✍️ Meet Barbara Wilson: The Heart Behind Windamere Rose

Some authors write from imagination. Others write from experience. And then there are those rare few—like Barbara Wilson—who write from the heart of the land, the soul of the people, and the threads of untold family stories passed down through generations.

🌾 A Life Rooted in Rural Australia

Barbara Wilson’s love affair with storytelling began long before Windamere Rose was ever penned. Raised among wide-open paddocks, red-dust roads, and the gentle hum of life on the land, Barbara’s early years were shaped by the rhythms of country living. She grew up surrounded by strong, stoic women—grandmothers and aunties whose hands knew hard work and whose hearts carried generations of memory.

Those stories—the whispered ones at the kitchen table, the proud ones told at family gatherings—left a lasting imprint. And they became the seed from which Windamere Rose would grow.

📚 From Businesswoman to Storyteller

Before turning to writing full-time, Barbara built a career in business management. She ran companies, raised a family, and lived the many roles women so often juggle—leader, mother, carer, fighter. But beneath the day-to-day, there was always a story waiting to be told.

That moment came when she founded Sunburnt Pages, a platform born from her desire to share the kind of stories that shaped her life—stories of legacy, land, and love.

Barbara brings a uniquely grounded voice to her work. Her writing is both heartfelt and historically rich, grounded in personal truth and brought to life through deeply human characters like Elizabeth Crowley.

💐 What Inspires Her

Barbara is drawn to tales that celebrate resilience, particularly the quiet strength of women in rural Australia. She is passionate about preserving the voices of the past—those often overlooked in textbooks but etched deeply into the soil of this country.

Her inspirations include:

• Family history—deeply personal and carefully researched

• Australian landscapes—their beauty, brutality, and enduring symbolism

• Rural heritage and community—the unsung heroes behind the homesteads

• Themes of renewal—how love, pain, and perseverance shape us

When she’s not writing, Barbara can be found exploring historic towns, gardening with a cup of tea close by, or lost in a good book—usually one that captures a different era or a quiet revolution.

🌹 A Note From Barbara

“Windamere Rose is more than a novel. It’s a tribute—to the women who came before me, to the land that raised me, and to the readers who believe that even the softest voices can echo across time. I hope this story finds a place in your heart, just as it has lived in mine for many years.”

📖 What’s Next: Between Dust and Dreams

Barbara’s storytelling journey continues with Between Dust and Dreams—a powerful new installment soon to be released. This emotionally rich novel picks up the legacy of the Crowley family as they navigate shifting landscapes, both literal and emotional.

Tensions between progress and tradition take center stage as new generations wrestle with modern dreams and ancestral expectations. Between Dust and Dreams promises deep character development, generational change, and a heartfelt look at what it means to build something lasting in uncertain times.

🪶 Currently in the Works: Silk in the Dust

Barbara is also hard at work on her next novel, Silk in the Dust. This installment delves even further into the tapestry of the Crowley family—bridging past and future with fresh voices, unexpected alliances, and themes of cultural connection, foreign investment, and national identity.

Set in 1990, Silk in the Dust follows William Crowley as he is drawn into a high-stakes venture with Chinese investors—a deal that could reshape the family's future or compromise everything Windamere stands for. As family tensions rise and secrets surface, this novel will challenge loyalties, question legacies, and remind us that the land always remembers.

📝 A Literary Legacy in the Making

With Windamere Rose already touching hearts, Between Dust and Dreams on the horizon, and Silk in the Dust steadily unfolding, Barbara Wilson is crafting an unforgettable literary saga. Her novels celebrate not just the Australia of the past—but the people, choices, and stories that shape its future.