Before the Storm

Ellie Conlan worked as an IT project manager for a large firm in Melbourne until a crisis at work made her decide to take a break and stay with her grandfather at his home on the Victorian coast. This decision provided Ellie with the opportunity to re-evaluate her life choices, past, present and future.

Ellie had lived in Storm Bay for a short time as a teenager and she soon readjusted to living once more in this peaceful community, however events from the past still caused her to encounter periods of panic. Ellie's grandfather ran the local newspaper and encouraged Ellie to research and write some articles. When unconfirmed reports suggested that there were secret plans for a new building development which would drastically impact on the character of the area and the livelihood of some community residents Ellie and her friends became concerned.

The importance of local newspapers to a community, the use of cyber bullying and other standover tactics to intimidate individuals, the ability of community members to work together for a cause and the importance of confronting long held secrets are some of the issues occurring throughout the novel.

As in other books by Di Morrissey, the descriptions of the setting for Before the Storm, this time an small Victorian coastal town, plays an important role in the telling of the story.