ANGIE BELCHER
Like the volcanic ash erupting from Stromboli and carried on winds across far oceans, Angie Belcher’s father and his family arrived in Island Bay, Wellington, in 1923. In those days, the journey from Italy was long and thwart with discomfort and doubts. After some years, they settled and the circle of life continued.
Angie says her own writing journey has been similar; cast offshore to sink or swim, uncertain what the future holds and whether the effort is worthwhile. While her Italian side gave her creativity and a colourful upbringing, it was the New Zealand connection that influenced her writing most.
Diving, caving, hiking and biking provided exciting writing prospects resulting in commissioned work in Sri Lanka, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and parts of Europe. The published work began appearing in travel, adventure and in-flight magazines. But it was teaching and motherhood that allowed Angie to look closer to home, resulting in The Girls in the Kapahaka and The Woven Flax kete.
She adds, “Yet, with all of that experience it is only now that I finally have the confidence to write freely and creatively without the constraints of relying on a result. I am grateful for the constant support and mentorship of Jenny Argante. We are never too old or too experienced to learn.”
39 Brighton Street:
In 1925 Maria Concetta and Guiseppe Famularo arrived in New Zealand from the tiny volcanic island of Stromboli. They settled in Island Bay and were soon joined by other family members. As a strong family group they built new homes, new lives and raised young families.
Eighty-five years later, Maria Concetta’s youngest son Dominic, alone and unwell, moved into a rest home.
As if guided by the spirit of her great-aunt, the author arrived at 39 Brighton St, uncovering its hidden secrets, discovering her history and reflecting on her own life and future.
39 Brighton St is the fusion of an Italian heritage, person experiences and self-reflection linked with recipes, poetry and historical facts.
Full back and front cover attached
Helping Harmony – There’s More Than One Way to Save a Whale
Haunted by the death of a young Orca, Nikora Ahipene devotes his life to their study and preservation. Nine year old Ciara is also fascinated by these great mammals. After hearing Nikora speak to her class she decides to adopt an orca of her own. It’s not long before Nikora, Ciara, conservationists and local iwi collide when an orca pod strands on a narrow estuary.
Suitable for 7-10 year olds.
Girls in the Kapahaka
A fun way of learning about piupui from construction until they swing from the hips of the Girls in the Kapahaka.
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ANNE CLEARY
In 2017, Anne Cleary won the Franklin Writers’ National Short Story Competition, and in 2021 was awarded second place in their National Flash Fiction Competition, with another story Highly Commended. Her work has been published in magazines such as Mindfood, The People’s Voice and E-Local, and appeared in Things In The Well publications’ Trickster’s Treats 3 and Guilty Pleasures. She has stories in four editions of Byline, the Tauranga Writers’ annual anthology, which she has co-edited. An active member of Tauranga Writers, Anne is a committee member and also writes a monthly report for the group’s Sunday Focus workshops. Her current work-in-progress is a literary fiction novel, The Sea-Glass Box. Set in rural West Auckland, it explores a father-son relationship in the midst of family tragedy. Anne has two adult children and lives in Tauranga with her husband, Glen.
JAN GOLDIE
Jan Goldie began writing when she was only ten years old, but it wasn’t until she joined Tauranga Writers in 2006 that she finally realised her dream of creating a world and a story rich enough to fuel a full-length novel. Her Young Adult fantasy adventure, Brave’s Journey, was shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award 2014, published by IFWG Australia in 2015 and nominated for a Sir Julius Vogel award.
Jan also writes short stories and has been published in Baby Teeth: Bite-Sized Tales of Terror, The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales, Byline 2015 and 2016 and the anthology At the Edge. She’s also co-author of the novella collection Conclave, which includes her YA fantasy story ‘A Mer-tale.’
A freelance communications writer by day and children’s book author every other second, Jan tries out new forms of scribbling all the time, including this year’s obsession with song writing. Currently she is working on a web series screenplay, a dystopian picture book and a middle grade fantasy novel.
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JAN PENDERGRAST
Jan writes stories based on experiences on their Bay of Plenty hill-country farm surrounded by native forest. Children from four to eight enjoy her picture books Tui’s Friends and Pop’s Busy Blue Truck. Dam Disaster and Hut Hangout are Easy Reads for six to ten year-olds, about the antics of two friends on the farm. Powerful Punctuation is a ‘first-stop’ reference for your punctuation dilemmas. And Ruatara is a novelette about the role Ruatara played in bringing Samuel Marsden to NZ.
