This is the first book of the COLOURED SANDS TRILOGY. The Australian Outback Historical Saga is in essence a biography of an extraordinary woman's life. This is the story of Emily. Coloured Sands is a melting-pot story with a difference. From the first lyrical chapters of little Emily's trek to safety after the revenge massacre of her family in outback Queensland (1901), a host of extraordinary characters pour in and out of her life. The pioneering Wilsons and their six children provide the love that remains indelibly printed on her soul. A crusty policeman saves her from an institution after sensationalist reporting casts her as The Crazy Orphan. She is adopted by a famous doctor who almost mends her wounded spirit. This novel with twists and turns of the heart captures the essence of a family through the two world wars and the great depression. The joining of mixed cultures unravels into an amazingly profound love story. Barbara Hartmann King won an Australia Day Cultural Prize for Coloured Sands