A SYDNEY author has penned a romance novel featuring Goldfields historical figures such as Lola Montez and Captain Moonlite.
Johanna Nicholls’ Golden Hope is set in 1901 and tells the story of an equestrienne from a circus family who passionately falls in love with a Goldrush adventurer.
The characters and towns are fictional, but interact with real-life historical characters such as Montez and Moonlite, and also events, such as the Eureka Stockade.
Nicholls, a former ABC writer, recently visited Ballarat to launch her book and also follow in the footsteps of Montez – her heroine.
The book is set against the background of the second Boer War, Federation and the fight for women’s suffrage.
Published by Simon & Schuster, Golden Hope is Nicolls’ fourth book. She is currently working on her fifth Australian historical novel, which she will launch at the Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute.
Golden Hope is available at Collins Booksellers in Sturt Street and from the Mechanics’ Institute library.
