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Dale lived in Western Sydney and the Central West of NSW before moving to the South Coast which immediately felt like home.
She started writing articles and poems. Many were published in magazines and newspapers. She has also written short stories, educational materials, bible studies and Sunday school materials, puppet plays, skits, and songs for young children. A radio play, called Edge of Silence, was broadcast in 2005.
Chasing after the Wind, her first published children’s novel was published by Scholastic in 1997. Since then she has had Kaleidoscope, a book of poetry and six other children’s books published. Many poems in Kaleidoscope had been previously published in Australia’s literary magazines and newspapers. Her poetry has won prizes and been published in several anthologies. Streets on a Map, her first general fiction book, was published in December 2010. It is now also an E book. Dale is currently at work on another novel with the working title Sandstone Madonna.
As well as jobs as a bookseller and other sales positions, Dale has been a houseparent for a family of twelve boys, manuscript assessor, book reviewer and run creative writing classes at NSW Writers’ Centre, Parramatta Evening College and Central West Community College. She also wrote for several years about marriage and home related topics for www.families.com. She has a BA in Literary and Australian studies. More information about Dale can be found at www.daleharcombe.com or on her Write and Read
Reviewed by K T Bowes for Readers' Favorite
Abby's move to the small town of Astley, following her marriage, is not what she had imagined for her life. A successful singer with a good job and a city girl at heart, it is a huge sacrifice to make for a husband who seems happy to slot back into his childhood home. Abby struggles with the seemingly small-minded townsfolk, who eye her with suspicion and veiled tolerance, but can't wait to gossip behind her back and inform her husband of every move she makes. Abby finds friendship and acceptance with a neighbour, whose own code of ethics goes very much against those of Astley and the rest of the world. In the pitch and toss, the tragedy and mayhem of a small village existence, Laila demonstrates a different kind of morality to Abby, in which forgiveness and tolerance is key. Astley is no different to anywhere else and tragedy, sadness, and evil pay regular visits there too, but Abby learns that how she deals with them is what defines her as a person and dictates her perspective on life.
Streets on a Map by Dale Harcombe is a really enjoyable novel. It is something that you want to curl up on the sofa with and be left alone to savour. The character of Abby could be any of us, full of great ideas, but without the confidence or self-assurance to follow through and it makes the attraction of the characterization much more plausible. The author has allowed a strong Christian influence to thread throughout the novel, but at no point does it become overbearing or preachy. It is just there, in the background, adding a moral compass for the reader. The novel deals honestly with grief and loss through the use of the main character who emotionally isolates herself as a defense mechanism. The reader is privileged to journey with the characters as they discover more about themselves through their experiences. The most powerful lessons we learn are often through demonstration rather than lecture and this novel allows the good, kind, honest people of a small town to have their say and, by default, teach those lessons. This is a great ploy for allowing readers to think about their own perceptions through reading a great novel. The book was well edited and had a clean appearance. I really enjoyed it and was disappointed when it was finished.
