“I was brought up hearing about my dad’s work with the Gippsland and Northern. We wrote his clearing sale adverts at the kitchen table, feeding my love of words,” Mrs Henke says.

“My mother’s family was from Ballarat and Geelong, where the books are set. The first one came about when a friend told of her ancestors’ accidental arrival at Point Henry. Their boxes were thrown onto the beach – there being no wharf in those days. When counted, one was missing, so the husband went back to the ship, but the wind changed, the captain sailed through the Heads without realising he was on board. It took the artist six months to get back to his wife, left on the beach in the raw colony,” she explained.

“That story had to be written. Readers loved it, asking what happened next – which was the Eureka Rebellion featured in Winds of Rebellion. Then I wanted to know what my unpredictable characters did next.

“In this new book, the artist takes off in grief, leaving behind his daughter, to explore Victoria’s diverse landscape, painting and illustrating innovative farming practices.

“As an old journalist, thorough research was ingrained and I wanted to show that not all immigrants farmed the ways of their home countries. I came across a fantastic thesis oddly enough by a Ukrainian scholar, detailing this positive view, debunking the myths”.

Mrs Henke also discovered a paper delivered in 1856 on the astronomy and mythology of the Aboriginal people around Lake Tyrell, near Sealake in the Mallee district, famed for its perfect reflections of the stars. Those reflections to the Boorong people, were like a mural representing ecological knowledge, family life and the seasons.

“Couldn’t resist this either. You might wonder how this diverse information can be woven into a novel but it has, dictated by the valiant folk of the day.

“I am very fond of my characters, keen to know what happens next to them, so a Quartet is not out of the question,” Mrs Henke said.

Frances Henke is a retired journalist, author, artist and polio survivor. Her previous title ‘Life Skills for Polios’ is being translated into Mandarin in Taiwan to benefit polio survivors there experiencing late effects and Post-Polio Syndrome. The book has gone to nine other countries to benefit the International Centre for Polio Education and Polio Network Victoria.

An Imperfect Calendar is published by Flying Pony Press, rrp$25. The first two books in the trilogy as well as ‘Life Skills for Polios’ ($15) are available from flyingponypress@gmail.com with more details on www.franhenke.com