It’s my pleasure to introduce my new novel, Next of Kin,
which has just been published by the recently formed Rhiza Press.
It’s always exciting to get to the end of project and see
something that was once just an idea, a dream or goal, completed. A finished novel,
printed and published, is an especially satisfying project because it has a
life of its own; the potential to challenge, inspire, educate and entertain
others for a very long time. I feel very
privileged and grateful to be able to participate in such a project. It’s been
my pleasure to do so now with nine novels and I hope I can go on writing for
many years.
Next of Kin has taken me on a journey through the lives of
some of my ancestors, as have all my
novels, so I owe a debt of gratitude to those earlier Australians who
survived the challenges of making a new life in a land on the other side of
their world, and raised their children to continue the quest to make Australia
what it is today. Through each life I have learned so much as I’ve explored the
environment in which they lived, the political scene at the time, the cultural
developments, the historical events. It’s been a great educational journey for
me, as well as an affirmation that human beings can and do survive the most
dreadful of circumstances and are capable of overcoming amazing challenges.
While I know very little about the spiritual lives of my
ancestors, their stories have given me a window through which to reflect on the
ways that God can be involved in the human journey. It’s not hard to see the
need for a God who directs, comforts, enables, rescues and leads, when you
consider the challenges faced by people of any generation and culture. I can
only hope that at least some of my ancestors really experienced the faith, hope
and love which I have invested in their stories.
With my earlier novels I had the opportunity to learn much
about the first white Australians, particularly convicts who arrived here in
the late 1700s, and the first-born Australians who were their children, often
known as ‘currency’ kids. With Next of Kin, I was led into a whole new area of
learning, as I explored the coming of migrants to Australia in the mid to late
1800s, specifically those who came from Germany to work in the towns of the
Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, and were often called 'continentals'. The experience of families attempting to assimilate into a culture with a
different language, different traditions and backgrounds, is an ongoing
challenge for all of us in Australia. It is a battle for many already here and definitely
for those arriving. It was fascinating for me to delve into how this might have
been experienced over 150 years ago.
I suppose when all is said and done, it is true that nothing
is new under the sun, that human beings have difficulty accepting and
cherishing what is different or unfamiliar, that we are more prone to prejudice
and discrimination that we’d like to think, and that we are all on a journey of
becoming more human in the best sense of the word; more Christ-like and open to
growing through all the challenges we face in relating to others.
I hope Next of Kin takes some readers on this journey, that
it inspires or challenges people to be more tolerant, accepting and loving,
regardless of creed, colour, socio-economic status or sex. I’d like to believe
that as Christians we can honestly say with Paul that … “There is neither Jew
nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.” (Galations 3:28). In the case of Next of Kin it might have been said, “There
is neither English nor German, black nor white, male nor female, rich
nor poor, for you are all equal in Australia.”
Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry
in Australia and include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian,
Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Her earlier novels
Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream have been re-released by EBP. You can see
more about Carol and her novels on her website or her FB author page.
www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston
www.facebook.com/writingtoreach
