Showing results by narrator "Melle Stewart" in All Categories

It had been two long years since Lincoln Callahan had found himself in front of the gates to Stringybark Creek. He was in the army then - a lifetime ago. Linc had always been the unsettled Callahan, looking for danger, the one who couldn't wait to leave the family farm. This time he was back for his little sister Hadley's wedding. From far and wide, the Callahan relatives were streaming towards Stringybark Creek. Linc's little brother, Griffin, was the steady son, the one who stayed at home, the one who did the right things. And now, the one who had feelings for city girl Cash Sullivan.

Griffin Callahan and Olivia Dawson were inseparable. Everyone in town knew it. But when Griff went off to Ag College, Liv told him it was over and fled her family's farm to study law. Griff had never understood her reasons but eventually accepted that first loves don't last. Until now. Currently back on the farm to help her twin brother with the harvest, Liv is the same gorgeous, laughing, hazel-eyed girl he'd always loved. Yet Griff can sense a difference, an uncertainty playing beneath the surface that wasn't there before.

Paige Quinn will let nothing and no one distract her from caring for her wheelchair-bound father Connor, or fighting for her remote drought-stricken property Banora Downs - least of all a surprise farm-stay guest named Tait Cavanaugh, whose smooth words are as lethal as his movie-star smile. Expecting him to be trouble, Paige is anything but welcoming toward their visitor - except she can’t help noticing that, for a city boy, Tait seems unexpectedly at home on the land. And he asks a lot of questions....

After a bitter divorce, Kate and her battle-scarred kids escape the city to the vast but run-down property of North Star. Bequeathed to her by her grandfather, it had been in the family for generations, but it doesn't take long for her realise that she's going to need every ounce of determination to restore the homestead to its former glory and fulfil her dream of turning it into a bush retreat. As she starts to make headway with the restoration and falls for a local bloke, Kate finally feels like life is going right for her. Then her ex-husband comes to town....

England, 1939. Talented pilot Skye Penrose joins the British war effort where she encounters her estranged sister, Liberty, and childhood soul mate Nicholas Crawford, now engaged to enigmatic Frenchwoman Margaux Jourdan. Paris, 1947. Designer Christian Dior unveils his extravagant first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance, Miss Dior, in tribute to his sister, Catherine, who worked for the French Resistance.

Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As the playground empties, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found. According to his teacher, Daniel’s father picked up his son. Except he and Megan are no longer together. After years of being controlled by her cruel husband, Megan finally found the courage to divorce him. Hands trembling, she dials his number, but the line is dead. Six years later, Megan gets the call she has dreamt about for years. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away....

Jason Weaver just wants to be left alone. It was a tough transition from his army days to civilian life, and he's looking forward to settling into a solitary life. Tilly Hollis is working two jobs to save for her dream career: running an equine therapy program. Tilly loves her horses more than anything, and after losing her husband and business partner just a few years earlier, she's determined to make it work on her own. When Jason walks into the café where Tilly works, they're immediately drawn to one another. But can they overcome their pasts to find a future together?

When Jess discovered love with Daniel in the tiny outback town of Gowrie, her previous troubled life was cast aside. However, differences in their backgrounds, her doubts about real love, and the urge to return and support her twin brother Johnno forced her to make a decision to leave. A new home in the small community of Tamborine Mountain provides an opportunity to contemplate how she really feels and what is important.

Julia Curtis is a busy mother of three, with a husband often away for work, an ever-present mother-in-law, a career, and a house that needs doing up. Her 14-year-old daughter, Milla, has fallen in love for the first time, and her youngest, Ruby, is a nine-year-old fashionista who can out-negotiate anyone. But Julia’s 11-year-old son, Jackson, is different. Different to his sisters. Different to his classmates. In fact, Jackson is different from everyone. And bringing up a child who is different isn’t always easy.

When top-flight journalists Hadley Callahan and Mitch Samuals married two years ago, theirs had been declared the celebrity wedding of the year. But now, Hadley unexpectedly returns to Stringybark Creek alone, hiding an explosive secret. While Hadley's in town, the shocking suicide of one of their old school friends brings her and childhood friend Ollie together as they mourn their loss and begin a campaign to raise awareness of rural mental health, both wanting to make a difference.

