The Lies We Tell Ourselves

The biggest lies are the ones you tell yourself.

When gorgeous new student, Carter, struts into class, Harley knows it's time to reinvent herself. Before long, she's shedding not only her weight but her friends, her family and the person she used to be. Betrayed by someone close to her, Harley abandons her only ally, drawn into a dangerous game of self-deception with no rules. Or winner. Spiralling deeper into a world where nothing is as it seems, Harley is desperate to find her way back. But first, she must figure out why her dead grandmother is messaging her. Why her father's never home. Why the voice keeps making her do things she doesn't want to do. Why everyone she loves is out of reach. Why everything she wishes for is vanishing before her eyes ... or is she the one disappearing?

Set in Australia, The Lies We Tell Ourselves is a timely, smart and utterly compelling story of how to piece yourself together when your world's falling apart. The work tackles issues at the heart of adolescence today: cyber-bullying, and the myriad of ways that young people can fall victim to intimidation; grief and the hole left behind when someone close dies unexpectedly; body image, particularly in a world constantly focussing on the external; and the heady, confusing world of teenage love. Combined, these themes are underpinned by existential tenets, eternal truths that are creatively explored in Harley's philosophy class. The story won the Children's Book Council of Australia NSW Aspiring Writers' Mentorship Program, The Charlotte Waring Barton Award and was shortlisted and named runner up for several other Australian writing awards.

Maura Pierlot is an international award-winning author, playwright and filmmaker in Canberra. Her writing for young adults (YA) explores the complex intersection of identity, self, belonging and mental health. Her acclaimed play, Fragments, supported by the ACT Government, enjoyed a sell-out season and was subsequently adapted as a YA hybrid novel and award-winning web series. Maura's writing for primary school-age children promotes personal growth, character development, critical thinking and community-building. Her latest picture book, Clutterbugs (Big Ideas Press, 2025), is a fun, energetic romp exploring themes of sustainability, recycling, repurposing, organisational skills and the true meaning of gift-giving. Alphabetter - A Better You and Me, from A to Z (Affirm Press, February 2024), presents positive qualities and values that encourage young readers to grow in their mindset and make good choices. What Will You Make Today? (Storytorch Press, May 2023), recently shortlisted for the International Rubery Book Award, inspires children as active participants and changemakers. Maura's debut picture book, The Trouble in Tune Town, won the 2018 ACT Writing and Publishing Award (Children's category) and international accolades. Maura is a longstanding small business owner in the marketing, property and finance sectors and a former medical news reporter, ethicist and editor of Australian Medicine. She holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy, specialising in ethics, and is the Founder of The Book Bench Project, a community literary initiative . When she's not busy writing, Maura visits schools and libraries as a guest reader and speaker, serves as a Role Model and Sponsor for Books in Homes Australia, and is a reviewer and interviewer for the CBCA's online magazine, Reading Time.

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