Janice Newnham's passion is to capture Australian histories, mysteries and folklore and interpret these tales into colourful and engaging novels. She is a veterinarian by profession but a farmer, mother, and nanny by passion. Home is an Angus cattle farm in a picturesque corner of Australia, in the Upper Murray. Spectacular scenery and the iconic Murray River provides inspiration for her art, photography and writing.
In 2019/2020 the devastating Black Summer Bushfires ripped through the Upper Murray and crisped the Newnham property. The turmoil triggered Janice to commit to writing as a form of therapy and she since published two books, with more to come!
From The Inside is a raw and confronting reflection of the Newnham family's experience of the Black Summer Fires. It is a compilation of social media posts and over 200 photographs, connected by a compelling narrative - the book is an immersive experience.
White Lies - Where There Is Smoke is a novel based on a true story. It is a murder mystery set in 1939 in the aftermath of the Black Friday Fires. The story came to the author as a ghost story told by an old timer to "rationalise" the spooky experiences with which Janice had to contend when living in the house built by the protagonist of the book. The story revolves around Dickie White, a man with a mysterious past; he is frequently associated with unexplained dark events and often at the centre of rumours and gossip. He is catapulted to the attention of enthusiastic investigators, journalists and the community after a fiery car “accident” in which his wife, Elizabeth is killed. His secrets are exposed, and police are determined to convict him, but is it murder?
A Sandwich Short of a Picnic is another skeleton from the closet of the Upper Murray. Set in 1924, it is the tale of Claude Batson, a man who hit the headlines of the era as the last Bushranger of the Riverina and the Sniper at the Jingellic Picnic. In addition, he may have been the first copycat criminal in Australian history. The novel is laced with a commentary of the difficulties of returned servicemen from World War I, intertwined with a burgeoning romance between two characters that connect the two very similar crimes and the story reflects the descent into madness of a marginalised and persecuted young man. Claude Batson burst into the headlines of national newspapers in 1924 when he shot up a picnic party and then legged it into the bush to evade capture, Batson’s tale is one of abandonment, a struggle to make his way in a world full of obstacles, persecution and madness.
PUBLICATIONS:
Self-published works by Janice Newnham available direct from author via website above and other online platforms, or request through bookshops and libraries.
- From The Inside (A memoir of an Upper Murray family’s experience of the Black Summer Bushfires from within the fireground.)
- White Lies – Where There is Smoke (A novel based on a true story. Historical fiction / True Crime / Mystery
- Awaiting publication: A Sandwich Short of a Picnic (A novel based on a true story. Historical fiction / True Crime)