Secrets, Saddles & Sisterhood: Petunia’s Story
As I began writing my Sydney-based historical mystery series, The Sisters of Barclay Square, I had a clear sense of where I was going. At least, I thought I did. I knew I’d start with Poppy’s Dilemma, the story of the eldest Barclay twin whose world collapses after her father’s banking firm goes under in…
Behind the scenes with the Barclay sisters
The story of the Barclay sisters had been simmering in my imagination long before I began writing the Sisters of Barclay Square series. It all began when I created the Of Gold & Blood series — a ten-book historical mystery saga centered on the Russell brothers, three half-brothers raised in Hong Kong by their ambitious…
Barham House: The Real Inspiration for Barclay Manor
At the heart of the Sisters of Barclay Square series stands Barclay Manor — the fictional home of Poppy, Posey, Petunia, and their mother Arabella. But this grand villa, where the Barclays live, is based on a real house, still standing, and deeply rooted in Sydney’s history. Barham House (pronounced “Burrum”), built in 1833, is…
George Edwards Peacock: The Convict Artist Who Painted Barham House
Sydney in the late 1860s was rapidly shedding its “convict settlement” past, blossoming into a thriving city poised to rival some of Europe’s finest. Internationally acclaimed author Anthony Trollope even visited in 1871, describing Sydney as a city to rival the great capitals of Europe. But in this shifting landscape, one convict’s story stands out…