I was asked by my publisher sometime in 2018 to write a novella - 30k words - with a Christmas theme:
December 1889. To save his drought–stricken farm, Shep Miller is droving his remaining cattle overland in a desperate bid to reach the last sale before Christmas. Widow Jenny Wickley is glad to take in his two children during his absence, hoping to help the neighbour she has long admired. But when peculiar swaggies turn up with letters and a touch of magic, a mystery is uncovered that will put all their lives in danger. Will the drover make it home in time?
As a child, I was always captivated by Christmas, and more so by Jack Waugh's wonderful painting, Santa and the Drover. There's such magic in it for our Aussie Christmases, that I've never forgotten it
So it all came together -
The Drover Comes Home For Christmas
is a favourite of mine.
You'll find it in the anthology,
The Drover Comes Home For Christmas
Many thanks to the Waugh family -
John, Andrew, Bradley, and Patricia (dec) and their families for their generosity sharing the wonderful legacy left by their father Jack Waugh.