Getting Lost in History with Cheryl Adnams and the Eureka Rebels

I’m a contemporary romance author, but my great love as a romance reader is historical romance. I love all the periods of history – Regency England, Medieval stories, America’s Wild West, ancient Egypt and Rome, the lot! Australian historical romances, alas, have been a little harder to come by, and I’ve been hungry for more – which is why I’m thrilled that one of my favourite Aussie authors, Cheryl Adnams, is joining us at Get Lost in a Story to talk about her latest novel, The Girl From Eureka, which is set in Australia’s Gold Rush years – the 1850s – in country Victoria.

Photo credit: Nicole Weston

ABOUT CHERYL…

Cheryl Adnams lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has published four Australian rural romance novels and a Christmas novella. Cheryl has a Diploma in Freelance Travel Writing and Photography and has lived and worked in the United States, Canada and spent two years with a tour company in Switzerland and Austria. Her passion for Italy, volcanology and cycling have made their way into her stories and her favourite writing retreats include Positano on the Amalfi Coast and Port Willunga Beach just south of Adelaide. When she’s not writing, Cheryl is still creating in her busy full time job as a trainer and learning designer.

Contact Cheryl via her website.

Cover design by Belinda Stevens

On the sun-drenched goldfields of Eureka, a wild colonial girl and an honour-bound soldier will break all the rules to claim a love worth more than gold … 

Ballarat, Australia 1854 

Gold miner Indy Wallace wants nothing more than to dig up enough gold to give her mother an easier life. Wild and reckless, and in trouble more often than not, Indy finds herself falling for handsome, chivalrous, British Army Lieutenant Will Marsh. But in the eyes of immigrant miners, soldiers are the enemy.

Will has been posted to Ballarat with a large contingent of Her Majesty’s Army to protect the Crown gold and keep the peace. But once he meets rebellious Indy, he doubt’s he’ll ever be at peace again. As Will and Indy’s attraction grows, their loyalties are tested when the unrest between miners and the military reaches breaking point.

On opposite sides of the escalating conflict, can their love survive their battle of ideals? And will any of them survive the battle of the Eureka Stockade?

READ A LITTLE…

Inside, dancers were engaged in quite a vigorous reel and the tent was beginning to steam with so many bodies in locomotion. The aroma was getting a little ripe, and lantern and cigar smoke hung thick in the air, making it hard to see, let alone breathe. But Indy’s breath was coming fast as she fought against her temper. She didn’t know who she was more furious with. Those three stuck up, ignorant men belittling her views on politics as though she were nothing but a … but a … woman! Or the Lieutenant for interfering and insisting she dance with him.

And he still had hold of her arm.

‘Stop steering me around. I’m not a bloody bullock dray.’ She wrenched her arm from his grip as he stopped on the edge of the dance floor.

‘Shall we attempt to join the revellers in this wild country dance?’

Full of venom, she spun towards him. ‘Why did you drag me away?’

He leaned in close, his dark eyes fixed on hers. ‘Take a deep breath, Miss Wallace,’ he said, his voice emanating strength, ‘and dance with me.’

Fighting her annoyance with him, Indy took his first suggestion and some of her anger leaked out with the exhalation. But she still continued to scowl, even as Will took her in his arms.

The music shifted and without missing a beat he led her into the slow waltz. After a few minutes of quiet dancing, Indy felt the rest of the tension slowly leaving her. She began to relax, allowing herself to enjoy Will’s strong hands holding her confidently as he moved about the room, using only the slightest pressure on her back to guide her.

‘Is it a requirement for soldiers to be able to dance?’ she mocked, finally breaking the silence.

‘Yes. It is included in all basic training. No man can become a soldier unless he masters at least the waltz, and the reel.’ His eyes scanned the dance floor without emotion, his tone serious. But then he looked down at her and grinned broadly.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at his attempt at humour. It felt so comfortable to move with him to the slow cadence of the orchestra’s music. His gloved hand was warm on hers, and she remembered again his teasing smile as he had noticed her dirty fingernails. She flushed again. He had been kind not mention it. That made him more of a gentleman than Mr Lawrence would ever be.

Buy the book via Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play, Amazon Australia.

 

LET’S TALK…

AVRIL: Give us the background to The Girl from Eureka – where the idea came from and how it developed. 

Licence tents, Sovereign Hill (Victoria, Australia)

CHERYL: It was Clare Wright’s “Forgotten Rebels of Eureka” that first sparked the idea of Indy the female goldminer. I loved the idea of a woman in a very male dominated industry, especially in the 1850s, and it set the scene for a fiery Irish troublemaker with a heart of gold who goes out of her way to help others. And making my hero a military man to the bone allowed me to show both sides of the story of the Eureka Stockade and to create fantastic conflict between the characters. They have their own personal growth to traverse as they navigate their fraught relationship and the politics heating up around them.

AVRIL: As a writer of contemporary and historical romance, what are the particular challenges of each? 
CHERYL: While there is usually research in both genres, with contemporary stories you don’t have to stop every five minutes to check some tiny fact that may only be used in one sentence – like when did electric lighting take over from gas lighting? It has nothing to do with the story itself but you can’t get that stuff wrong. I sometimes struggle to find a new idea or storyline for contemporaries but history gives us so much to play with. I enjoy basing my historicals around true events so that hopefully my readers will learn something about a place and time that they otherwise may never have known.

AVRIL: Can you give us an idea of how you approach research? 
CHERYL: How do I approach research? Carefully. It’s such a minefield and once you go down that rabbit hole, you have to be so careful not to get lost on tangents. The internet is amazing but you do have to double check facts as not all sites are 100% correct. Then again there are some facts that will always be disputed. There aren’t that many first hand accounts of the Eureka Stockade so the actual number of the dead from the battle changes depending on where you read about it. But I really enjoy the research and have learned so much. It shocks me sometimes that I never learned some of these important moments in Australian history in school.

Gold panning, Sovereign Hill (Victoria, Australia)

AVRIL: I know you’re head-down in another historical book – can you share any details? 
CHERYL: I don’t want to share too many details at this point but I can say that it takes place during World War 2 but it’s not based in Europe or Asia. It follows two sisters living in Australia and two American brothers and their very different experiences during the war. I was just in Sydney researching the area around Elizabeth Bay and all the beautiful architecture there and soon I have another research trip booked to Darwin. So this book sweeps across Australia and beyond.

AVRIL: As a reader, what do you look for in a romance? 
CHERYL: It depends on my mood. Sometimes I love a good fun contemporary with great dialogue like that author Avril Tremayne writes (😉). Other times I get caught up in sweeping and complex plotlines. People often ask about sex scenes — you know, the old open door vs closed door, erotic fiction vs sweet etc — I’m open to any of those as long as there’s a story to go with it and it’s not all about the sex. Now there’s a line to finish on! 

Are you more of a contemporary or historical romance lover? We'd love to hear in the comments below!