|PIC1|Rita Galieh's inspirational Australian historical, FIRE in the ROCK, published by Ark House Press, was recently launched at the Toukley Women's Conference.
Answering the question as to what the book was about, she went on to describe how, at the turn of the twentieth century, Australia, in a spirit of growing independence shrugged off many of its ties with the "Old Country". Some class distinctions lingered, boundaries between men and women were still clearly defined and social conventions strict. In this setting a well-meant deception finds a young woman involved in a desperate search to unearth crucial information, for the truth - preserved by its wary keepers - lies buried in the opal fields on the fringe of the vast and thirsty Outback.
And how much is true in this account? Rita explained that although fiction, the story is based on true incidents and laced with some of the fascinating individuals forming part of our Australian Christian heritage. She also admitted that most of its main protagonists were real life composites of people she has known.
The author was also deeply influenced by her special friend, Leone Jacobs-Stein, who awakened her affinity with her Jewish heritage, and the book is dedicated to her memory.
The idea of sponsorship came after she donated her novel to the senior librarians of some twenty Christian schools around Sydney. If those also interested in sponsoring this for a Christian school, the signed book at rrp $19.95 plus $5 postage, can either be purchased from the author, see her website: www.ritastellagalieh.com or purchased/ordered from a local Christian bookstore.
All profits from the sales of FIRE in the ROCK go toward supporting national pastors and evangelists and their families in poorer countries.
And the future? She is contracted by the publisher for her next three books – an Australian trilogy with the series name Watermark Women. Then Rita, besides her shared radio ministry with her husband, evangelist George Galieh, is now preparing to leave on Nov. 17 for Thailand where they spend a month each year in outreach ministry in Buddhist schools, prisons, hospitals, and Christian churches.
Rita S Galieh