Books:
Dam Disaster
DAM DISASTER is an Easy-Read for outdoor, active boys six to ten years old. It follows friends, Jay and Brandon, into the gully near Jay’s home where they build a dam in the small creek at the bottom. But all does not go to plan and they go on an unexpected journey. Book Synopsis: Jay and Brandon set off to build a dam in the gully near Jay’s home. Everything seems straight forward to begin with, but problems arise. Then they go on an unexpected journey. What happens next? Join the boys as they meet these challenges. This is a short Easy Read story to encourage the outdoors, active boy who is a reluctant reader, to find enjoyment in reading. ISBN 978-1-927215-41-8. Published with Oceanbooks. www.oceanbooks.co.nz also on www.wheelers.co.nz.
Powerful Punctuation
POWERFUL PUNCTUATION is a self-published, small, handy reference for those punctuation dilemmas we so often wonder about. Most of your questions about basic punctuation will be answered in this little book.
Tui’s Friends
TUI’S FRIENDS, based on the antics of a bossy tui in Jan’s native garden, is a delightful picture book for three to ten year-olds, illustrated by Ruth Reinsfield. It is best read aloud to enjoy the alliteration used throughout the story. Your children will learn about the character of seven of New Zealand’s native birds and the native trees in which they live. It is published by Studio Seven Publishers in Inglewood, NZ.
Ruatara
RUATARA. New Zealand’s colonial history began when Samuel Marsden found his young Maori friend Ruatara near death on a convict ship bound for Australia. Five years earlier Northland chiefs, Te Pahi and Hongi Hika, concerned about the negative influence of whalers and traders on the Maori people, had invited Marsden to New Zealand. The Boyd burning delayed this plan; it was now too dangerous to bring settlers to New Zealand. Once in Australia Marsden cared for Ruatara on his farm at Paramatta. Later he helped Ruatara introduce European agricultural skills to Rangihoua Pa at Oihi Bay in the Bay of Islands. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brought peace between tribes, a peace also facilitated by the successful introduction of wheat and vegetable crops. Join Ruatara and Marsden on their adventures as they begin this shared journey towards a better New Zealand-Aotearoa. Simon Fletcher’s illustrations bring more life to this historical story, for ten to fourteen year-olds and older.
Pop’s Busy Blue Truck
POP’S BUSY BLUE TRUCK. Stinky mud, a wild bull, cute calves, road works, and the beach—these are all part of Pop and Zac’s busy week with the blue truck. Come and join them on their adventure. Gordon Miller’s illustrations add interest and humour to this picture book which is enjoyed by the children and their parents.
Hut Hangout
HUT HANGOUT. More about Jay and Brandon’s adventures on the farm. This time Jay plans to build a hut in a tawa tree near his home. The challenge is the tree he has chosen is tall and scary, and the canopy’s branches too big to trim with a saw. Join Jay and Brandon as they discover a surprise solution to their problem. This is another Easy Read story to encourage the outdoors, active boy to find enjoyment in reading. Andria Brice’s sketches enhance the story with interest and empathy.
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JENNY ARGANTE
Her favourite quote? “The only true writer is a re-writer.” (Farrukh Dhondy.)
Her main beliefs? “In unity is strength, and if we all do a little, a lot gets done.”
Jenny is currently editor-in-chief of Freelance – Writers Helping Writers, New Zealand’s only magazine for creative writers of all kinds.
“Pulling a notepad towards her, Maggie started her list.
Black 3B and 4B pencils, soft enough for the bold beginning strokes.
Brushes of hog bristles.
Sugar paper, cartridge paper, sketch pads.
Chalks and pastels.
Canvases, a new easel, stretchers.
And colours whose names were dreams as she set them down.
Viridian green, burnt umber and cadmium white; crimson lake,
cobalt blue and ultramarine …”
from ‘Colours’ in After the Act (Oceanbooks, 2012)
“He works to order on a generous scale,
openly plans and openly performs.
They work in secret, in the cracks between
the solid duties that their lives demand,
stealing the minutes unobserved to bloom,
subversive as a sin.
Like weeds, their art
must wrestle out its growth
from grudged and narrow soil;
like spiders, they tug yarn
from deep within.”
from title poem, Working in the Cracks Between (Oceanbooks, 2012)
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KINSA HAYS
Her most recent book, Wiremu Weka Treks the Alps is a children’s environmental story. Kinsa has recently written her first picture book, a rhyming story titled Three Little Waxeyes in which she collaborated with an artist. Published in 2020 in English and Te Reo.
Kinsa also paints and enjoys the challenge of becoming an effective communicator of the spoken word at POWERtalk. She does house sitting and finds that each new place and environment provides ideas to create a story or a a picture.
STOP PRESS
Kinsa Hays scooped the pool at the national level of the POWERtalk International writing contest awards on May 7 2017, held in Wellington. One person winning all the categories has not happened for many years. Kinsa was awarded a silver tray for each win and her stories and poem will now represent New Zealand at the POWERtalk international writing contest.
