The Cowrie Shell

**Gold Medal Winner: Popular Literature Fiction**

2021 Global Ebook Awards

Jackie Taylor found a lucky cowrie shell on the beach, but was she wise to give it away to a man with secret desires?

Life was full of promise for a young woman at the beginning of her working life. But Jackie Taylor could not foresee the troubled future that lay ahead of her. As a young adult embarking on her teaching career, she found herself in the far north of Western Australia. Port Hedland is a mining town, and alcohol was an integral part of her social life there. Managing a balance between socialising and work was a challenge; however, it was there that she started to make lifelong friends with other young teachers-the Heddy Crew. And then along came a young traveller, a red-headed man who was destined to become a big part of her life.

Robbie Macpherson was a fun-loving, Scottish-born resident of Australia. He had a presence that demanded attention, and Jacqui certainly couldn't ignore him for long. But two years in Port Hedland was enough for Jacqui. On her return to Perth to take up a new teaching position, Robbie got in touch, and a romance began that quickly led to marriage. Jackie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and her dream of a happy family life had become a reality. Or had it?

'Beware of men who drink, ' her mother warned and Jackie was determined to listen to her advice. However, she hadn't seen the signs. And when her child suddenly collapsed, Jackie found herself in a downward spiral.

Set in Western Australia from the mid-1970s to the 1980s, this is a poignant tale of a woman in a heartbreaking relationship and her courage in the face of adversity.