Interview with Pauline Wilson - Author of 'Family and Fortune'

Interview with Pauline Wilson - Author of 'Family and Fortune'

Link to my Review

Visit Pauline Wilson’s Website to read more about her and her books!

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Pauline is a writer and family historian who loves learning and research. Her debut novel ‘Conflict at Hanging Rock’ came out in July 2022 and her second novel ‘Breaking Free’ was released on November 13th 2023. Her most recent novel ‘Family & Fortune’ was released on March 12th, 2025. Pauline writes historical fiction inspired by true stories of her ancestors.

She has completed several courses with the Australian Writers Centre and is a graduate of the University of Tasmania Diploma of Family History.

When she is not writing or researching she likes to read and take long walks. She lives in North East Victoria on the banks of the Murray River.

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INTERVIEW

What inspired you to write Family & Fortune and tell us a bit about the story?

Family & Fortune was inspired by my 3x Great Grandmother, Mary Ann. Her husband was a convict who had been sentenced to 10 years transportation to Van Diemen’s Land. He served his time and returned to England to marry her. She travelled back to Australia with him and they settled on the Castlemaine goldfields and raised a large family.

Do you feel a special connection to one character in Family & Fortune? If so, who and why?

I do feel a special connection to the main female character, Mary Ann. Despite a happy early childhood, she had to make many sacrifices and had many trials throughout her life. I feel an empathy for her.

What themes do you hope readers uncover in Family & Fortune?

I think there are themes of redemption and resilience and strong female characters.

Did your novel require a lot of research? Did it include any trips? Was it a pleasant or difficult experience for you?

Writing Family & Fortune was more difficult than earlier novels as the beginning was set in England. I didn’t know a lot about England in the 1950’s so that required a lot of research. I have never been to England. But I did spend time in Castlemaine, the Australian setting for the novel. I actually found the remains of a stone building on a road named after the family. I like to think it may have been the cottage the couple built together. So yes, like all my novels, it required a lot of research but I love that process. There was a mystery in their story which needed to be solved so that took additional research. Part of the mystery still remains. How could Richard had known Mary Ann as they lived many miles apart and she was only ten years old when he was transported to Van Diemen’s Land? I had to draw my own conclusion to tell that part of the story.

Tell us about the convict world in Van Diemen’s Land and the gold mining years in Victoria and how you used these in your novel?

Van Diemen’s Land was a harsh place for all convicts, often working in road gangs encumbered by leg irons. But I do think that Richard may have had a comparatively tolerable experience as he did not have any further punishments or misdemeanours recorded against him during his sentence. He gained a ticket of leave after only 5 years and was conditionally pardoned after 7 years.

Mary Ann demonstrated many of the great challenges women faced during Australia’s colonial years. Can you share a few of these?

Women of the time had very few rights. They were basically treated as possessions by their husbands. The gold fields environment was harsh with few creature comforts. Mary Ann lived in a tent when she first arrived at Forest Creek. Childbirth was difficult and often children died in infancy.

Describe your journey as a writer and what/who inspired you to follow this path?

I was inspired to become a writer by the stories my father told of our ancestors. Once I started researching family history, I found so many interesting stories that I felt needed to be recorded. In 2018 I enrolled in the Diploma of Family History which gave me the confidence I needed to get serious about writing a book. I was recording mostly factual stories on my blog with some creative non-fiction. But I wanted my stories to appeal to a wider audience, so I decided to write some of them as fiction as well.

What does your writing process look like? Are you a pantser, plotter or a bit of both?

I am a morning person so I like to get my writing done early in the day. In fact when I was working full time, I used to write for an hour from 5:30am. I am mainly a plotter because the stories are based on fact, so I know a lot about the story before I begin. But then I need to add additional themes and tropes in order to make the story entertaining and engaging.

If you could change one thing in the book publishing world, what would it be?

If someone could do all the marketing for me, that would be wonderful.

What has been your greatest dream as a writer and has it changed over time?

At first my greatest dream was simply to publish a book to record my family’s history. But I soon came to the conclusion that there were many stories I needed to write and I dreamt of having a group of readers who really enjoyed my work and waited for the next story to be released.

Name five of your favourite authors, plus a book from each you loved and why?

Of course, I love historical fiction set in Australia so Darry Fraser is one of my favourites. I very much enjoyed The Forthright Woman. Mary-Anne O’Connor is another writer I love and my favourite novel of hers is In a Great Southern Land. More recently I have been reading the Tea Ladies series by Amanda Hampson and that is another favourite. But I think my favourite recent read is the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. I have read the first four and loved each of them. I now can’t wait to finish the series. I also love a good mystery/crime story. Michael Rowbotham’s Evie and Cyrus series was excellent.

Are you working on a new project and can you share a little about it?

I am currently working on two new projects. The first is a sequel to my second novel Breaking Free. This is inspired by my grandmother, a wonderfully accomplished pianist, who played for the silent movies and her brother who was an avid proponent of early telegraphy.

The other project is quite different. I am writing what will amount to a memoir I suppose. It is the story of how I became an author.

Thanks to Pauline for being my guest author. We wish her much success on the release of her new novel now available! Visit her website and order all her books!