First in poetry was her poem entitled Mindfulness, unforgettable moments that capture you in the present.
First in non-fiction was the story The Cannibal Isles, set in Fiji recounting attending a health workshop in a traditional village.
First in fiction was the story House Hunting for Bees, with a family comparing bees being their own real estate agents after swarming with their own efforts at house hunting.
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LEE MURRAY
A New Zealand-born writer of Chinese heritage, Lee Murray is this country’s most awarded writer-editor of science fiction, fantasy and horror with twelve prestigious Sir Julius Vogel Awards across multiple categories including best novel, youth novel, novella, short fiction, collected work, and service to the genre. A three-time Bram Stoker Award-finalist, Lee Murray is a writer of international acclaim, her most recent nomination (2019) for Superior Achievement in a Novel for her New Zealand speculative thriller Into the Ashes (Severed) in a highly-contested category previously won by Stephen King, Peter Straub, Ann Rice, and Thomas Harris. Lee is also a multiple finalist and two-time winner of the Australian Shadows Award for dark fiction by writers from the Oceania region.
Lee’s novels include the double award-winning Taine McKenna speculative thriller series (Severed Press, Australia), and supernatural crime-noir series Path of Ra (Raw Dog Screaming Press, USA) which she co-writes with Wellington author, Dan Rabarts. Among her works for youth are award-winning titles Battle of the Birds, and Mika (with Piper Mejia), as well as Misplaced, Conclave, and most recently Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse (IFWG, Australia), all books which have strong New Zealand underpinnings. Upcoming titles (July-August 2020) include a debut collection of short stories called Grotesque: Monster Stories (Things in the Well, Australia) and Black Cranes (Omnium Gatherum, USA), a dark fiction anthology bringing together writing from Asian women writers from around the globe. Several of Lee novels have been translated for German and Spanish markets. Lee is also an accomplished editor, the curator thirteen anthologies of dark fiction, including four award-winning titles.
Distinctions:
- Literary Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Authors in the 2020 Waitangi Day Honours
- Life Member of Tauranga Writers, New Zealand’s longest standing writers’ group.
- Life Member of the Speculative Writers of New Zealand (SpecFicNZ).
- Co-founder and facilitator of Young New Zealand Writers (YNZW)
- Mentor/assessor for HWA, AHWA, NZSA, SpecFicNZ, Whitireia
- HWA international Mentor of the Year 2019
- Co-founder of the Wright-Murray Residency for Speculative Fiction Writers
TITLES FOR ADULTS BY LEE MURRAY
Into the Mist (Cohesion Press, Australia)
Bestselling Into the Mist was longlisted for the international 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel, and a finalist in the 2016 Australian Shadows Award for Best Novel.
When NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his squad are tasked with escorting a bunch of civilian contractors into Te Urewera National Park, it seems a strange job for the army.
Militant Tūhoe separatists are active in the area, and with its cloying mist and steep ravines, the forest is a treacherous place in winter. Yet nothing has prepared Taine for the true danger that awaits them. Death incarnate. They backtrack toward civilisation, stalked by a prehistoric creature intent on picking them off one by one. With their weapons ineffective, the babysitting job has become a race for survival. Desperate to bring his charges out alive, Taine draws on ancient tribal wisdom. Will it be enough to stop the nightmare? And when the mist clears, will anyone be left?
“Cinematic and evocative, Into the Mist is a tension-packed expedition into primordial terror.
Murray’s writing had me feeling the damp of the forest, seeing the mist curling through the fern fronds, and sensing the danger lurking there. Ancient myths, military men and scientists placed in remote, primordial locations – it had all the right ingredients for me, and it didn’t disappoint for a moment. Lee Murray is an author to watch.” – Greig Beck, best-selling author of the Arcadian series.
Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo and all good book stores.
Hounds of the Underworld, Path of Ra series (with Dan Rabarts)
Raw Dog Screaming Press, USA, Releasing June 2017, Book 2 releasing 2018.
On the verge of losing her laboratory, her savings, and all respect for herself, Pandora Yee lands a contract as scientific consult to the police. And with seventeen murder cases on the go, the surly inspector is happy to leave her to it. Only she’s going to need to get around, and that means her slightly unhinged little brother, Matiu, will be doing the driving, whether she likes it or not. But something about the case spooks Matiu, something other than the absence of a body in the congealing pool of blood at the warehouse, or that odd little bowl.
