Hobart Town 1879 At the Australian census of 1881, Tasmania was recorded as having a population of 115,705. Of these, 21,118 people lived in Hobart. Hobart was by this time an established city, the capital of the island state, with elegant sandstone buildings and the same well functioning institutions found in Britain: Parliament, Courts and … Continue reading Cold Blows the Wind – Streets and Lanes of Hobart Town
Cold Blows the Wind
Cold Blows the Wind – Author Talk
In September 2022, I gave a talk at my local library about the research behind my novel Cold Blows the Wind and the reason I decided to tell Ellen Thompson and Harry Woods’s story as fiction rather than non-fiction. I am sharing the PowerPoint I used for the talk with narration added so those who … Continue reading Cold Blows the Wind – Author Talk
Putting Words in their Mouths – Writing historical fiction based on real lives
At the Springs, Mount Wellington c.1880 Last month I was invited by the writer, Jean M Roberts to contribute a post about my latest novel to her blog, The Book’s Delight. My post looks at the challenges I faced trying to write accurately and honestly about the characters of my novel and not treat them as … Continue reading Putting Words in their Mouths – Writing historical fiction based on real lives
Cold Blows the Wind – The Soundtrack
People have always loved to sing, probably for as long as there have been people. These days, despite most people still loving music, most of us are too self conscious to sing in front of others, especially unaccompanied. It wasn't always this way. In the not so distant past, after the day's work was done … Continue reading Cold Blows the Wind – The Soundtrack
Cold Blows the Wind – my newest novel
Well here it is, my latest novel—published last Thursday—Yay! Unlike my previous two novels which were set in the Elizabethan period and peopled by fictional characters, Cold Blows the Wind begins in Hobart Town, Tasmania in 1878 and follows a period in the lives of my paternal great-great grandparents Sarah Ellen Thompson and Henry Watkins … Continue reading Cold Blows the Wind – my newest novel
Cold Blows the Wind
Release date: 28 April 2022. Cold Blows the Wind Hobart Town 1878 – a vibrant town drawing people from every corner of the earth where, with confidence and a flair for storytelling, a person can be whoever he or she wants. Almost.Ellen Thompson is young, vivacious and unmarried, with a six-month-old baby. Despite her fierce … Continue reading Cold Blows the Wind