{"id":122890,"date":"2026-06-10T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/?p=122890"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T23:20:45","slug":"prize-winning-author-releases-second-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/living\/prize-winning-author-releases-second-novel\/","title":{"rendered":"Prize-winning author releases second novel"},"content":{"rendered":"

MULTI-AWARD shortlisted author Karen Sparnon has debuted her independent novel, The Angel’s Song.<\/p>\n

Sparnon was the 2007 recipient of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize.<\/p>\n

The Angel’s Song, produced by Sanctuary Publishing and Coven Press, is set between the beauty of regional Australia and the historic opulence of Venice, Italy.<\/p>\n

The theme of loss, specifically maternal separation is heavily intertwined with the main character, and author’s, love of Italian Renaissance art.<\/p>\n

The novel tells the story of Iris, raised in Australia by her sculptor father.<\/p>\n

Her mother’s passing has left an indelible mark on her life and no memories.<\/p>\n

All she has is a grave and a diary written in Italian and containing four postcards of Renaissance paintings.<\/p>\n

A diary translation leaves Iris torn between maintaining a comfortable life with her father and longing to understand her mother.<\/p>\n

“I am particularly interested in themes around loss; loss of homeland, connection and family,” said Sparnon.<\/p>\n

“In The Angel’s Song, Iris loses her mother as a child, leading her on a decades-long search to understand her.”<\/p>\n

The Angel’s Song is Ballarat-based Sparnon’s second novel. Her first novel, Madonna of the Eucalypts was published in 2006.<\/p>\n

Sparnon works as a freelance writer and teacher and is currently writing her third novel.<\/p>\n

The Angel’s Song will be available at major retailers and online bookstores in paperback and eBook formats.<\/p>\n

For further information see karensparnon.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MULTI-AWARD shortlisted author Karen Sparnon has debuted her independent novel, The Angel’s Song. Sparnon was the 2007 recipient of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize. The Angel’s Song, produced by Sanctuary Publishing and Coven Press, is set between the beauty of regional Australia and the historic opulence of Venice, Italy. The theme […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":215,"featured_media":123027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-122890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPrize-winning author releases second novel - Ballarat Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Award-winning author Karen Sparnon releases her second novel, The Angel's Song, exploring loss, family, and Italian art.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/living\/prize-winning-author-releases-second-novel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prize-winning author releases second novel - 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