Matiu doesn’t like anything about this case, from the voices that screamed at him when he touched that bowl, to the way his hateful imaginary friend Makere has come back to torment him, to the fact that the victim seems to be tied up with a man from his past, a man who takes pleasure in watching dogs tear each other to pieces for profit and entertainment. He wants to protect Pandora from this, but the deeper they get, the more he realises that they’ll have to fall into hell before they have any chance of walking away. And hell is a long way down…
“Filled with an incredible unity of voice and magnificent world building, Hounds of the Underworld was impossible to put down. I was hooked on the first page.” — Jake Bible, Bram Stoker Award-nominated novelist and author of Z-Burbia, Mega, and Salvage Merc One.
“Hounds of the Underworld is a wild and gruesome treat, packed with mystery, action, and dark humor. Horror fans will devour it!” — Jeff Strand, author of Wolf Hunt.
“A dark tech-noir so near to our future, it could be tomorrow, hard-boiled and hair-raising! One of the best speculative fiction novels ever written.”— Paul Mannering, Engines of Empathy.
Baby Teeth: Bite-Sized Tales of Terror, edited by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray (Paper Road Press)
Winner of the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Collection, and The Australian Shadows Award for Best Edited Work. Includes the Australian Shadows Award winning story, Caterpillars, by Debbie Cowens.
Ever felt the hairs on your neck rise at something a toddler says? Inspired by the creepy things kids say and do, this collection of horror stories features unexpected frights, nervous giggles and often poignant reflections on life, childhood, and the terrors of growing up ‒ such as when your new house gets a taste for human flesh. And remember, when you hear your child calling for you in the middle of the night – the things that go bump in the night aren’t always under the bed.
Available on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, Barnes and Noble and all good book stores.
At the Edge, edited by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray (Paper Road Press)
Finalist in the Australian Shadows Awards 2016.
Step up, as close as you dare…
…to a place at the edge of sanity, where cicadas scritch across balmy summer nights,
at the edge of town, where the cellphone coverage is decidedly dodgy,
at the edge of space, where a Mimbinus argut bounds among snowy rocks,
at the edge of the page, where demon princes prance in the shadows,
at the edge of despair, where 10 darushas will get you a vodka lime and a ring side seat,
at the edge of the universe, where time stops but space goes on…
From the brink of civilisation, the fringe of reason, and the border of reality, come 23 stories infused with the bloody-minded spirit of the Antipodes, tales told by the children of warriors and whalers, convicts and miners: people unafraid to strike out for new territories and find meaning in the expanses at the edge of the world.
Compiled by award-winning editing team Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, and including a story by Arthur C. Clarke finalist Phillip Mann and foreword by World Fantasy Award winner Angela Slatter, At the Edge is a dark and dystopic collection from some of Australia and New Zealand’s best speculative writers.
Available on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, Book Depository and all good book stores.
The Thief’s Tale, by Lee Murray (a kindle short)
Winner of the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Short Story.
Whitney is a thief. A good one. Like a mosquito she comes in quietly, first anaesthetising, then feeding, and finally leaving before her prey know any better. It’s a strategy which has worked for her 22 times in the past. But when she lands in Refuge, a discovery at an estate sale opens the door to other possibilities.
Available on Amazon, Smashwords, and Audible.
FOR YOUNG READERS:
Battle of the Birds
Winner of the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel.
Annie’s family has moved to Wisconsin, and with her only friend away in Florida for the holidays, 11-year‐old Annie faces a long, boring summer. She lies on an eagle‐shaped hill and daydreams of home. Imagine her shock when the eagle breaks free from the earth and flies her home to New Zealand! But it’s not a New Zealand Annie is familiar with, and when she and her new friend Moana almost walk smack into a giant moa, Annie realises why. The eagle has flown her back to New Zealand, but she’s arrived a thousand years too early, and right in the midst of a battle between the birds. However, Annie’s visit isn’t entirely unexpected…she can speak the language of the birds and is part of an ancient prophecy. Now she must mediate in a battle between the great bird chieftains: the violent and vengeful Te Hokioi and the thoughtful philosopher, Moa. Suddenly, Annie’s summer doesn’t look so boring after all!
Available as an ebook, and in print direct from the author.
Misplaced
One evening, just before tea, Adam’s mum pops out for the milk and doesn’t come back, launching a frantic nationwide search. After weeks with no leads, the television crews drift away, the police start asking hairy questions, and Adam’s dad starts seeing someone else. Adam’s life is falling apart. But perhaps it was already unravelling and Adam just hadn’t seen the signs? He’s spending so much time in the counsellor’s office, he’s beginning to think he’s a head-case. Then he meets Skye, who it seems has misplaced a parent too, and things start to look up. That is, until a body is found…
Available in print and ebook.
Mika (with Piper Mejia)
Winner of the SpecFicNZ Shortcuts competition.
“A gripping and disturbing vision of an all too possible future.” — Brian Falkner, author of Brainjack and The Tomorrow Code.
