Maggie’s Run and those Outback Brides

I can’t remember exactly when the idea for this series was first floated. Two years ago? Three? It took a long time for schedules to clear and stars to align, I do know that. But when we finally took to writing, the stories and the setting thrummed to life.

I took the back roads from NSW to Port Fairy in Victoria at one point, skirting the Grampians and spending time in small country towns like the one we created.

I once spent a season in a homestead not unlike the one in my story. It too had a ballroom–I used to dance my firstborn around it at night when he wouldn’t settle. The two suits of armour standing to attention at the formal entrance door had to relocate to a cupboard because they kept scaring me silly. This homestead had exquisite old furnishings and fabrics, a room full of period costumes immaculately kept under wraps and quite forgotten. There were redbacks under most of the chairs and huntsmen the size of dinner plates. A boab tree and a riverbank nearby and when it rained you couldn’t get out for days. Did I love it? No, not really. But it was memorable, and if I’d had the money, maybe …

Well, maybe not.

But people ask where story ideas come from and sometimes they come from long-ago experiences to which you add a bit of fairy dust. And then other authors add their fairy dust and all of a sudden you’re dancing in the stuff.

My heartfelt thanks to Victoria Purman, Cathryn Hein and Fiona McArthur for all the dust they whooshed my way.

Maggie’s run is available as an ebook on all major platforms, and will be available in print soon too. All of the Outback Brides will be available in print (and some already are). Find an excerpt, more book info and buy links for Maggie’s Run here.

Aren’t these covers lovely?