Rather than offer Rose Dee a standard interview, I asked her to share part of her life with us – either a story about how she met her partner, a story about how she became a Christian, or a story of heritage from her family’s past. Rose offered an interesting story about her grandfather. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
What might have been …
I was recently reminded of this interesting anecdote from my family history. It is the story of the friendship between my grandfather (Gerald Venables) and Sir Arthur Fadden (who was the Prime Minister briefly in 1941). The story goes like this:
Arty wanted my grandfather to go into politics. According to all accounts, this was a very appealing prospect to Gerry Venables. He was an entrepreneurial business man, and the thought of national service appealed to his learned mind. Arty offered him a ‘sure’ seat in New South Wales. Gerry was thrilled. However, he had one stumbling block. His wife Nellie was determined not to go. With seven children to raise, she refused to pack up her life and trek south. Gerry’s dreams of political service were squashed in one foul, female swoop. Instead his legacy lies in the family he reared in Ingham, North Queensland.
This story made me think a lot about history. All the technicalities, dates of births, deaths, and marriages don’t come down to specific happenings; they all come down to people. I am very pleased that my grandmother was determined to thwart my grandfather’s plans. Chances are I may not be here if she hadn’t. But it reminded me that it is people, their lives, and the decisions they made that make up history. Not a timeline of dates and specifics from textbooks and family trees.
That’s why I love reading historic novels. The best ones aren’t about historic events, but about people and the lives they led. Okay, so I write contemporary fiction, but I do love a good historic novel as well. Please support our Aussie historic writers. They do a great job of converting these known events into engaging tales of lives, loves, and losses.
Thanks Rose, for sharing this story with us. Rose’s next release, another in the Resolution series, is due for release in April this year. Keep an eye out for it! For now, here is the back cover blurb:
Samara lives a life filled with fear. After being discarded and beaten by her trouble making boyfriend, she takes one easy out after another. Her choices lead her down the road of self-destruction, into the degrading world of stripping and a life spent looking over her shoulder. Until an encounter with a stranger on a Kings Cross Street provides the catalyst for a life changing event that leads her back home.
Resolution is the last place in the world Jed wants to be. One drastic decision has led him to the Island resort and back into strained contact with his brother, Flynn.
From the bright lights of Sydney to the blue waters of Resolution Island, Beyond Resolution is a story that provides a window into the joy of forgiveness, trust and peace.
Romancing The Rock 