Wednesday 4 October 2017

Wide Awake


The Diary of an Australian Milkmaid

1882 to 1889
 



Spoiler Alert:
this post contains details which reveal plot elements of Wide Awake
 


Wide Awake was written with several narrative themes in mind: two serious, one frivolous.
Woolstone House, home to a wealthy squatter, c. 1908

First, the frivolous: the romantic narrative. I relied on the glorious voice and spirit of the inimitable Stella Miles Franklin whose example of independence and freethinking might be emulated today by more young women. There is an element of her My Brilliant Career, an echo of Austen and a touch of Hardy in the basic love-interest storyline.
Stella Miles Franklin

view from the Horn, Mount Buffalo


Wednesday 6 September 2017

Lily of Lonestorm

the second volume of the 

Threepenny Tales 
series:

Threepenny Tales
Lily of Lonestorm

The 
Seafaring Adventures 
of a Girl 
in search of her Parents



Lily of Lonestorm

The second in the 
THREEPENNY TALES series, 
Lily of Lonestorm
is a touch more melancholy than its predecessor Barnaby Twickins, however Lily's lonely life is soon cheered by a band of extraordinary pirates and an unusual friendship, as she launches a quest to find her long-lost parents. 




Wednesday 30 August 2017

Will's Way

A Story of Shakespeare's Youth


Spoiler Alert:
this post contains details which reveal plot elements of Will's Way

Cremonese School, Portrait of Young Boy, late 16th century
 
A leitmotif of my stories is the evolution - and power - of the written word: from writing's beginnings as a Mystery accessible to an elite, to its controversial transformation into a tool for the many, through religious upheavals and technological advances (the invention of paper and the watermark and the revolution of the printing press) and the increasing literacy of the general population, touched on in Will's Way.


William Shakespeare? The Grafton Portrait, 1588
Shakespeare's participation in these last developments seemed the perfect basis for a new novel. Yet I had no intention of embarking on a story about the adult playwright. Apart from the fact that so much has already been written, I was curious about his childhood, his beginnings, the influences which formed him. I hoped too that such an introduction to the Bard might stimulate curiosity in young readers. The advent of the theatre in Shakespeare's day can be compared with movements in music and art which have inspired the youth of our era. But although Shakespeare is 'for all time', his language can be challenging. To meet him as child and youth, living in his turbulent but exciting age might help render him more accessible. 

William Shakespeare? The Sanders Portrait 1603