Ron Thomas, Weaver of Words

Australian historical fiction so intimately written you’ll experience it firsthand.

Ron’s Books

Make your acquaintance with unforgettable swagmen, horse breakers, nurses, and refugees, and experience the thrill of horse racing, woodchopping, and more, from Manchester to the Western Australian outback. Discover true stories like the shark arm case and the cultural and historical significance of places like Villers Bretonneux and the Adelaide Arcade. Australian historical fiction books do not get any better than this.

My lifelong love for storytelling began at the knees of masters, listening to the tall tales and true stories of my grandfather Jack Westheider and his racing pigeon fancier friends. Every Saturday in the racing season, a bunch of ‘Jackie’s’ old mates would gather in his backyard, by his cabbage patch, to await the arrival of his pigeons from exotically named places like Bundaberg and Gympie. With time on their hands, the yarns would start flowing, often with an impressionable young boy sitting cross-legged among the cabbages sucking in every word. Those old blokes knew how to tell a story all right! Their tall true tales were undoubtedly the beginning of a lifelong love for stories well told and ultimately of my career as a writer. It's no wonder that the main character in my first book, Solly's Way, was a story-telling swagman.

After a successful career as a Managing Director, I returned to my passion for writing, blending my fascination with history and fiction. As an Australian author of historical fiction, crime fiction, and military fiction, I weave together intimate history to bring to life the events of the world around us. From the drought-ravaged Australian outback in the 1890s, depicted in Solly's Way, to the razor gang wars of 'Darlo' (Darlinghurst) in Dark Angels, my stories connect readers to the lives of ordinary people like swagmen, horse breakers, nurses, and refugees. I draw inspiration from the many places I've visited during my 40-year working life, like Angkor Wat, which became the backdrop for The Dreaming Stone.

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A fascination with words

I love to write about 'intimate history,' telling the stories of ordinary people impacted by the events of the world around them. My books bring history to life through the eyes of everyday people, not superheroes. You'll discover the adventures of a swagman, a horse breaker, a nurse, a refugee, and more between the covers of my books. Through these characters, I aim to connect readers to history in a new and interesting way, allowing them to experience it firsthand. My characters laugh, love, hate, and cry just like us, making them relatable and human. With my stories, my goal is for readers to live a while with my characters and gain a fresh perspective on history, one that lets them connect to it intimately.

My ultimate goal is to give readers a fresh perspective on history, connecting them to the world through the stories of my characters. Join me on my journey as I continue to explore new places and tell more captivating stories of Australia's living history.