our participating authors
BARRY LUCKMAN
This book has been inspired by true events.
It is a heart-warming tale based on the rescue of a young wild pig in the depths of Te Urewera National Park in New Zealand.
‘Poppa’ Barry is an 80-year-old retired auto engineer who wrote this enchanting little story for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. What makes the book unique are the wonderfully detailed illustrations, created with Artificial Intelligence by Barry himself:
BOB DEANS
Bob Deans spent the vast majority of his life in The Meat Game, from helping with deliveries for his father’s butcher shop in Arbroath, Scotland, to owning and running “Sensational Sausages” in Orakei, Auckland, via Canada and Australia. The autobiographical “The Great New Zealand Sausage Trail and Other Meaty Stories” is his first attempt at writing, but he now has the bug and is embarking on writing fictional short stories.
PAUL EVANS
Paul has an engineering background and has also worked as a mortgage and insurance broker.
In 2010, Paul suffered a significant breakdown and spent some time in respite care and on heavy medication. It was while in care that he was introduced back to his Faith, something he had backed away from in his late teens.
It is through his Faith and counselling and a considerable amount of reading that Paul managed to become free from medications, and he was encouraged by a friend, Johnnie Sherer, to write a book of his own.
FRANK NUNAN
Frank is a journalist and editor by profession, and he worked for various Southern African newspapers, such as The Star and the Sunday Times, in his youth. He was a pioneer in the Desktop Publishing industry as far back as the early 1970s.
To date, he has published more than 150 books. He is also an author in his own right, having published several books, including “Do You Speak Catholic?”
Frank & and his wife Sylvia are now living in Warkworth, where he has begun assisting local authors to produce their books. He has produced six books for authors from in and around Warkworth to date
GLEN GREEN
Glen N Green was a youth on the edge. Growing up in a neighborhood where running from the police was a daily ritual, he was fueled by a deep-seated anger and a past he couldn’t let go. Expelled from school and trapped in a cycle of destruction, he was a “runaway train” headed for a dark, inevitable end. Then came the afternoon that changed everything. From a runaway train to the Queen’s Medal—discover the true story of one man’s radical transformation from a life of hate to a life of service in Glen’s book” The Balance of Light: A Policeman’s Journey
LINDA SHEPHERD
Hello fantasy readers. I am Linda Shepherd. I was eight when I became a constant reader; loving such books as The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R Tolkien, and the Narnia Chronicles by C.S.Lewis. I taught Primary middle school but soon adventured off to see the world. Upon my return, I became a veterinary nurse, got married, had two daughters to read to, and started writing. I learned from NZ authors like Margaret Mahy, and Maurice Gee, to write from a proud kiwi perspective. My first in series novel, The Guardians, came about from my deep love of nature and all things mythical and magical.
JENNIFER GINI
Jennifer Gini has written a playful and informative guide to ageing on your own terms for everyone who is planning on growing old. A funny, practical, research-based guide to making your later years your best years. This book shows you how to avoid common ageing pitfalls and embrace the freedom that comes with experience, helping you shape a life that feels truly your own.
Jennifer Gini is a non-fiction writer with formal training in zoology and psychology, and a Master of Science in psychology. Her work blends academic understanding with everyday observation, exploring how people change, adapt and deal with growing old successfully. She has two adult daughters and lives in Whangaparaoa with her golden retriever Sasha
MARY BROCK JONES
Mary Brock Jones lives in Auckland, but her childhood years in the stunning Otago region of the South Island live on in the romantic adventures of her heroes and heroines in her historical romance and science fiction books.
She currently has six self-published books in print, of which “Torn”, at left, is one of the latest.
Her books have won a Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter of RWA Prism award, an SFR Galaxy Award and made the finals list for the Romance Writers of Australia RUBY awards, the RWNZ KORU awards, and the RWNZ Clendon awards.
S M DROUGHT
Inspired by the youth horror series from the 90’s (‘Fear Street’ and ‘Goosebumps’, take a bow), I set about creating ‘TALES YOU CAN’T UNREAD’ as a means of providing the perfect gateway to horror for the current generation. Of course, kids these days have been exposed to a lot more horror, and at a much younger age, so ‘TALES YOU CAN’T UNREAD’ delivers a considerable step-up in intensity to cater for hard-to-scare youth, whilst still including the charm of those classic fiction series of yesteryear
Shane was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but spent most of his childhood exploring the towns of Castle Rock, Amity Island, Dark Falls among various other dark yet delightful locations. A father of two, he takes pride in helping raise the next generation of horror lovers and kicked off his writing career as a means of satiating his kids’ hunger for the macabre. In the scarce spare time he is afforded, Shane enjoys catching up on his never-ending backlog of films and books or watching one of his sports teams knock a couple of years off his life.
