Behind The Catcher Man!

Imagine trying to build a future in a place where people believe your family’s past tells them everything they need to know about you.

That tension runs through The Catcher Man, my first novel and the beginning of a planned trilogy following the Dalton family through colonial Australia.

At its heart are Anna and Sam, a sister and brother learning how to make their way in a world that offers them little room for error. Anna’s practical determination and Sam’s restless spirit take them towards different possibilities, even as unanswered questions about their father draw them back together.

The story moves through crowded streets, waterfront taverns and working wharves, reaching beyond Sydney into the country around Wollombi. Along the way, earning a living, deciding whom to trust and keeping a family together become matters of consequence.

Writing this book has often brought my attention to small details: a carefully mended sleeve, coins counted before a market visit, or the words someone chooses to leave unspoken. These are the things that help me imagine the people behind the history.

The manuscript is complete and I am now working through the edits. In future posts, I’ll share some of the places, discoveries and questions behind the story, while keeping its surprises for the book.

For a first glimpse of its world, watch The Catcher Man teaser.

I’d love to know what draws you into a historical novel, is it the characters, the setting, or the chance to discover something new from the past.