Ghost Gum Valley

Ghost Gum Valley

Ghost Gum Valley is the second book from Australian author, Johanna Nicholls.

This sweeping saga is set in the early days of the Colony in New South Wales and follows the adventures of Isabel de Rolland, an England aristocrat descended from the Plantagenet, as she is sent out to the penal colony to marry Marmaduk Gamble, in a deal organised by their elders.

The debts of Isabel's family are paid in exchange for the respectability that her lineage gives the rich ex-convict Gamble's family. From the inauspicious beginnings of their arranged marriage, Isabel and Marmaduke develop a grudging friendship that looks to bloom into something more. But the secrets of the past are destined to haunt them and the madness and darkness of their families threaten to overwhelm them.

This wonderful new story has something for everybody; a bygone era brought to life, the importance of being free of the past to embrace the future and above all a wonderful love story between two of fiction's most delightful characters.

Johanna Nicholls is a former magazine feature writer and fashion editor. Her writing credits include short stories in Woman's Day, radio plays and a stage play. Johanna has worked in television production for Channel 7 as a researcher/writer and for 23 years she was head Script Editor for ABC TV's Drama Department and worked on the development of many memorable mini series including Sweet and Sour, Love is a Four Letter Word and Changi. Ironbark is her first novel and resulted from her fascination with the unique qualities of Australian Colonial history, our landscape and the emergence of the Australian identity. Johanna lives in Balmain, Sydney, and is currently working on her second historical novel, Brumby's Run.

Ghost Gum Valley
Simon and Schuster
Author: Johanna Nicholls
ISBN: 9780731815210
Price: $29.99