The World Of Sylvie Steeple

I am taking the first steps to set up a new blog which I hope will contain all things Sylvie Steeple. Sylvie is the protagonist in my new short stories series. The series is predominantly set in 1920s Sydney. The initial plan was to write 12 short stories, each chronicling a month in the life of Sylvie. She helps people, solves unique cases and treats people (she is a trained nurse). To date, six of these short stories have been completed. Perhaps comparisons might be made to Phrine Fisher from "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries," but really Sylvie is very different to Phrine as are the 'cases' that she takes on. Sylvie's father was an occultist so in a way she is continuing on with his work but taking on cases of a supernatural nature. Also, Sylvie is not rich and does not dress elegantly or in a fashion-forward way. She is a nurse, practical and pragmatic. She has just returned to Australia after spending several years in Europe (both as a war-time nurse and after), but she is Australian at heart.

I love to research Sydney during this time and have used some great resources to help me.

Online resources have predominantly been The Dictionary of Sydney and photos from The Powerhouse Museum.

Sometimes, though, I find the Internet a bit of a rabbit-warren for accurate and specific information so will resort to books. At the very beginning of the year we had the good luck to stop in at a Lifeline bookfair where I found these little gems:

They have been so useful and the sketches in the top book are amazing. As my character Sylvie lives in Paddington, you can imagine what a treasure trove this little book has been!

These ones, albeit old, are still handy in planning and getting a decent overview of the situation in Australia one hundred years ago. 

I've also used these old books to get a good overview of some of the views contemporary from fifty or sixty years ago. It's a nice study in historiography. The text ("Our Sunburnt Country", 1964) is surprisingly forward in some (but not all) of its views on Indigenous history and British occupation post 1780. The novel ("The Spell of the Inland") however is very typical of the time (1934) in its portrayal of Indigenous people and white Australian farmers in the Outback. The imagery throughout is very vivid and does not attempt to sugarcoat the realities of living the harsh Australian inland.

This book has been invaluable for providing information and inspiration for the lives of Italian migrants in Australia. The stories are fascinating and diverse. I've had this for many years and actually stumbled across it in the library of the first high school I worked when I moved here to Canberra. The school has since shut down, and many of the library's books were donated or dumped in the process. I'm so glad I kept this one though!

I am really pleased that I have been able to set up a new blog for Sylvie Steeple. It is still very much a baby and not worth visiting now, but I hope to have some new posts up in the next week or two.