Set against the rural backdrop of the Riverina in south-western NSW during a devastating drought, the novel follows protagonist Tess Matheson, a painter who returns to her canvas after a long break.
Her series of nude portraits creates a stir in her small country town, and on the eve of her first solo exhibition, she discovers her ex-boyfriend is returning home to marry — on the same day as her launch.
As events spiral, Tess is forced to re-examine the past and what family truly means.
Ms Hayes said the novel would appeal to readers who enjoyed a fast-paced story told through multiple viewpoints.
“I've always loved that kind of set-up in a novel, where you’re really able to understand different characters’ motivations,” she said.
“It was a really interesting, albeit complex, way to write, as I brought to life Tess, Charlie, Abby, Simon and Fred.
“I particularly loved writing Fred, a 16-year-old Melbourne schoolboy, who runs away from home after uncovering a long-held family secret.
“His journey to Hay is a major culture shock for someone more used to the concrete jungle, but his commitment to seeking the truth outweighs the risk of his personal safety.”
The novel had a long path to publication, with Ms Hayes beginning to write it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While it seemed like every man and his dog was perfecting the art of sourdough, I started writing again,” she said.
“I've written manuscripts before but hadn’t been picked up by a publisher.
“When you’re working full-time, it’s hard to justify more time sitting at a desk, but there was something about being locked up that made me yearn for creativity.”
The spark for the story came from an unlikely source.
“I flicked through The Country Style magazine for inspiration and saw a wedding featured,” Ms Hayes said.
“’That’s it,' I thought, ‘everyone loves a country wedding'. And so it began.”
The novel’s setting was inspired by the people and places of Hay, Booligal and surrounds, a region Hayes first visited as a teenager.
“I was in Year 10 when I first went up that way from my home in Geelong, travelling through some of the flattest country on earth. It was love at first sight,” she said.
Ms Hayes spent two years living in Hay during the mid-1990s, working at the local newspaper.
“They truly are the lifeblood of the town and I'm forever grateful I experienced being part of that environment,” she said.
Now based in Wangaratta, Ms Hayes said she believed every book had the power to change somebody's life, “whether as a conduit into other worlds, helping people to heal from pain or providing a place of respite from the chaos of today’s society”.
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