Writing groups are a great support and the original online CB group was one of my first experiences of the power of being part of a writing network. I am thankful for the encouragement received from them. Members come from all over Australia, but it was June Whyte’s prodding that kept my fingers on the keyboard – thank you all.

I finished the acknowledgements with: Last, but not least, I am blessed to have a wonderful family, surrogate and blood, near and far, who are always supportive. In particular, I want to thank my children and Daryl – without you there would be no story. Of course this is still true today. I am very fortunate.

Nearly a decade ago all of those people helped bring my story to life and now, thanks to Harlequin Books, it comes to a new lot of readers. My publisher, Jo Mackay, and my editor, Annabel Blay, saw the merits of the original story and worked with me to update it; especially artful Annabel with her gentle suggestions and reader queries helped me to see where changes were necessary to make this story fit into the modern era. Thanks also to proofer Julie Wicks, the design team for the fabulous cover, marketing and sales, and the whole crew at Harlequin. A big hug to each and every one of you. You are the best.

I needed more help with some of the legalities and owe a big thank you to Kylie Mildwaters. Kylie is a lawyer but also another writer, who helped me understand some of the ins and outs of various forms of wills. Thanks also to Leanne Murphy, now May, who once again helped with some of the medical questions. Both of these ladies did their best to keep me on the straight and narrow but I did of course take poetic licence and as usual any deviations from reality are my own.

And to you, dear readers, thank you for your cheery posts and emails. I hope you have enjoyed this story and I look forward to sharing more with you.

HEART OF THE COUNTRY

Tricia Stringer

An epic historical saga of three Australian families, from bestselling Australian author Tricia Stringer.

Spanning several generations, this epic novel tells the story of the Baker, Smith and Wiltshire families forging their paths in a land both beautiful and unforgiving.

Lives are intertwined by love and community then ripped apart by hate and greed but remain always bound to the land they love…

1846: Newly arrived from England, Thomas Baker is young, penniless and alone. Eager to make his mark on this strange new place called South Australia, he accepts work as an overseer on a distant sheep property, believing this will be the opportunity he seeks. But when Thomas’s path crosses that of ex-convict, Septimus Wiltshire — a grasping con man hell bent on making a new life for himself and his family at any price — trouble is on the horizon.