Guest blogger: Trish Morey

22 May 2022

A Mother for Ella

One of the best things about being an author is that you meet so many fabulous people who are also writers, many of whom go on to become great friends. Talk about blessed. But that’s not where the good stuff ends, because if you’re really lucky, you might even get the opportunity to write alongside some of them as part of a series.

I was that lucky. 🙂

When I was asked to contribute a story to Tule Publishing’s Outback Babies series, four books set in the fictional town of Wirralong, I was beyond chuffed. Barbara Hannay, Fiona McArthur and Kelly Hunter are three authors I love, respect and admire, and we had so much fun brainstorming and coming up with our individual story lines.

Barbara Hannay kicks off the series with His Best Friend’s Baby—out now!

Then it’s my turn with A Mother for Ella—release date 26 May.

Fiona McArthur’s The Baby Whisperer lobs in on 9 June.

And then Kelly Hunter wraps up the series with Lola and the Single Dad—out 16 June.

Gorgeous titles, eh? And the cover gods (bless their little cotton socks) delivered up some equally gorgeous covers. (Can you tell how much I love being in this line-up?)

A Mother for Ella is a sweet book of second chances, one of my favourite tropes. (It’s also about baby Ella and netball and Aussie rules football and custard tarts for that matter, but it’s mostly about second chances.) Amber and Sinclair are just ordinary everyday people trying to do the best they can given the circumstances in which they find themselves. Neither of them is looking for love, that’s the last thing on their radar, so I loved making their needs collide so they had no choice but to notice each other and discover there could be more.

Here’s the blurb:

They both desperately need a second chance…

After enduring a family tragedy and scandal, all Amber McGuinness wants is to bury her past. She settles in faraway Wirralong and opens an accounting practice, hoping for a fresh start. As she settles into town and is embraced by the warm community, Amber gets her first client. His taxes are a mess, but his smile, dimples, and adorable baby more than make up for it.

Between work, parenting, and fighting for custody of his fifteen-month-old daughter, Todd Sinclair—Sinclair to his friends—is barely keeping his head and farm above water. His new accountant puts his finances in order, but she messes with his heart. After his disastrous marriage, he’s sworn off romance, but Amber gives him renewed hope.

As Amber and Sinclair spend more time together, they wonder if the mythical magic of Wirralong is real—until a reporter starts digging into Amber’s past, revealing secrets that threaten her newfound happiness. Can Sinclair convince her to stay and fight for their life and new family together?