Today, I'm delighted to welcome author Paul Rushworth-Brown to Ruins & Reading. We're sharing an intriguing excerpt from his riveting tale, Outback Odyssey. It's well worth checking out. Read on!
Outback Odyssey is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Discover other enticing excerpts HERE!
Outback Odyssey
Paul Rushworth-Brown
Conflict
& Survival in the Bush
The
escarpment loomed dark against the star-speckled sky. Jimmy stood in the open,
the false map folded tight in his hand as if it were a weapon. Amanda crouched
behind a fallen log, heart racing, while Dhirrari melted into the shadows of
the gums. Somewhere beyond the clearing, Jarrah and the others watched, silent
and ready, guardians bound by duty.
Then the hoofbeats came — slow, deliberate, the sound of horses pushing through
the night. Derek had arrived, and he wasn’t alone. Two riders flanked him,
their figures pale against the dark bush.
Amanda tightened her grip on the pistol, her breath sharp in her throat. Jimmy
shifted, the weight of his father’s silences and his own untested courage
pressing down on him.
The night thickened with menace. In that moment Jimmy understood — this was no
longer just about a map or a legend of gold. It was about survival, about
proving that he could stand his ground in a land that demanded everything.
Blurb:
"Outback Odyssey" tells the story of a young man from Yorkshire who emigrates to Australia in the 1950s under the Big Brother Movement scheme.
In the wake of war and dislocation, young Yorkshireman Jimmy journeys to the outback, chasing escape but finding something far more dangerous: the truth of himself and the land he now calls home.
What begins as a story of survival becomes a profound allegory of belonging, silence, and identity. As Jimmy collides with love and betrayal, he also encounters the enduring wisdom of the First Peoples — knowledge that most outsiders are too frightened to face, let alone write about.
Outback Odyssey is sweeping and cinematic, a novel of resilience threaded with unexpected twists and allegorical depth. Already under consideration for a screenplay adaptation, it peels back the myths of Australia’s past to reveal what lies beneath: the unspoken histories, the inherited traumas, and the courage it takes to walk a path that others fear.
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About the Author:
Paul Rushworth-Brown was born in England and raised in Canada before emigrating to Australia at eighteen, where he became a citizen. By twenty, he had already travelled the world twice, hitchhiked across Australia, and worked as a navvy in outback Queensland — experiences that gave him an enduring respect for resilience, culture, and the landscapes that shape human character.
He later completed a Master’s degree at Charles Sturt University, honing the research skills that underpin his richly detailed novels. A high school teacher and former professional football coach, Paul draws on a lifetime of experience to bring authenticity and depth to his writing.
His novels are known for their cinematic sweep, allegorical undercurrents, and unexpected twists. Outback Odyssey, his fourth book, is a tale of survival and belonging set against the vast backdrop of 1950s Australia. Beneath its page-turning adventure lie questions of identity, silence, and reconciliation — themes that echo long after the final page.
Paul lives in Sydney, where he writes, teaches, and continues to explore the intersections of history and identity.
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