Kia Ora from my Tauranga desk

What did I expect? It's Spring, not Summer. Luckily I have a winter wardrobe here.

Only 10 degrees below Brisbane

I've been back a week, and hit the ground running. Between selling a house and reintegrating into everyday activities, there have been a couple of writing milestones.

For the last couple of months, I've been preparing for my book launch at the Rototuna Library in Hamilton. But by Thursday last week I needed a distraction, so I visited my friend Raewyn, who works around the corner at Ava Niu Pasifika, which has an amazing Opportunity (charity) Shop called Niu Nesian. Whilst I was eyeing off a beautiful hot pink linen dress, the manager approached me to do an interview for their newsletter, since I'm the local author. I was happy to oblige, and I bought more than the dress.

Fast forward to Saturday, and Raewyn and I set off for my big book launch. It went surprisingly well, and I ended up speaking for an hour and a quarter about my books and the writing/research process. Probably the highlight of the afternoon was meeting my youngest reader, as far as I know. Jorja, 13, is in the habit of borrowing dozens of library books at once and actually reads them. She brought along a sample of her own writing, which was incredibly good. I look forward to following her progress. Oh, and she bought both of my books and I'm told she is well into the first one already. Go Jorga!

This morning I received an email from Jessica at Paepukapuka Books, who has finished editing a podcast I recorded with her earlier this year. I listened to it and I'm pretty pleased with the result. It will be available in October, so watch this space...

Finally, I'm closer to deciding on a title for Book 3. It's difficult coming up with something original, but I've settled on 'Our Unbroken Spirits'. Still working on the graphics, but it might look something like this:

Out 2026

Last but not least, what have I been listening to? Pretty much all of Jean Grainger's 'Knocknashee Story' series, Books 1-5. Two to go. If you love Irish history and war stories with a bit of unrequited love thrown in, these are for you.

Next month (which is tomorrow) I have a very busy schedule, starting with a 3 day hui (gathering) in Gisborne, led by Witi Ihimaera, a well-respected NZ author, followed by a couple of days in Wellington where I'll attend a talk by Charlotte Grimshaw, the presenter of the annual NZ Society of Authors Janet Frame Memorial lecture. After that, I'll head up to Hastings to stay with friends and give an informal talk or two at writers' gatherings, and finally I have a day in Rotorua at the annual Kupu festival to listen to successful Māori authors.

Then I'll head home and put my feet up before getting back into my own writing.

Hope everyone is enjoying the change of seasons, whether it's Spring or Autumn, and don't forget to smell the roses🌹🌹

Arohanui

Donna