Join Lynsey McDonnell in conversation with fellow author Tess Woods as they launch Lynsey's debut novel into the world.

About the Book:

Their love was as undeniable as it was impossible

The cottage on Bailey Street has held onto its secrets for 150 years.

Then: John Boyle O’Reilly was a convict who believed he had nothing left to give. Jessie was the girl who proved him wrong.

Now: Rebecca only came to meet her biological father. But echoes of passion, heartache, and courage from the past awaken long-buried desires — especially when it comes to a certain handsome history professor.

From Liverpool and Ireland to the sunburnt shores of Western Australia, love will find its way home.

About the Author

Born in the UK to Irish parents, Lynsey grew up living above a pub in the north of England before emigrating with her family to Western Australia in her teens. Her fascination by what (and who) it takes to shift from feeling untethered and uprooted to feeling ‘home’ feeds into the themes of her novels.

As a chartered accountant and chief financial officer, Lynsey’s work has taken her across several industries and countries, but her passion has always been books.

Lynsey lives in Perth with her husband, two teenaged children, and a badly behaved staffy.

Lynsey is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative Write Your Novel course, and a recipient of a Katherine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre Fellowship. She is on the judging panel for the 2026 Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize and a committee member for the Perth Festival of Fiction.

This is Lynsey’s debut novel, published by Hawkeye Publishing, for release on 23 July, 2026.

Contact the host of Book Launch: Bailey Street by Lynsey McDonnell