17 August 2020

A poem or two

Find all my books here.

 Let's forget the pandemic and the lock downs, and all else that is happening in our world today and just go bush with Old Irish (A touch of Australia's past)


The bush and plains are the stockman’s home, the pine clad mountains and valleys to roam

His hat rests low on his proud set head, and covers his hair of the brightest red.

His dog lopes close by his horses’ side, and the pair never tire through a long day’s ride.

Old Irish has dreamed since he was a lad, of riding all day across this wide land.

His mother and father had both been rovers. His dad was a man well known by the drovers

They had died up along the Murrays’ side, and were buried near that great river so wide.

Irish knows well how to laugh and to cry—to share life’s sorrows ‘neath God’s clear blue sky

He knows all there is about herding cows, about riding all day when the wind just howls.

Once on a trek though the great desert land, he almost got lost as for gold he panned

Old Irish has been where black parrots fly, where mulga and scrub reach well past the thigh.

Past rivers so dry, the cracks split the earth, and no one can say what the red land is worth

He’s been where ‘roos jump high in the air, where wallabies roam over land green and fair.

He thought once of settling, taking a wife, but decided with forethought that wasn’t the life

No drover would fit in a life in the city—to leave all this space would be more than a pity.

In places like Sydney, Melbourne or Darwin, where the people flock and there’s plenty of sin

No woman in town would put up with his roving, this need to be moving, constantly going

To back blocks and endless wide open plains, far away from the city, shops and the trains

No female around would put up with the hide of a man who just yearns to be free to ride.

The man who knows joy in a good horse beneath you, a dog for a pal and restrictions so few

The hard times, good times, dust and the heat, where no man gives in to a thing like defeat.

The bush folk have ways the townsfolk don’t know, they’ll greet you, but then let you go

To wander wide open plains that you love, where at night all the stars fairly blaze up above.

On a night when the air is crystal clear, you’ll sit ‘neath a sky where the stars seem so near

You can reach out and touch the sky, and be closer to God than you’ll be when you die.

A stockman knows about drought dust, heat, but in his way of life won’t put up with defeat.

His life’s filled with pleasures no town man would know.

Old Irish is off where the wanderers go.

A Touch of Hope

I hope I’ll go back, I heard her say;

I hope to return to my homeland one day

We all hope for things, both large and small

I hope that my kids grow up fine and tall

Gran hopes that she’ll die in her bed of old age

And I hope for peace in the world at some stage

I hope my son doesn’t get mixed up with drugs

or ever gets friendly with muggers or thugs

My daughter hopes Greg will ask for a date

and I hope he doesn’t bring her home late

I hope that my washing gets dry on the line

it will if the weather stays hot and fine

My husband hopes that the horses he backs

will race home like wildfire and eat up the tracks

We all hope to own our own house one day

and hope we won’t have a large mortgage to pay

Our aims and our dreams help keep faith alive

But hope, firm and strong, is what helps us survive.

Find excerpts and reviews of all my books here on my web site

26 July 2020

Annie's Choices (Settlers Book 4)

Where to buy Annie's Choices

Currently all my books are 60% off at Smashwords, but this sale ends at the end of July, so hurry

"Frontier life in Australia was made up of backbreaking hard work. The author says in her dedication; “gallant women and brave men”, and it's true. This is the story of Annie, a girl who has come to spend Christmas season with her brother Tim and his wife Jo. The year is 1843, and after Christmas, Annie decides to stay in Port Philip, where life is far more exciting than in the mountains where she grew up. Young and frivolous Annie sets her sights on Jacob, who works for her family. Jacob is serious and hardworking. Annie manages to get him to take her for a drive, but a violent storm hits and they find an injured girl in a ditch at the side of the road. The girl suffers from amnesia and can only remember her name – Sally. Annie's brother and sister-in-law agree to take her in until she can recover, and Sally and Annie, being the same age, soon become friends.

Then Zachary enters the picture, and Annie finds herself attracted to the dashing, mercurial man who takes her to parties and compliments her extravagantly. Soon Annie is driving out with him on Sundays, and going to his house where his family hold large gambling parties. Knowing her brother would not like that, Annie keeps that a secret. While at Zachary's house, she also meets a servant girl who looks disturbingly like her friend Sally, who still claims she remembers nothing of her past life, and who has now started working in the Annie's brother's house.

This story is like a winding brook, carrying you with it as it goes, bubbling with life and laughter, joy and tears. It's not only a coming of age story and romance; there is adventure, a murder, a journey, and a cast of well-rounded, believable characters. It's also beautifully written and once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I found out what happened to Annie, Jacob, Zachary, and Sally. 

Ms McGill's writing is like a tapestry with the woven threads of the story leading you further into the design – a design that shows Australia in the eighteen hundreds in all its complexity. The author also includes the massacres inflicted on the Aborigines and their consequences. I love historical romance, and this one is a wonderful addition to my collection.
“Annie's Choice” is book 4 in the Settlers' Series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Warning – reading this one will make you want to read the entire series! Highly recommended.

27 June 2020

Annie's Choices (Settlers Book 4)

Read an excerpt from Annie's Choices on my Web Page

In book 4 of the Settlers Series, we catch up with most members of the extended family from the previous three books. Annie at 18 is the eldest Carstairs girl. She has lived out at Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, where she was born just after her Mama, Bella and Papa, Tiger settled there back in 1824. After visiting her brother Tim and his wife Jo just before Christmas 1843, Annie decides to stay in Port Philip, seeking adventure much as her brother did when he set out with Jo the previous year. Annie has inherited her mother’s independent streak, a character trait that sometimes leads her to make the wrong choices.

