Military Wives
In a town built on postings and goodbyes, can friendship take root?When Defence life brings Megan, Stephanie, and Lauren to Wagga Wagga, each is bracing for a year that will test her limits. Megan follows the woman she loves—then realises some family wounds don’t heal quietly. Stephanie’s career plans unravel under deployment and an unexpected pregnancy. Lauren battles isolation and a marriage under strain while caring for her high-needs daughter.
In the transient world of Defence life—lonely holidays, stalled careers, and constant uncertainty—they find unexpected harmony, and a lifeline, in the Australian Military Wives Choir. Among women who understand, they discover that chosen family can be the strongest anchor… and that home isn’t a place, but the people who stand beside you.
Tropes You'll Love
- Found family / chosen family
- Female friendship across life stages
- Military life & posting culture
- Small Australian town setting
- Community through music
- Quiet resilience & everyday courage
- Marriage under pressure
- Motherhood in all its complexity
- Starting over (again and again)
Behind the Story
This story grew out of my own time as a military wife living in Wagga Wagga and singing with the Australian Military Wives Choir.Defence life has a way of compressing everything — friendships, fear, joy, grief — into short, intense chapters. You arrive as strangers, form bonds quickly, and learn to say goodbye far too often. The choir became a rare constant in a life defined by movement: a place where rank didn’t matter, explanations weren’t required, and women simply showed up for one another.
While the characters and their journeys are fictional, the setting, the rhythm of Defence life, and the sense of community are very real. This novel is a love letter to the women who build homes wherever they land, who carry invisible loads, and who find strength in standing side by side — even when the future is uncertain.
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Buy BookAbout the Author
Renee Conoulty is an Australian author based in Gippsland, Victoria, writing books with humour and heart for all ages. As a regular at local markets, she finds inspiration from the people she meets and the questions of young readers.
Book Details & Metadata
Title: Military Wives
Author: Renee Conoulty
Release Date: April 2026
Genre: Australian Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Women’s Fiction / Book Club Fiction / Military-Adjacent / Defence Community Fiction
Themes: Female friendship and chosen family, Life in the Australian Defence community, Belonging in a transient world, Motherhood and caregiving, Disability and advocacy, Marriage, partnership, and emotional labour, Career disruption and identity, Alcohol dependency and coping mechanisms, Mild deployment-related trauma, Hope, resilience, and rebuilding
Setting: Wagga Wagga, NSW, Auatralia
Target Age: adult
Format: Paperback & eBook
Availability: Available in Paperback and eBook via Amazon, Kobo, and major retailers.
Summary for Search: Set in Wagga Wagga, this heart-warming Australian women’s fiction novel follows three Defence wives navigating friendship, family, and change in a transient military town. As Megan, Stephanie, and Lauren face deployment stress, stalled careers, motherhood, disability, and marriage under strain, they find unexpected belonging through the Australian Military Wives Choir. Told in three points of view and inspired by real places and experiences, this uplifting story explores chosen family, resilience, and the idea that home isn’t a place — it’s the people who stand beside you.
Title: Military Wives
Author: Renee Conoulty
Release Date: April 2026
Genre: Australian Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Women’s Fiction / Book Club Fiction / Military-Adjacent / Defence Community Fiction
Themes: Female friendship and chosen family, Life in the Australian Defence community, Belonging in a transient world, Motherhood and caregiving, Disability and advocacy, Marriage, partnership, and emotional labour, Career disruption and identity, Alcohol dependency and coping mechanisms, Mild deployment-related trauma, Hope, resilience, and rebuilding
Setting: Wagga Wagga, NSW, Auatralia
Target Age: adult
Format: Paperback & eBook
Availability: Available in Paperback and eBook via Amazon, Kobo, and major retailers.
Summary for Search: Set in Wagga Wagga, this heart-warming Australian women’s fiction novel follows three Defence wives navigating friendship, family, and change in a transient military town. As Megan, Stephanie, and Lauren face deployment stress, stalled careers, motherhood, disability, and marriage under strain, they find unexpected belonging through the Australian Military Wives Choir. Told in three points of view and inspired by real places and experiences, this uplifting story explores chosen family, resilience, and the idea that home isn’t a place — it’s the people who stand beside you.