SARNDRA G URWIN
Sarndra is New Zealand’s most respected Animal Naturopath. She spent her childhood on an isolated sheep and cattle station and used her training In nursing, vet nursing, NLP, homeopathy and herbal medicine to become a well-known writer on holistic animal health issues. She was a popular feature on Radio Live National Talkback, where Listeners most wanted advice on pet behaviour problems and everyday ailments, so she created an easy-to-follow guide to flower essences for pets, horses, birds, and farm animals.
“Whether you already use Bach Flower Essences for animals, or you’re looking to get started, this is the book to have. It is packed with the most useful information and covers every condition I could think of. I wish I’d found this book years ago, but now I have it, it will be an absolute go-to resource for me every time. Thanks, Sandy, for creating such an amazing book”! Karen de D
JOSHUA McKENZIE-BROWN
South Pacific Cut is an eco-crime thriller set in Samoa and the wider South Pacific, following marine biologist Leilani as she uncovers an illegal shark-finning operation operating within a legitimate tuna fishing fleet. What begins as a fisheries investigation exposes an international trafficking network, forcing Leilani into a dangerous world of corruption, disappearing witnesses, and organised ocean crime.
Joshua McKenzie-Brown is a New Zealand author, journalist, former biology teacher, and adaptive sailing world champion whose fiction draws heavily on real environmental crime occurring across the Pacific. A Coastguard volunteer and marine conservation advocate, he combines firsthand ocean knowledge with fast-paced commercial storytelling to create thrillers that blend marine science, organised crime, and cultural tradition. His work aims to raise public awareness of how humanity is killing the ocean – and why it is still worth fighting to protect.
STEVE GOLDTHORPE
Steve was born in November 1950 in Barnsley, Yorkshire and educated in Manchester. He gained a foundation scholarship at Manchester Grammar School.
He obtained a degree in Chemical Engineering from Leeds University, and a Graduate Certificate in Education from Loughborough College. In 1995 Steve emigrated with his family to New Zealand to work for an environmental engineering consultancy. In 2002, he became a self-employed Energy Systems Analyst, contracting to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
In NZ his interests included writing for the Sustainable Energy Forum of Aotearoa and lay preaching in the Anglican Church. Granny Clock is his first book – and it consists mostly of autobiographical stories. He is currently busy on a “faction” book on climate change.
SUSANNA BURTON-THOMPSON
Susanna Burton-Thompson couldn’t have planned a more interesting life if she had tried. Her memoirs are amusing and sometimes miraculous – from God’s guidance on how to buy an old car, to rescuing an inmate from a Zambian prison. And surviving a shipwreck. There is a loose chronology to her stories and award- winning photographs but as she came and went overseas and forgets where, when and trivial things like dates, she asks you to see them as stand-alone Susanna Burton-Thompson anecdotes of living life with a fun Creator, both internationally and in her home-country, New Zealand.
Susanna’s photography career began on the then controversial New Zealand Truth newspaper as a teenager. Later, her storytelling photography was used for aid organisations such as Operation Mobilisation and World Vision. Serendipity is her favourite word.
GRANT & ROBYN FICKLING
We have been writing and self-publishing our books under the name Longlegs Creations for the past six years. Since the completion of our own very first book, we have managed to write a range of books, relevant to pre-schooling, Year 1-13, and non-fiction books that capture the imagination of a wide range of kiwis! As retirees (young folk
!), we can call on our grandchildren, our experience as volunteers in schools, and of course, our own imagination. Carol, our illustrator, “lights up our books”, particularly our children’s books., with the vibrancy that is required to captivate children’s attention. Finally, we donate all profits to KidsCan, making motivation, for us, easy!!!
DR ADRIAN HARRISON
Dr Adrian Harrison, M.B.B.S., F.R.A.C.P., is a retired pulmonary physician and an Inspiration & Achievement trainer.
Like many busy doctors, his life looked very successful from the outside.
But inside, he knew he was missing out. Why? Because he was a slave to busyness.
But with training, and by systematically looking after his life, miraculously, things changed.
You Can Live The Life You Would Love is Adrian’s message.
