It’s June 3 which means it is exactly one month until my newest book-baby The Riding Gallery, is
released into the world. Hooray!
The Riding Gallery is my sixth verse novel, but the first that brings together my love of historical fiction and my love of the verse novel form. It tells a story based on a true tale of a man named Anton Weniger, who opened a merry go round (or, as the title suggests Riding Gallery) on the foreshore at St Kilda, in Victoria, in 1915. This should have been a really happy event, but by the time Anton’s ride was opened, World War 1 was raging – and Anton, although a naturalised Australian, had come from Germany.
The story integrates Anton’s story with those of two fictional characters, Evelyn and Rory, who are growing up in St Kilda, and also each impacted by the far away war.
Although you might (correctly) imagine that a story set against the backdrop of a terrible war will not be all happy, I do hope that sharing the story with readers young and old brings this piece of history to life, and does its part in making the world a better place.
Although it is not yet for sale in store, you can pre-order now in a bookstore near you – thus supporting both my book and the brick and mortar bookstores which serve your community or, online from bookstores including Booktopia.
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You’ll be hearing more about The Riding Gallery in the weeks to come her on my blog and over on Instagram.