Mika Tāura arrives in New York in the middle of a storm, where she accidentally kills a motorist and lands herself with an injured child. What’s more, she’s missed her rendezvous.
Stan has problems of his own. Several of them just broke into his apartment and tried to kill him, which may explain why hitching a ride in Mika’s armoured waka seems like a good idea. Besides, her business is taking her across to the West Coast, and so – conveniently – is his.
On the run, Mika, Stan and the girl flee across the country to Stan’s reservation home, where they encounter a couple who may be the key to Mika’s mission. But time is running out, for the travellers and for those they leave behind…
Available as a stand-alone in print and ebook, and in the collection Shortcuts 1.
Conclave 7
“a gripping pan-galatic death race” ‒ Ian Charles Douglas, author of the Zeke Hailey Mars adventures.
Rowan knew nothing about the secret in his DNA until he found himself on the Terrean team bound for Conclave Seven, the universal Games held every millennium. But on the eve of the Games, being a direct descendant of the warrior Spartacus is less like a gift and more like a death sentence…
Available as an ebook in Conclave: A Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and as a stand-alone print title from the author.
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JILL BATTY
Jill has always had a passion for writing; there are stories that have been living on her computer for years, but public writing was kindled when she began to write press releases for the various organizations she belongs to. She was pleased to have a story published in “Beaded Wheels”, the historical motoring magazine, and Byline 2016, and 2017, a Tauranga Writers publication.
Jill is now working with the Tauranga Writers Group and the Romance Writers of New Zealand to perfect the art of writing and she was very excited to self-publish her children’s picture book called “Zeb’s Search” in late 2017. She is now hard at work on a sequel to Zeb and trying her hand at writing a Regency Romance.
Zeb’s Search
“Zeb’s Search is about knowing who you are. He and his Mum and Dad belong to a herd of zebras in the wild where every boy is named Zeb and every girl is named Zed. One day Zeb realizes he doesn’t want to share his name with so many others. He wants a name that is his, and his alone. So Zeb sets off to discover what that name should be. On his journey, he meets other animals in the wild, some friendly and some scary. They tell him their names, and he starts to see a pattern. When Zeb’s Search is over, will he know what name suits him best?”
“It is the illustrations that first delight, the detail and expressive characters are gorgeous. Next the story, with a moral; if you want to make change it’s up to you. Zeb wants his own name as all male zebras are Zeb and all female zebras Zed. As we follow Zeb’s search for a name he likes, we have fun either listening to, or saying the other animals’ personal names, for example: Min, Din, Tin, Gin and Pin. The author and artist take you on your own journey to Africa with the amazing wildlife and their environment. I learnt no two zebras have the same pattern! My four year old grandchildren love this book and I see potential for drama and dance evolving from both the text and the illustrations. Congratulations Jill Batty and Gordon Miller. We look forward to many more.” — DIANNE LEACH / GRANDPARENT, PERFORMING ARTS TEACHER & COLLECTOR OF GOOD CHILDREN’S BOOKS
- Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/paperairplanepublishing/
- Contact: www.paperairplanepublishing.co.nz
- Books can be bought through: www.paperairplanepublishing.co.nz at http://paperairplanepublishing.co.nz/product/zebs-search/
http://paperairplanepublishing.co.nz/zebs-search/ will take you to “Teacher’s Notes” that can be used in conjunction with the story by a parent or teacher to help explore the word patterns in the story and the search for identity that doesn’t just affect zebra’s!
Pedro’s Dilemma
Pedro and his parents are excited to tell the herd about their new names, but to their surprise they are
kicked out of the herd for being different. They soon find out how dangerous it is to be out in the wild
on their own. How can they be accepted for who they want to be?
“Pedro’s Dilemma” is the sequel to “Zeb’s Search” but it can be read as a stand-alone book. It was
written for the 5-9 year olds but appeals to younger children as well. There are teachers’ notes on the
website that can be used with the book. The link is shown below. The book addresses the issues of self-
acceptance and being accepted by a group.
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- Contact: www.paperairplanepublishing.co.nz/contact/
- Books can be bought through: www.paperairplanepublishing.co.nz at http://paperairplanepublishing.co.nz/product/pedros-dilemma/
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PETER PRATT
Out of all our moves in Africa and England, New Zealand is the best. We still have a son Damon, in the UK and two grandchildren that we contact over Skype. In 2001, I retired after 50 years, in heavy engineering construction and later joined a small writing group in Yarm North Yorkshire. Yarm Writers gave me the inspiration I needed to write besides a creative course with a local college. Before then I had only written letters home during my worldly travels in Africa and the Arabian Gulf or daily notes in the company site diary. I read quite a verity of literature mostly autobiography and travel books. Some of my favourite travel authors: are Wilfred Thesiger, Paul Bowles, Ranulph Fiennes, Colin Thurbron, Jan Morris, Ernest Hemmingway Maurice Shadbolt, and many more.