Jacob O’Quinn works for her brother, and the likeable young carpenter catches Annie’s eye. Jacob is quiet and reserved in his manner, having spent his life with his widowed mother. When handsome Zachary McDowell, the complete opposite to steady Jacob comes along, he sweeps Annie off her feet. Heedless of advice given by others, Annie makes a choice that turns out to be the worst she could ever make.
Restless, Annie decides to return to her home, and Jacob makes the decision to escort her. The journey back across the mountains proves to be a lot more eventful than she assumed it could ever be. The road itself may have seen improvements through the years but there will always be unexpected incidents to turn life around on its axis. A suspected murder brings the might of the law down on the shoulders of the young couple.

5 stars “An engaging historical set in Australia.” Susan
“Ms. McGill pens an excellent 1800’s historical story located in Australia. There’s a mix of the life and times, a coming of marriage age, incredible landscapes, a murder-mystery, an evolving romantic relationship, and family ties all wrapped in an intriguing, tastefully written gemstone of a story. If you haven’t read any of Ms. McGill’s novels, this is a good one to check out. Her Settlers series are stand-alone books, so you can start reading them in any order, and you’ll end up reading them all.”


Visit my BWL Author page for links to numerous online book sellers


22 April 2020

Annie's Choices (Settlers Book 4) Order now for May 1st release



Pre-order now at Amazon and Smashwords. Coming soon at all major stores.

In book 4 of the Settlers Series, we catch up with most members of the extended family from the previous three books. Annie at 18 is the eldest Carstairs girl. She has lived out at Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, where she was born just after her Mama, Bella and Papa, Tiger settled there back in 1824. After visiting her brother Tim and his wife Jo just before Christmas 1843, Annie decides to stay in Port Philip, seeking adventure much as her brother did when he set out with Jo the previous year. Annie has inherited her mother’s independent streak, a character trait that sometimes leads her to make the wrong choices.

Jacob O’Quinn works for her brother, and the likeable young carpenter catches Annie’s eye. Jacob is quiet and reserved in his manner, having spent his life with his widowed mother. When handsome Zachary McDowell, the complete opposite to steady Jacob comes along, he sweeps Annie off her feet. Heedless of advice given by others, Annie makes a choice that turns out to be the worst she could ever make.

Restless, Annie decides to return to her home, and Jacob makes the decision to escort her. The journey back across the mountains proves to be a lot more eventful than she assumed it could ever be. The road itself may have seen improvements through the years but there will always be unexpected incidents to turn life around on its axis. A suspected murder brings the might of the law down on the shoulders of the young couple.




















4 March 2020

Challenging Mountains--Settlers Book 3

Buy at your favourite online bookseller

If you enjoyed the first three books in this series:

Book 4 in the Settlers Series is coming soon.


In book 4 of the Settlers Series, we catch up with most members of the extended family from the previous three books. Annie at 18 is the eldest Carstairs girl. She has lived out at Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, where she was born just after her Mama, Bella and Papa, Tiger settled there back in 1824. After visiting her brother Tim and his wife Jo just before Christmas 1843, Annie decides to stay in Port Philip, seeking adventure much as her brother did when he set out with Jo the previous year. Annie has inherited her mother’s independent streak, a character trait that sometimes leads her to make the wrong choices.

Jacob O’Quinn works for her brother, and the likeable young carpenter catches Annie’s eye. Jacob is quiet and reserved in his manner, having spent his life with his widowed mother. When handsome Zachary McDowell, the complete opposite to steady Jacob comes along, he sweeps Annie off her feet. Heedless of advice given by others, Annie makes a choice that turns out to be the worst she could ever make.

Restless, Annie decides to return to her home, and Jacob makes the decision to escort her. The journey back across the mountains proves to be a lot more eventful than she assumed it could ever be. The road itself may have seen improvements through the years but there will always be unexpected incidents to turn life around on its axis. A suspected murder brings the might of the law down on the shoulders of the young couple.

(No cover yet--but coming soon)




24 January 2020

Challenging Mountains (Settlers Book 3)

Buy here wherever you buy your books


5 stars Diane Scott Lewis “Exciting Australian Adventure”
Set in 1840s Australia, a land fraught with hardship, Ms. McGill writes a well-researched story of adventure and romance.
Jo and Tim forge a life in this wild land, overcome many dangers as the author weaves in the settling of New South Wales. I enjoyed learning about the history of Australia. This is book three of the Settlers series but can be read as a stand-alone.

5 stars “A Journey through History” Rosemary Morris
Some of the characters in Mystic Mountains and Distant Mountains feature or are mentioned in Challenging Mountains the third novel in the Settlers series set in 1840 in the colony of New South Wales. The colony is expanding now that convicts are no longer transported to the East Coast, and free squatters settle on lands between Sydney and Port Philip in the south.
Tim is bored by his position in a government office. Jo, whose parents were killed at the gold mines by bush rangers, is equally bored with her life. 
“There were times when he thought Jo was wise beyond her years. In comparison he was like a green youth. Then again she would offer him challenges he would relish.”
The author introduced me to the history of New South Wales, which I knew little about. She also took me on an interesting journey from place to place, during which the characters encountered ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’. After naive Jo, dressed as a young man, is assaulted, they are deserted by their wagon master and his team. From then on, they encounter almost naked natives, are attacked by bushrangers, make dangerous river crossings and are horrified by a murder. Halfway to Port Philip, they no longer think of their expedition across challenging mountains as an adventure.
When I reached the end of Challenging Mountains, I was completely satisfied and, with regret, parted with Tim and Jo.


A Troubled Heart--pre-released

  Order now for January 24 release Unsure of his real past or name, Finn O’Connor thinks he was born in Ireland and taken from his mother as...