A BEST-SELLING author who's at the very heart of Australian storytelling will visit the Upper Hunter next week.
Nicole Alexander, with nine books under her belt, is scheduled to talk to her fans at the Muswellbrook Library on Tuesday, April 16, from 11.30am.
Light refreshment will be served, too.
A fourth generation grazier, Alexander returned to her family's property in the early 1990s.
She's currently the business manager there.
Alexander boasts a Master of Letters in creative writing and her novels, poetry, travel and genealogy articles have been published in Australia, Germany, America and Singapore.
She is the author of nine books - The Bark Cutters, A Changing Land, Absolution Creek, Sunset Ridge, The Great Plains, Wild Lands, River Run, An Uncommon Woman and her recent offering, Stone Country.
In her latest tome, Alexander has once again penned a sweeping historical novel that captures the Australian spirit - one of desire, adventure and determination.
Set between 1901 and 1940, across the red dirt of South Australia to the buffalo plains of the Northern Territory, Stone Country tells the story of Ross Grant as he finds himself torn between his own desires and his family duty; between the woman he loves and the one he marries; between the city of his birth and the country that has captured his imagination.
In Ross, Alexander has written an unlikely hero who embodies the duality of human nature and the contrasts of Australia - our landscapes, our culture and our history - to great effect.
She's also drawn on her own family history to lend a personal touch to his story; inspired by the fact her grandfather enlisted in World War I while his younger brother was forced to stay behind to manage the family properties.
Stone Country explores how one selfish decision can trigger the ruin of not only oneself but that of your family.
It reminds us all that our choices can mean our triumph... or our downfall.
For bookings to meet Alexander, phone Muswellbrook Library on 6543 1913 or email library@muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au