Writing my memoir — It seemed to take forever—but what fulfilment and joy. I must admit that my main interests lay in travel writing, researching, poring over maps, flicking through photo albums — reliving the moments of our journeys, by road, ship and plane, mixing with people of all nationalities and lifestyles. When I am not writing I am a member of Otumoetai Golf Club and exercise twice weekly at Snap-Fitness gym, presently one their oldest members. I love the outdoors, walking, meeting people, taking photographs and driving. At 6-30 am, I start my day walking our retriever Skye along the estuary boardwalks, snapping birdlife and together we watch the sunrise over the Waikareao Estuary and the Mount. Although I find writing and researching hard going, as I always have, (one can tell by the full wastepaper bin of re-writes. My present ambition is to write the final forty years after Africa “The end of the Road” to settling in New Zealand.
My memoir “The Road From Grimsby” is 9”x 6” a 368 page 36 chapters paperback with Photographs and available from Amazon and on kindle.
To read Chapter 13 – Click Here
Also available in Tauranga and Greerton Library and Grimsby Library NE England, UK.
The Road from Grimsby,
You could say this is the story of an ordinary boy who lived life to the full, growing up in the 1940s to manhood in the 1950s. Peter was born in Grimsby England in 1936 three years before the start of World War 2. Grimsby then was the world’s premier fishing port. He was the youngest of three brothers and four sisters. In his first seven years, he hardly knew his merchant seaman father and brothers because they were fighting for their country.
After the years in war-torn Grimsby and many unhappy school days, Peter discovered in sports – mainly football, cricket and fishing – a refuge from the classroom. He left school at fifteen with a school report that said, “You must do better.”
He began his apprenticeship in 1951 with the Grimsby Humber Graving Dock where after five hard years he earned his qualification as a steel fabricator, skills that later took him on many interesting worldly journeys south from Grimsby. In 1964 Peter and his wife, Patricia immigrated to Africa. While living in Africa, he raised two children making these important years.
The work he took in different countries demonstrated that this Grimsby lad could indeed, and would do better! Now Peter and his wife Patricia are enjoying their final journey retiring in Tauranga, New Zealand’s sunny Bay of Plenty.
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PIPER MEJIA
As a child, Piper stayed up late laughing at horror films. As an adult, she spends a lot of time being disappointed by plot holes and yet somehow she has never lost her love for Science Fiction and Horror; two genres that continue to ask the question “What if …”
Her short fiction has appeared in a range of publications including Babyteeth, Conclave, Spec-Fic Short Cuts, Short Cuts Track 1, Te Korero Ahi Ka and Tricksters Treats 3.
Books:
A collection of her short stories, The Better Sister, was published by Breach in 2020.
Dispossessed, a YA Urban Fantasy novel, was published by IFWG in 2021.
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SHARON MANSSEN
Unfortunately, real life gets in the way, and writing has to fit around her full-time job at a global engineering consultancy and family life (husband and two young adult children). It took ten years to pen her first book, Medar, which was a finalist for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award in 2015 and was published in 2017. Her second book, Tyrelia was nominated in the Young Adult Fiction category in the 2020 Sir Julius Vogel Awards. Her third book, Golden City, was released in November 2020.
Books:
Medar (Realm Trilogy Book 1)
A mysterious tablet. An ancient prophecy. A quest to find Tyrelia. Freya is half blind, poor, and lives in land-locked Medar: an unlikely heroine. Yet she finds herself thrown into an adventure that takes her to the very edge of the only world she has ever known. Will she unlock the clues hidden in the tablet? The key to the long-lost path to Tyrelia—and freedom—is in her hands.
Medar can be purchased from the following stockists:
Tyrelia (Realm Trilogy Book 2)
She escaped death. She unlocked the mystery of the Tablet to discover the long-lost bridge across the chasm. She passed through the Wall. But fourteen-year-old Freya’s biggest challenge is yet to come: all alone, she must enter Tyrelia, following new clues that lead her on a new quest deep into Tyrelia. Her family is trapped in the Golden City, torn between trying to escape and being seduced by wealth. With all communication lost, will Freya find the Ancient before it’s too late?
“Tyrelia is the perfect sequel we’ve all been waiting for.” Abbie, beta reader.
Tyrelia can be purchased from the following stockists:
Paperback – Amazon print on demand
E-book Amazon (.mobi)
E-book Smashwords (.epub)
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SUSAN BROCKER
Susan has a history degree and her great love of social history is often reflected in her books, such as Brave Bess and the Anzac Horses, Dreams of Warriors, The Drover’s Quest and her latest, 1914: Riding into War, published by Scholastic. This is one of the Kiwis at War series, four linked stories by different writers specially commissioned to commemorate World War I, 1914-1918.
