The Queen of Van Diemen's Land

A collection of fourteen short stories, many of them prize-winning. In a style typical of this author, Beauticians shouldn't get plastered, The Wee Train Robbery, Three Little Maids, and Two pythons and a big yellow bool show a wicked sense of humour, poking fun at model railway enthusiasts, social workers, amateur dramatists, and beauticians.
Mamie made me is a harrowing tale about the murder of Emmitt Till by white supremacists, and about the bravery of his mother.
Three cigars, ninety-five photographs, a novella, deals with the bloodiest day in American history, The Battle of Antietam.
Other stories feature historical characters Napoleon, Vivaldi, Cleopatra, and Julius Caesar, as well as victims of the Scottish Witch Trials.
The title story The Queen of Van Diemen's Land tells the story of a woman from Islay, imprisoned in Inveraray Jail, then transported to Australia. Here, through guile, she becomes famous. Finally, will she disclose her dark secrets to a young reporter?