Never to Surrender

Mary-Anne O'Connor debuted at #3 on the Australian fiction bestseller lists in 2015 with her breakout novel Gallipoli Street. Since then, she has gone on to produce continuous bestsellers, from her historical fiction novels surrounding Australia's explosive cultural upheaval during the 19th and 20th centuries, to her escapist English Christmas romance novels. Her novels include Gallipoli Street, Worth Fighting For, War Flower, In A Great Southern Land, Where Fortune Lies, Sisters of Freedom, Dressed By Iris, Never to Surrender and The Stowaway. She has also co-written two non-fiction books about art, A Brush with Light and Secrets of the Brush, with her father, well-known Australian traditional artist Kevin Best. O'Connor lives in a house overlooking her beloved bushland in northern Sydney with her husband Anthony and their two sons Jimmy and Jack. Her latest novel, Christmas Joy, came out in 2025.

Rachael Hevrin is an award-nominated actor originally from Texas, currently working and living in Melbourne, Australia. Known for her work in film and theatre, she holds a BA in Drama (Acting) & Creative Writing from Deakin University and integrates her expertise as a trauma-informed yoga and meditation teacher into her craft, specialising in somatic-based techniques. Her credits include Hell of a Night and a range of independent film and theatre projects across Australia and the US.