A compelling story about the complicated romantic life of a young legal professional has just been published by internationally recognised author and alumna of The University of Notre Dame Australia, Claire Merchant.
Forever Ruby, a fantasy-themed novel, follows the life of Ruby Edwards and her fascination with Cole Frost – a chivalrous English gentleman whom she befriended one night.
However, things get complicated for Ruby when her human life is compromised and being with her current boyfriend, Oliver, becomes a practical impossibility.
This is Ms Merchant’s third novel, following Mistry by Moonlight and South Coast Sun.
Ms Merchant says she draws much of her literary inspiration from personal experiences with the hope of sharing her new ideas with readers.
“Sometimes they can spark from a feeling that I get from a song or from having a conversation with someone that prompts dialogue between characters,” Ms Merchant said.
“Other times, I will just think of a scenario and build characters and a story around it. I write stories that I want to read so I hope that means that other people will enjoy them too.”
Having had a passion for writing from a young age, Ms Merchant viewed a career path in literature more realistically after studying a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education (Secondary) at Notre Dame.
She said the university had played such an integral role in shaping her writing persona and giving her the confidence to achieve success as a published author.
“I feel proud to be able to share my accomplishments with the university, considering I was in the same position as current students just a few years ago. It can be difficult starting out in the industry, but it certainly helps to be amongst people who are so supportive of me and my career ambitions,” Ms Merchant said.
To view the trailer of Forever Ruby, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msjSL1a3LmA&feature=youtu.be