Ellie Atkinson had never dreamt of becoming a published author, despite being a book-keeper surrounded by novels.
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She has published a trilogy of books named the Grace Beale series since December. The third of the series, the Going Down of the Sun, will be published in March.
Living near Lilydale over the past five years, Ms Atkinson said her inspiration came when she was in lockdown.
"One of the characters, Thomas Crabbe, a man servant, came to me and started talking to me," Ms Atkinson said.
She said the stories flowed into drafting manuscripts for the trilogy.
"I had them all written and wanted to release them as a trilogy ... to drip feed into the system," she said.
"If it had gone into one book, it would've been well over 1000 pages."
Ms Atkinson said she had only started writing short stories to send to publishers in 2019.
"I didn't think people would ready my dribble," Ms Atkinson said.
She said her husband and trusted friend were hungry for more after reading her manuscripts.
"Then I got really good feedback when I started sharing my stories with more friends, and I thought, maybe I have something here," she said.
The Grace Beale series was described as a rags to riches, family safe and coming of age. Ravenswood Hall was the first published in the series and was followed by Ticket to Botany Bay.
Free Spirit Publishers has released the books, with copies available on their website.
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Molly Appleton
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