Susan also has a close affinity with animals that shines through in her writing, especially in her junior novels, such as Restless Spirit, Saving Sam and The Wolf in the Wardrobe.
What is her advice to aspiring young writers?
“Write, write, write! And read – read everything you can get your hands on!”
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TREVOR BENTLEY
Trevor has written numerous articles for historical journals and three books on culture-crossing Europeans for Penguin. Pakeha-Maori was published in 1999, Captured by Maori in 2004 and Cannibal Jack in 2010. A member of the New Zealand Military History Society, his Tribal Guns and Tribal Gunners was published by WilsonScott in 2016. Written for general readers, Trevor’s books are based on archival research, field studies and interviews with the descendants of key 19th century Maori, Pakeha and Pakeha-Maori.
Trevor is currently researching and writing a new book to be entitled White Slaves, Maori Masters. In conjunction with this he is also editing an anthology, The Maori Captivity Narratives: Twenty First Hand Accounts From a Fatal Shore. You can borrow a Trevor Bentley book from the library, or order from the Penguin and WilsonScott websites and begin exploring the sometimes strange history of our colonial past.
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VIVIEN EDWARDS
Vivien gave up a nursing career in 1987, and on the strength of several published articles and her book on photographer and entrepreneur, Henry Winkelman; she worked as a freelance writer, mainly for trade and professional magazines. She regularly contributed to NZ Forest Industries Magazine, and a General Practitioner publication. Her interest in ‘things historical’ led to topics for other articles, on which she sometimes gave talks. Subjects included the effects at Auckland Hospital during the 1918 Influenza epidemic; Henry Winkelmann’s sailing cruises and photography; Pitcairn Islander and Tauranga Barrister, Oliver Macey Quintal (1876-1883); the Nellie, wrecked on Motiti Island in 1878, after hitting Astrolabe Reef; and harbourmaster Hannibal Marks (1874-1879) who drowned in Tauranga harbour with his son.
Vivien gave up freelance work, after about 20 years, to focus on her own writing. Her short stories and verse were published in Tauranga Writers’ booklets, ‘A People’s History of the Bay of Plenty,’ and in ‘Byline’ 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. She belongs to the U3A group on ‘New Zealand History — the Last 1000 Years,’ and as member of the Tauranga Historical Society, Vivien periodically contributes to their blog. Her stories were in several booklets produced by the U3A writing group ‘Pen Whisperers,’ which changed its name to ‘Writing and Words’ and is currently in abeyance.
Books:
‘A Path Through the Trees: Mary Sutherland – Forester, Botanist & Women’s Advocate’ (Writes Hill Press 2020).
Assistance received from the Stout Trust and the New Zealand Institute of Forestry. Awarded the 2021 ARANZ (Archives and Records Association of New Zealand) Ian Wards Prize). When seeing Mary Sutherland’s memorial plaque in the Redwood Forest at Whakarewarewa in 2009, Vivien wondered how a woman was employed by the New Zealand State Forest Service in 1923, when not a lot of women work in forestry today.
‘Mary Sutherland graduated from the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) in 1916, and was the first woman forestry graduate in the world. In World War 1 she worked with a gang of women in Britain’s forests; on a Scottish Baronet’s estates; then with the developing British Forestry Commission. After losing her position due to the 1921 Geddes Economic report recommendations, Mary came to New Zealand in 1923 and was employed by the NZ State Forest Service. An educated woman with practical skills, created challenges for the men. Following the 1932 Economic Commission report, Mary again lost her position. She forged a new career at the Dominion Museum, and became the botanist, managing the Botanical Department and its Herbarium, while collecting specimens for exhibits on field trips, and corresponding with botanists worldwide. During World War 2, she supervised at the YWCA-administered War Workers’ Hostel in Woburn, then after the war, she was appointed the Department of Agriculture’s first farm forestry officer. A conservationist, and lover of trees, Mary maintained her New Zealand Institute of Foresters membership for the rest of her life: she served on the NZIF Council in 1935-36, and was vice president during 1941-42. Interested in the world, Mary travelled. She was on various committees and the executive, of the Wellington Branch of the Federation of University Women. Proud of her university training, she believed all women deserved higher education. She died in 1955.
‘Battling the Big B: Hepatitis B in New Zealand.’ (Dunmore Publishing 2007). Award in History 2000, to research and write the book. (Department of Internal Affairs) and assistance from the Hepatitis Foundation.