Adrian’s books give readers ways to create a better self, a better life, and help create a better world.
Adrian’s two books:
Design Your Best Life
If you’re looking for everything you need to live the life you would love, this is a must-read.
Creating Now
Creating Now is a unique personal development book.
Rodney Inclusive Communities Initiative
RICI has recently published a poetry booklet: WAYS OF BEING: CELEBRATING INCLUSION – A Rodney District Poetry Anthology with images from RICI’s Creative Convergence 2025
Ursula Christel, art educator, published art writer, and volunteer Secretary of Rodney Inclusive Communities Initiative (RICI) compiled the booklet, which contains poetry by local poets and writers, and artwork from the 2025 RICI Creative Convergence.
GREG JUDKINS
Greg is a retired doctor living in Sandspit. With a longstanding love of fiction and poetry, he has published a collection of short stories, a collection of poems, and a memoir.
Biopsies
Set in a diverse community in South Auckland, these short fiction stories provide vignettes of the lives of people living and dying with disability, social isolation, humour, conflict, hope and uncertainty. A medical centre provides the connecting hub to these stories, its staff compassionate but flawed in their efforts to care for the community.
What Was I Thinking?
This is a doctor’s personal scrapbook of memories and reflections on a life of adventure, often involving unwise or risky choices, followed by a career as a GP and medical educator in multi-cultural South Auckland. From life in Nepal with a young family to providing medical care from birth to end of life, the potential for hazards and mistakes are seen to be an inescapable part of both personal and professional life.
NGAIRE DOLPHIN
Ngaire is an author of children’s books who creates engaging, nature-inspired stories that reflect her experience as a teacher, librarian, and grandmother. She lives in Silverdale, Auckland. Her books, collectively called “Tautara Encounters” have been a decade in creation, and came about when one of her sisters requested help with reading for her granddaughter who is autistic. The books feature young children as the main characters and are set in actual New Zealand locations
HEIDI BAKER
Heidi Baker is a children’s book author living in the magical beach town of Mangawhai in New Zealand. The sand, sea, and surrounding nature provide the perfect setting for creativity, and she finds inspiration in the natural world every single day.
A Digger Ate My Neighbour’s House is a rhyming picture book loosely based on a true story in the beach town of Magical Mangawhai. Kids between 6 months and 6 years old love the vividly coloured pictures and exciting story about diggers.
DR NINA NOLA
Dr Nina Nola was born in Auckland to a first generation New Zealand father of Croatian parents and a Croatian mother who migrated to New Zealand as a teenager. Nina’s ethnicity has informed her academic work, leading to her doctorate awarded from the University of Auckland, entitled “My Two Countries Firmly Under My Feet”(2000). She has been involved in several fiction films and documentaries on Croatian identity – notably “New Zealand, and Immigrant Nation: Dalmatian at Heart” (https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/dalmatian-at-heart-1994).
The Way to Spell Love (The Cuba Press, 2025) is the first Croatian memoir in New Zealand; it charts one Dalmatian family’s emotional journey when the controlling patriarch is struck down by illness. It reached Number 7 in the Indie Top Ten (November 2025).
Nina lives on five hectares of beautiful, rural land north of Auckland and when not writing or lecturing you can find her in the garden or swimming at the beach just at the bottom of her drive – but in the New Zealand winter you will find her on the island of Hvar in her great grandmother’s house, reliving family history, planning her next project.
SUZANNE MORNING
Susanne Morning BA Des, MA Education.
Susanne is a published author of three poetry/short story books, Eating Coconuts Inside Out (published by the S. Korean University where she worked), Morning Calm published by Cervena Barva Press, USA and Dogsoup and Donuts published by Delta House, USA.
MARI BENNETT
Mari Bennett is of mixed British and South African parentage, although she grew up in the UK. In her early adulthood, she had a desire to visit the place where her mother came from, and fulfilled this dream much later in life, which resulted in her book African Reflections, which is a chronicle of that trip
However, she also spent 17 years in Zimbabwe, and her novel, Head of the Calf, grew out of her experiences there.
Head of the Calf tells the story of a young woman injected into a fictional post-colonial African country, fascinated by its contrasts with her previous English life, but deeply uncomfortable with the role she is asked to play within its society. It offers social, political and cultural insights into the challenges faced by African countries as they emerged from European domination, while at the same time telling the personal story of a woman dealing with her own themes of relationships, ambitions, family and feminism in the late 20th century.
