Today, I’m very proud to introduce you to Linda Charles. I first met Linda when thirteen authors embarked on a journey in the fictional town of Bindarra Creek and fell in love with her writing. Her book in that series, One More Day, was a heartwarming read I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m so happy to see another Australian Rural Romance series hit the shelves with this lovely lady’s name on it. Here is Linda to tell you all about what constitutes a family.
First, I’d like to thank you, Juanita, for asking me to write this blog post.
When I first heard the premise for the township of Mindalby, where the biggest employer in town closes its doors, my first thought was how do families cope with such a crisis? The next question was what constitutes a family? I think families comprise many different variations, and perhaps they always have. I’ve worked alongside the same people for the past 18 years and I regard them as my second family. I spend more time with them than I do my own family. That’s a sentiment I hear a lot in our office! They know all about my foibles, weaknesses, strengths and sense of humour, which is so important. I feel right at home with these colleagues. They have supported me and offered comfort through some of the toughest crises in my life. I think the world of them and regard them as more than good friends. We are like one big blended family all with the same aim, to enjoy our time at work together, despite not always enjoying the work side of things.
Families are fun! Who else would put up with our private goofiness?
Families are trusting! Who else would put up with all our traumas?
It takes a lot of effort to make today’s modern family work. Blended families, once rare, are now quite common. When you mix in various step parents and step-children, and, in some cases, many marriages which can have its own branch of children, and in-laws, you’re talking about quite a lot of people.
The vast majority of us want a happy home-life, and we try our best to navigate and negotiate around individual needs to make everyone feel part of a family. That’s when Rachael, my heroine came to mind. Rachael, despite her in-control and calm public veneer, yearns for a family, the type of mad mix she grew up with as a foster child in Mindalby. The type of family where you feel at home, can drop your bundle, and nobody minds.
You want that firm, solid base in your life and being part of a happy family can provide that. It gives you the strength to pursue new ventures and take calculated risks. You can flourish, knowing that someone is there, watching you with interest and love.
The beauty of families is that they are elastic and forgiving. They can be stretched and pulled, but manage somehow to retain their strength and stay firm for all its members.
As a foster child Rachael had experienced many forms of families and it wasn’t until she moved into the Henderson home that she truly understood the strength of being part of a loving family. When tough times hit she works hard to make things work out for them, she sacrifices a lot to do this.
Mike, my hero, craves for a family of his own. He misses his own family in Ireland very much and would do anything he could to recreate it.
I hope you enjoy Rachael and Mike in A Reason To Stay.
Rachael, a successful lawyer in Sydney, returns to her foster family and the only place that ever felt like home: Mindalby, to help with the failing family business, the town’s bakery. With the cotton gin’s closure, all businesses are struggling, and it looks like the only option is to close up the bakery and hope to sell. But when Rachael returns, she realises that her skills give her other options: refreshing and revitalising the bakery and a chance to rekindle her love of baking.
Irishman, Mike O’Malley is a staying kind of man, looking to settle down in Mindalby with a woman who loves the wild country and wants to get involved in the community. Rachael is not that girl, but the attraction is hard to deny. Determined to show Rachael that Mindalby can be a home, he draws her out into the community and deeper into his life. But when it comes time to make a decision, can he trust Rachael to risk her heart?
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A Reason to Stay by Linda Charles
Rachael, a successful lawyer in Sydney, returns to her foster family and the only place that ever felt like home: Mindalby, to help with the failing family business, the town’s bakery. With the cotton mill’s closure, all businesses are struggling, and it looks like the only option is to close up the bakery and hope to sell. But when Rachael returns, she realises that her skills give her other options: refreshing and revitalising the bakery and a chance to rekindle her love of baking.
Irishman, Mike O’Malley is a staying kind of man, looking to settle down in Mindalby with a woman who loves the wild country and wants to get involved in the community. Rachael is not that girl, but the attraction is hard to deny. Determined to show Rachael that Mindalby can be a home, he draws her out into the community and deeper into his life. But when it comes time to make a decision, can he trust Rachael to risk her heart?
Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town’s residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.
Juanita Kees 