Award-winning Australian author Julia Lawrinson has more than 15 books for children and young people to her name, but her latest work is deeply personal.
Her memoir tells the almost unbelievable tale of her life, from childhood anxiety and parental dysfunction, to the murder of her best friend by a serial killer and a volatile marriage.
It's called 'How to Avoid a Happy Life', but despite the title, there is an unexpected light at the end of the tunnel.