General News
16 May, 2025
Local author’s book talk
Local author Craig Ellery will be presenting a talk about his latest novel Never Get Off the Train at the Maryborough Visitor Centre next Wednesday.
In April last year, Mr Ellery published his semi-fictional account of the war in Ukraine, Never Get Off the Train, based on his personal experience during the early months of the conflict in 2022.
While he now resides in seclusion in order to pursue writing, he has spent a number of months as a foreign military advisor in Ukraine.
Without spoiling too much, Mr Ellery said the novel is an honest account of his experience during that time.
“Never Get Off the Train is an account of my time in Ukraine as a foreign military advisor but blended with a small degree of fiction,” he said.
Mr Ellery said the motivation and intention behind writing this book was to illustrate untold aspects of the fight against Russian tyranny through the eyes of a volunteer who travelled from Australia to a country at war, thousands of kilometres away in Europe.
“In all honesty, 99 percent of the people and events that are depicted are based on real encounters. The stories surrounding these occurrences did happen. The attitudes of many of the Ukrainians are genuine, as I witnessed,” he said.
This follows the release of his first book, Truth be Told, a local conspiracy novel set in the Central Goldfields.
The plot revolves around a secret discovered by a gold prospector that entangles friends and foes in a battle of wits and dangerous encounters that take place in cities, country areas and the Australian outback.
The story also contains under-lying messages and social commentary based on his personal experiences.
Those attending can also expect to hear about his creative process as an author and how his encounters become stories.
“I will also be talking about my writing process and the adventures I have had along the way,” Mr Ellery said.
Both novels will be available for purchase and signing on the day.
Mr Ellery will be presenting his talk at the Maryborough Visitors Centre at the Maryborough Station next Wednesday, May 21 from 11 am until 12 pm.