Inspiration for the title of the novel "Coloured Sands" came from the famous Coloured Sands of Rainbow Beach on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. These beautiful beaches are backed by high sand dunes, wildflower heaths, freshwater lakes, woodlands and rainforests.

This is the poem from the novel using the Coloured Sands as a metaphor for race.

Mary’s Dream

She drifted into a dreamy world where frothy water washed
onto a beach of coloured sands – the colour of people –
black, white, yellow and brown; then suddenly a huge wave,
whipped by a fierce wind, churned and swallowed the
coloured sands that kept swirling and curling, around and over,
this way and that way until one colour emerged ‑ the colour of tan.
People walked proudly out of those waves ‑ beautiful
golden tan people, the colour of all people combined and
the eyes that shone from those beautiful, golden, tan
faces were full of love and peace.

Review
A loyalty to the Australian countryside permeates Barbara Hartmann King’s writing and gives it genuine beauty, as naturally enchanting as the fragrance of spring flowers.
                     Mark Austin BA (Hons) M.Litt.Phd. - Unearthing Brilliant Australian Authors)

 

 Inspiration for the title of  "Valley of the Eagle" came from the Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland. Its mystery, intrigue and beauty make it the perfect setting for Valley of the Eagle.
The Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland’s Central Highlands is truly God’s own country – a spectacular oasis sculptured  by nature over millions of years. There is no place in Australia to match the magic and grandeur  of a place steeped in the eerie stillness of its timeless, silent beauty.

It is the perfect dwelling place for the Ancient Mystical Eagle, custodian of a secret gorge imbrued in the enchantment and wizardry of the oldest race on earth.