Carol Bracken

 

 Carol Bracken – historical fiction author

Carol is an aspiring novelist with ideas for three or four novels based in Penguin.

Wilful murder is her first novel and is in the final stages of drafting. The novel tells Ann’s story: a young ambitious woman born of convict parents, with a difficult upbringing, wants to belong in the small town where she lives. Being falsely indicted for murdering her newborn baby, Ann returns from twelve months in prison to the same small town, River Don, where her controlling husband still lives. She faces the prejudice of the town and is hindered by the indifference and drunkenness of her husband. As she struggles to gain financial independence and belonging in the community, her guilt prevents her from asking for help from her brother, Charlie. Though when Ann finally takes her future into her own hands, her fortunes improve. The return of her long-lost brother Henry, from the Victorian goldfields, also sets in motion change that bring Ann’s family together. Despite social expectations of 1860s Tasmania, she teaches herself to read and write and demonstrates her capabilities working in the store. Ann persists and manages to attract the admiration of Mr Thomas Sullock who has arrived from the goldfields with Henry. Despite her families continued poverty and lawlessness and Thomas' families dislike of Australian's, believing them all to be tainted by their convict past, she and Thomas marry and establish a hotel, store and generous home in Penguin Creek.

This biographical fiction will appeal to fans of historical fiction, women, Tasmanian's and those interested in the pioneering era of the 1860-90s.

 

You can contact Carol at https://bracken.net.au/

About Carol:

Carol has started a festival, been elected to local government, purchased over 8 million dollars worth of computers and planted around 6000 trees. She was born in Burnie, Tasmania and met her husband Nathan there. After they married, she moved to Canberra for university to study biochemistry and she spent fifteen years in three states following a project management career. Grandparents and the wild outdoors attracted Carol and Nathan back to Tasmania and she set up home with two young children in Glengarry. They established the business Tamar Valley Hazelnuts on a 60ha farm. Carol managed the farm, built a processing facility and marketed the nuts they produced. After ten years of happy memories, hard work and a great community they decided to try something new. Carol’s been living in Penguin for nearly five years – catching up with cousins who live nearby and swimming in the ocean we can see from our house. She works for the health department capturing requirements for digital solutions