After a number of children were identified as Hepatitis B carriers, Sandy Milne, Head of the Whakatane Hospital laboratory, informed the Department of Health (now the Ministry), politicians and the media. He was met with scepticism and no response to his request for the Government to urgently commence screening and vaccination. After a longstanding battle, Sandy set up the Hepatitis Foundation and introduced screening and vaccination into schools before the Government’s vaccination programme started.
‘Winkelmann: Images of Early New Zealand.’ (Benton Ross 1987). 1988 New Zealand Book of the Year Award for Design and Production.
Henry Winkelmann’s prize-winning photography took him on yacht cruises around New Zealand; on the 1903 Pacific Parliamentary tour, and solar eclipse expeditions to Flint Island, (1908), Port Davey, Tasmania (1910) and Vavau (1911). In 1881, he and Harold Hudson were stranded for eight months near the equator, after claiming guano covered Jarvis Island for Thomas Henderson of the Henderson and McFarlane Shipping Company. Henry worked for the BNZ around New Zealand; in Levuka, Fiji, and in Sydney. He played and taught the zither, farmed on Great Barrier Island; was an agent on Queen Street Wharf; secretary of the Coastal Steamship Company, and he invested in property around the country. He died in 1931.
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SM HARRIS
Jacqui has led a full and interesting life. She’s worked as a teacher, bus driver, marine biologist, science manager and farmer.
Most days you can find her on Twitter & Facebook. She’d love you to visit her webpage to find more of her stories.
Jacqui Greaves
Webpage: jacquigreaves-author.com
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DERYN PITTAR
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Angela is currently based in the beautiful Bay of Plenty. She’s a motivational speaker and book mentor who enjoys helping others pursue their dreams and has just founded SPINZ, the Self-Publishing Institute of NZ. She has created masterclasses online and is passionate about connecting writers from around the world.
ANGELA CURTIS
Angela’s ancestors played a pivotal role in New Zealand-Aotearoa’s settlement and their portraits are displayed on museum walls throughout the North Island. While researching her family history, Angela realised how important it is for each generation to leave a historical legacy via the written word.
It started when she found a doctor’s diary written onboard the sailing ship Ashmore back in 1882, on which her great granddad Ashmore Curtis was born. The story in side was so incredible, she knew she had to write a book on it and share it with the world.
While visiting a museum in Thames, NZ the curator suggested she write a book on the ancestors displayed on their wall and offered to sell it for her. So she put the Ashmore aside and wrote her first book, The Shotover, in 3-weeks. It’s based upon her great, great granddad William Cobley and his discovery of a golden waterfall, which sparked the gold rush that formed Thames, Waikato, NZ. In 1867.
Since then, Angela hit #1 Best Seller on Amazon for her book Talk With Me In Paradise, book 1 in the upcoming series of 7. Now she is passionate about helping others to write and publish their own books, which she believes are the best business cards in the world .
Angela is an avid historian and enjoys writing true stories that transport her readers back in time to experience history for themselves. So she made her YA Adventure eBook ASHMORE an interactive work of fiction with years of research and soundscapes for each chapter, to draw her readers deeper into the experience.
Angela is currently based in the beautiful Bay of Plenty. She’s a motivational speaker and book mentor who enjoys helping others pursue their dreams and has just founded SPINZ, the Self-Publishing Institute of NZ. She has created masterclasses online and is passionate about connecting writers from around the world.
Not only does Angela write, publish and created courses, she also helps authors transform their books into eBooks and helps them sell their books on Amazon. She also mentors those who want to hit the Best-Seller charts.
You can find her at Kin & Kingdom’s Books: www.kinandkingdomsbooks.com or at www.spinz.pro or follow her journey on all social media platforms, including LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram.
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A former journalist, communications manager and secondary English teacher, Carol now works as an editor and a tutor of NCEA English. In 2018 she sailed up to Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and Wallis Island with her husband for five months and she has sailed extensively in NZ waters. Some of the wonderful places she has visited are featured in her novels.
These days Tracy’s first co-written cookbook is close to publication, with six other books planned. She has been working editing and proofreading on a small magazine, has proofed corporate documents and collaborated on a children’s book.
For the last three years Tracy has been part of the editing team for Byline, at Tauranga Writers and now the committee.
She resides in the beautiful Tauranga region, with her husband, youngest daughter and mad cat.
Tracy Benton
Background profile details
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My first book, ‘Wind of Change-My Autobiography’, was inspired by my life journey, experiences, challenges, struggles, determination and achievements as an immigrant in New Zealand.
Nina Payne
My second book, ‘Never Ending Footsteps Vol.1’; tells of some of my travels. I never realised travelling had always been in my blood. Travelling has increased my confidence and enhanced my perception of the greater world we live in.
My latest project is ‘Migrants’ Voices — Our stories’ is now nearing completion. Soon this will be in the publishing stage.