Buy it as a paperback at The Mosh Shop (if you are inside Australia) or Amazon (if you are outside of Australia)

Buy it as an ebook at Smashwords, Amazon USA, Amazon Australia, or Amazon UK

Bold, Brave & (bloody) Brilliant!

What gets this book’s fifteen ‘over 50s’ up in the morning?

In Bold, Brave & (bloody) Brilliant!, our writers offer intriguing insights into their lives and what keeps them motivated. The stories paint an inspiring picture of what it’s like living today as a third ager … learning flamenco and immersion in all things Spanish, rediscovering a love of maths and physics online, a lifelong passion for singing, the creative arts and new challenges, a deep commitment to our First Nations Peoples, demonstrating indomitability when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges – from financial ruin to Motor Neurone Disease (MND) …

What shines through is the joy of being alive, ‘following your bliss’ and making the most of every day.

Bold, Brave & (bloody) Brilliant! is the third book in a trilogy on life in the 50+ years. The first in the series was Feisty, Fabulous & 50+, a collection  of 21 ‘warts and all’ autobiographical stories of women navigating their  way through their 50s and beyond. This was followed by CALL ME FRANK, 20 autobiographical stories of men over 50 telling it like it is at this stage  in their lives. 

Reviews for Bold, Brave & (bloody) Brilliant!

"I really enjoyed reading Di's story. Her words describing the house at Matong and family visits, the weather and landscape are very familiar to me. This part of the country is not far from where I currently live, about 67km, but that path is a part of my beat, my song line; my family went that way from Tumut to Griffith.   I am inspired by the will to follow your dream. Di, it takes a lot to reach out and ask, it’s a challenge to put yourself out there.  My father was also a railway man, so I can relate to being on the train.  

The revelation of your Aboriginal heritage, the unspoken, the small town racism, are all expressed in a dignified way. I think it’s a wonderful example of life at that time .  I am loving the show biz life, green rooms , soundness checks, standing ovations, if only I could sing.

I recommend Songlines a look back at the love of family, dreams , music, country and identity .  With much love."

- Cheryl P
(Edited for publication)

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"So many of the stories have made me think about choices - chance meetings, being brave and grabbing life and how you suddenly arrive at a certain time of you life and wonder would you have done anything in a different way if you could back in time. These amazing people in Julie’s book seemed on the whole to be content but full of enthusiasm and ready for the next challenge. After reading Julie’s book it has left me wanting to know more about their lives.

Di Bird’s Songlines made me wish she had written more about her journey discovering herself along with her music and Indigenous heritage. Barbara Lepani’s story completely blew me away. How she has managed to fit all of that into one lifetime and she is still achieving wonderful things.

Who knew that Shane Porteous was such a Renaissance man? Not only as a popular actor but artist, scriptwriter and now oil painter and such a gentleman.

Some contributors have changed their lives after trauma or illness like David Mason-Jones, Ron Finneran and Karen Hannah. Others have travelled perfecting nature photography (Phil Armstrong), Sandy Croker embarking on a solo campervan trip around Australia and Jo Miley who has been everywhere.

Jino van Bruinessen has lived a life fueled by his amazing skill and artistic power to create incredible sculptures and because I am so in awe of anyone with technical skills in this digital age the clever, fearless tech savvy Barbara Callan who refuses to let any device bamboozle her.

These stories inspired me especially at this challenging time in our world’s history. I loved the format - beautifully written short biographies of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things and what I particularly love - they are still living their lives full of adventure, challenges but with the wisdom that comes with being of a ‘certain age’."

- Anne M
(Edited for publication)