A Goodreads user asked Maggie Joel:

Will you write a historical novel based in Australia? I am a British-born Aussie and most of my stories thus far are set in England but I would like to write something with an Australian theme. I loved your previous two books so look forward to your new one. Regards, Debra x

Maggie Joel Hi Debra. It's not something I've tried so far. I did try to write a novel set in contemporary Australia a couple of years back - and I've lived here for twenty years so I should know what I'm writing about - but it didn't work at all! It read like a parody somehow. I abandoned it before completing a first draft. I do feel as though I have a greater understanding of dead Britons than I do of living Australians! For me there is something utterly elusive about the Australian way of life in terms of me being to write about it. Having said that all my short stories were set in contemporary Australia and I was satisfied I had captured what I what I wanted to capture, it's just the format of a full length novel that utterly escapes me.

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