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CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SALLY AT THE 2023 SYDNEY WRITERS FESTIVAL, WITH GERALDINE BROOKS AND PIP WILLIAMS

'ONE ILLUMINED THREAD' LONG-LISTED FOR THE '2023 NIB LITERARY AWARD'

SALLY COLIN-JAMES

ONE ILLUMINED THREAD

"One Illumined Thread is one of those rare books that will stay with you. The historical depth and authentic character development keep your mind (and heart) immersed long after that last page has been read."
Michelle Atkins, Books+Publishing

A beautiful, enthralling and powerful story of three women separated by centuries, yet connected by a thread of longing and a singular creative spirit.

In Judea, under the brutal rule of King Herod, a woman yearns for a child but is outcast when she does not fall pregnant. Against all convention, she masters the art of glassblowing, a creative act she believes will keep her dream of motherhood alive. In Renaissance Florence, a young wife is left penniless by her hopelessly unfaithful husband, and struggles to find a way to support herself and her young son. And in contemporary Australia, a talented textile conservator, devastated by loss, is desperate to regain control of her life. Each woman wants something that seems unattainable, and it will take all their courage, creativity and determination to achieve it.

A stunning, sweeping historical novel spanning two thousand years, One Illumined Thread celebrates the power and creative spirit of the female heart, as each woman finds freedom through an extraordinary connection.

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"Intricately stitched and meticulously researched, 'One Illumined Thread' is a dazzling examination of the intimacy between women who love and betray and grieve and forgive ..."

Suzanne Leal, Author of The Deceptions
“I simply couldn't stop reading. I loved so many things about ‘One Illumined Thread’, on so many levels. It is insightful and powerful, but at the same time personal. I love the whole premise, each individual story, and the interplay between them, and I wouldn’t hesitate recommending it!“

Jacqui Hooper
“What a read! 'One Illumined Thread' is overwhelmingly challengingly beautiful. Certainly what the trade calls a ‘big read’! May the thread continue for more generations!”

Jacqui Cookes, OAM
"Each narrative strand is crafted masterfully so that the denouement is neatly interwoven. This is a story of love – both its presence and absence – but above all, it gives agency to its female protagonists. Extensively researched; expertly written."

Bob Moore, Good Reading Magazine

"Intricately stitched and meticulously researched, 'One Illumined Thread' is a dazzling examination of the intimacy between women who love and betray and grieve and forgive ..."

Suzanne Leal, Author of The Deceptions
“I simply couldn't stop reading. I loved so many things about ‘One Illumined Thread’, on so many levels. It is insightful and powerful, but at the same time personal. I love the whole premise, each individual story, and the interplay between them, and I wouldn’t hesitate recommending it!“

Jacqui Hooper
“What a read! 'One Illumined Thread' is overwhelmingly challengingly beautiful. Certainly what the trade calls a ‘big read’! May the thread continue for more generations!”

Jacqui Cookes, OAM
"Each narrative strand is crafted masterfully so that the denouement is neatly interwoven. This is a story of love – both its presence and absence – but above all, it gives agency to its female protagonists. Extensively researched; expertly written."

Bob Moore, Good Reading Magazine

Sally Colin-James’s passion for people, place and story, saw her depart the corporate boardroom and travel to the complicated and contested lands of northern Sri Lanka to complete a Bachelor of Letters (Honours) thesis with Deakin University. She gained an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship to fulfill a PhD in professional writing and explored the ancient world of the Etruscan civilisation. Across islands and continents, she has been researching and writing ever since.

Her debut novel One Illumined Thread won the 2020 HNSA Colleen McCullough Residency Award, the 2020 Varuna PIP Fellowship Award and a placement with the Australian Writers Mentoring program. She has been the recipient of the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival Mentorship Award and her work was shortlisted from 2000 entries across 54 countries for the international 2021 First Pages Prize.

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