The A to Z Challenge: E is for Eddie
Eddie arrives in the valley as a little boy, and is part of the “second chance” for Amy that gives one of my books its title. He’s a tall, striking-looking […]
A Second Chance
Russell
If you’ve read A Second Chance, you may recall that A Certain Character is “exiled” to a small town north of Auckland called Russell. He greets the news with outrage: […]
Moving the Rob Roy Hotel
Since 1886, the Rob Roy Hotel (more recently known as the Birdcage) has stood in the Auckland suburb of Freemans Bay. While much of the Victorian fabric of the city […]
A Night at the Theatre
On the 8th of March 1929, for the first time a movie with a soundtrack was shown in New Zealand, at the Paramount Theatre in Wellington. The movie, “Street Angel”, […]
Toy Soldiers
While wandering along Greytown’s main street during our recent visit to the Wairarapa, admiring its Victorian buildings, my attention was caught by a fine display of toy soldiers in a […]
This week in New Zealand history: women vote
On the 28th November 1893, New Zealand women voted in their first General Election, having gained the right to do so when an Electoral Bill was passed two months earlier. […]
Greeting Saint Brigid
Writing brings many rewards. There’s the pleasure of the writing itself, when things are going well. There’s the delight of a reader who gets what I’ve tried to say; who […]
Going too far for art? “Method writing” laid bare
My characters have a way of being very real to me, but perhaps I identify with them a little too closely at times. I’ve sometimes had migraines when a character […]