Many years ago I visited an elderly recluse living in the hilly forested area of south western Victoria in south east Australia. I had been told to look for Jack as he had worked on the winding dirt roads with draft horses and kept a lot of bits and pieces. I was looking for a wheel for an old cart that I wanted to restore.

Jack was able to help, then over a cup of billy tea he told me his life story - in particular, about the disappearance of his first love, Kate, when her father was forced to flee with the family because of his gambling debts. Jack spent a lifetime hoping to reconnect with his childhood sweetheart.

Jack's story moved me and so began the idea that his situation would form a part of a novel. This is what I'm working on. It's a story of two young men growing up in Australia between 1900 and 1936, one a poor boy and the other a rich lad. It's title is Restless.

Australia experienced a lot of unrest after world war one so there is a lot of rich history to be mined. Hopefully, I'll finish it soon.