An Author's Journey - Part 4

I wrote A Distant Dream, because a few of my readers who had read A Woman Undefeated and the sequel, Dreams Can Come True, asked what had happened to Molly, Maggie’s little sister?

As I was living in Adelaide at that time, I decided to visit a small village called Willunga. In 1839, the district in and around the settlement was surveyed by John McLaren, and when slate was discovered nearby in 1840, Cornish, Welsh and Irish quarrymen arrived.

"There was also a rush of immigrants who helped to clear the land!"

The land was cheap and in time, sheep, cattle and fields of wheat abounded throughout the area. The high street of Willunga is a wonderful place for those with a love of all things historic. It is lined with old buildings, too many to mention here, but I noted from my research that the first Police Hut was built in 1839, along with a shop and early cottages and a boys' school nearby.

My favourite place was the Court House, an original building set in large grounds, which housed the orphan girls who had been sent - mostly from Ireland - to be servants to the owners of the surrounding land. I decided that this would be the ideal destination for Molly and my other characters, as there was also plenty of space in the garden to erect shelters, until a permanent home could be found.

As I walked along the High street, I could imagine the place without the cars that now line it. I saw those who once inhabited it all those years ago. The well-dressed ladies from the surrounding homesteads, wearing bombazine skirts, long-sleeved pintucked blouses, matching jackets, ankle boots and poke bonnets on their heads. But I could also see the wives of the workers, wearing ragged skirts and a heavy shawl covering their thin blouses, their long hair uncovered and shoes that had seen better days.

"Molly was there, a dark-haired little girl, thin and pale, but better dressed than most because of her benefactors!"

By the time I had completed my manuscript, checked it for spelling and punctuation, then sent it off to my self-publisher for editing and proofreading, I had acquired a little following, who left me kind reviews on Amazon. I had a website then and it was good to connect with readers. I have to say here that no matter how much a manuscript is checked, there is always mistakes that can slip through the net.

I had noticed a couple of spelling mistakes once I had taken possession of my paperbacks and also readers had commented, but I had noticed mistakes in other authors' books as well. They can usually be corrected in the next print run.

After a few years spent in Australia, due to personal circumstances we returned to the UK. Suddenly I became awash with invitations to speak at Mother's Union meetings and Women's Institute groups. It seemed that my Irish sagas were doing well. I also did a few book signings at a chain of bookstores, which gave me an uplift in my self esteem.

"I continued to write, heartened by this response!"

I wasn't making any big money, indeed I only just covered my time, transport and of course the cost of my books being printed, but it had become a desire to be a well-known author that drove me on.