The Conviction of Hope – Prequel to The Cullen/Bartlett Dynasty

When James Bryan Cullen takes on convict transportee Elizabeth Bartlett in 1796 as a housekeeper, his challenge is to convince her that life on Norfolk Island is worth living. But how do you come back from being wrongly accused of a crime, then exiled to the other side of the world?

He is thirty-two years older, transported on the First Fleet, long a free man, a constable, a landowner. She’s pregnant, her life such as it was, in tatters.

With nothing to lose, Elizabeth settles into an existence as a convict slave, waiting for her master to expect more than cleaning and cooking.

But is Cullen the gentle soul he appears to be, and in a society that treats her as worthless, should Elizabeth dare to hope?

No Room for Regret (eBook permanently FREE on your favourite digital platform)

The movement of the ship seals his fate. He could be sailing anywhere, anytime, but he’s not, he’s going to the other side of the world. He could be anyone, but he’s not, he’s the son of a respectable London businessman. His crime? An error of judgement. In England, in 1812, there’s no forgiveness. As the ship sails, eighteen-year-old James Tedder’s seven-year sentence to Van Diemen’s Land begins.

Rescuing her eldest son from slave traders in Rio de Janeiro is the most difficult thing Sarah Blay has done in the last two years. Leaving England, her life, her mother, to follow her convict husband James to the other side of the world not knowing if he lives, pales in comparison. 

Will lives rebuild? Will love survive?

Love, Lies, and Legacies

When Catherine Tedder’s husband dies suddenly in September 1822, she is left alone with two small girls.

Accepting the proposal of James Blay Jr. sees her trapped in a marriage of convenience – for him. Struggling with the vagaries of her wayward husband, Catherine and the girls are forced to adapt to his tyranny.

After spending time in prison, James Blay Jr. appears to be a changed man: attentive, caring, supportive. But a tragedy changes everything

Time Tells All

The letter from the bank is the last straw. William Blay sells his farm before it’s repossessed and absconds with his wife Margaret and three daughters to Port Phillip. But life in the new colony is dogged by the same dramas that hounded William in Van Diemen’s Land. A new start is not as easy as it seemed. 

Making the heartbreaking decision to have her husband admitted to the insane asylum, Margaret Blay finds a way to feed her children and pay the rent. But at what cost? 

Can William Blay’s children move on from the stain of their father’s insanity, and succeed where he failed?