Poppy Abbott seems to have it all. Bright, successful and attractive, she lives in a beautiful apartment with sweeping views of Sydney. However, since the recent death of her beloved grandmother, she's been struggling to come to terms with her grief. When sorting through her grandmother’s belongings she uncovers some love letters and an old diary with the name ‘Maggie Abbott’ on the front, detailing her romance with a young soldier. Maggie’s name is unfamiliar to her, and the last pages of the diary are ripped out, leaving Poppy at a loss of how this love story ended.

When best-selling author, 29-year-old Hayley Stevens, walked in on her husband, Paul, and her best friend in bed together, she knew her life would never be the same again. One year later, Hayley stowed her last bag in her much-loved Audi Coupe and said good-bye to the city. She was excited to be heading west to Lochway, a small colonial village sitting on the beautiful Macdonald River. Wanting peace and quiet, Hayley had impulsively bought a cosy sandstone cottage there surrounded by lush rose gardens, with a small overseer's cottage - ideal for a writer's retreat.

After a disastrous marriage, December Doyle has returned to her hometown to try to pick up the pieces of her life and start again. She's also intent on helping breathe new life into the Christmas Creek township, so the last thing she needs is trouble. Bad boy Seth Hunter has also returned to Christmas Creek, and trouble is his middle name. Wrongly convicted of a serious crime in his youth, Seth is now a successful businessman, but he's intent on settling some old scores. As teenagers, December and Seth were madly in love, and seeing each other again reawakens past feelings.

Already struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of her husband, Sophie Bryant nearly loses her life whilst on duty as a paramedic. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Sophie retreats to the remote township of Hilsons Ridge. The tranquillity of the small community, discovering the secrets of her old farm's history, and an unexpected spark with vet, Zac, all help Sophie heal. Love, just like the past, waits for the right person to come along and unlock its secrets.

In 1841, Australia's first children's book was published, the anonymous writer known only as 'a lady long resident in New South Wales'. The identity of the author was one of the most puzzling literary mysteries until 1981, when she was finally given a name: Charlotte Waring Atkinson. Today, her great-great-great-great-granddaughters Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell are also celebrated authors. They grew up on stories about Charlotte's life of love, grief and violence - and her struggle to assert an independent spirit.

Single mother Lucy Parker loves the quiet historical charm of her hometown of Bundah. But raising her teenage daughter, Belle, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business is challenging. Troubled Hugh Thompson arrives in town and buys a run-down pub with big plans for a fresh start. But soon after a spate of teenage drug overdoses starts to divide the locals, and there are whispers they might be connected to this newcomer who has a dark and mysterious past.

When Alexandra returns to Australia to be with her dying grandfather, Wilhelm, and grandmother Romy, they share with her family secrets they had kept hidden for over 50 years. In 1939, two young girls meet in Shanghai, the 'Paris of the East': beautiful local Li and Viennese refugee Romy. They form a fierce friendship, but the deepening shadows of World War Two fall over the women as they slip between the city's glamorous French Concession and the desperate Shanghai Ghetto. Eventually, they are forced to go in separate ways as Romy doubts Li's loyalties.

The Kane family, Lorcan, Naiyana and their young son, relocate from Perth to Kallayee, an abandoned mining town in the Great Victoria Desert to start over again, free from their chequered past. The town seems like the perfect getaway: peaceful, quiet, remote. Somewhere they won’t be found. But life in Kallayee isn’t quite as straightforward as they hope. There are noises in the earth, mysterious shadows and tracks in the dust, as if the town is coming back to life. But the family can’t leave. No one can talk sense into them. And now, no one can talk to them at all.

Bridie Farrell and Shaun Broderick come from opposite sides of the tracks. Bridie's family are perennial strugglers whilst the Brodericks are the wealthy owners of Jinjulu - one of the most prestigious properties in the district. Bridie has always longed to leave the small town she grew up in, but family responsibilities have kept her anchored there. Meanwhile, Shaun's dream of taking over the management of Jinjulu is dashed by his dictatorial father. who tries to rule Shaun's life both on and off the farm.

This collection of stand-alone short stories is a treat for new listeners and dedicated fans alike. In each of these 17 stories, an ordinary person takes on an extraordinary journey to a new life, discovering facets and strengths they never knew they possessed. Across a variety of time periods and settings, these stories capture Anna Jacobs' unique style and showcase her mastery of emotional tales.