'McLeod's Daughters' meets Maeve Binchy in this charming rural
story
They say you should write what you know. So when Fiona McCallum sat
down to write her debut novel, Paycheque, she didn't stray too far from real life.
Having grown up on a farm on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, Fiona McCallum
was riding horses before she could walk. Fiona had an idyllic childhood in the
country going to Pony Club, reading avidly (she decided at the age of nine that
she wanted to be the next Enid Blyton) and helping out her family on their cereal
and wool farm.
So when Fiona moved to an inner Melbourne suburb as an adult
she found herself living an altogether different lifestyle. A corporate job, a
high-flying husband. It was only at night that Fiona had time to write. But Fiona
didn't let this deter her. A self-described 'glass-half-full kinda girl', Fiona
persisted in trying to get a book published for over nine years.
Then, in
a story straight out of the pages of one of her unpublished novels, Fiona decided
to leave her career, her relationship and her inner-Melbourne lifestyle to return
to her home city of Adelaide and dedicate her life to her writing.
The result?
Fiona's just signed a book deal with Harlequin Australia. Her first book, Paycheque,
is a heart-warming rural romance that brings to life the rugged Adelaide Hills
the author knows so well.
Paycheque sees Claire McIntyre lose it all before
she discovers what truly makes her happy. Claire loses her adoring husband, her
city townhouse, her successful career. A case of art mirroring life, no less.
Forced to rebuild her life on the family property, working with her father and
his beloved racehorses - including a promising young horse called Paycheque -
Claire slowly begins to realise there's more to life than chasing a pay cheque.
Perhaps it's the author's knowledge of her subject or perhaps it's her
knack for writing down-to-earth characters. Whatever the reason, Fiona's writing
is earning praise in the publishing industry: "[Fiona's] writing is fluid
and easy... [with] a good sense of plot and pace." (Fiona Inglis, Director
of Curtis Brown Australia).
'Paycheque' is available now.
