rosamund Lupton and Richard Osman. 
 
Non-Fiction: More than a Woman, Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People About Race, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Educated by Tara Westover, I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jenette Mccurdy.
 
Children’s and YA:
The Maze Runner series, Harry Potter series, Wonder, Lenny’s Book of Everything
 
Tara is always looking for a good story well told, a new twist of an old tale. Voice is the first thing she looks for and narrative drive comes next.
 
Whether a memoir or novel she wants something that would appeal to the book club reader, straddle the literary and commercial. She wants to FEEL for the protagonist and care about the journey he, she or they make. It has to be evident that the writer has read widely and researched the genre that they are writing in enough to make it a play on the bestsellers already out there.
 
She already has lots of brilliant picture books, junior fiction, middle grade and YA so she just doesn't have space for any new authors in this space right now. The same goes for the majority of historicals and sf and fantasy has to be grounded to work at all in the current climate so sadly no space opera or Tolkien-esque epics.