A COUNTRY GRACE (SYNOPSIS OF MY NOVEL) by Jan Lowing

Grace Gallagher, a beautiful young wool classer from Western Victoria, loses her boyfriend, Bill Carter, in a drowning tragedy in Vanuatu. She is deeply depressed and close to taking her own life, when she discovers that she's pregnant. Slowly she begins to look forward again, planning a future for herself and her baby.

Grace finds a little dream farm, nestled beneath huge red gums in her beloved Grampians. Courageously she goes back to work through her pregnancy, saving all she can to buy it. how will she cope after the baby arrives? Will she be accepted as a single mother in her profession as a wool classer, which not long ago excluded all females from the wool shed?

Kev (‘Chook’) Hennessy, her favourite uncle, is a shearing contractor in Tasmania. Since Grace was a schoolgirl visiting for holidays, they have shared a deep interest in breeding working kelpies. Kev’s the only one prepared to employ her and give her the chance to save towards her dream farm, but even he has reservations.

She has to battle prejudice on all sides, from her father, friends, team mates, Bill's mother, and jean mc tavish, the station owner where she is now working. Jean is determined to keep her son Scott away from grace.

This is a tale of courage and sheer determination. Gracie dearly loves her baby, and she can't imagine loving another man when little Billy reminds her constantly of his father. then she meets the patient and charming stud owner, Scotty McTavish, who is all she could possibly want in a man. But will she remain loyal to Bill's memory?

Through a series of dramatic adventures and misadventures in the bush country of Tasmania and Victoria, Grace fights for her dream and learns to love again.