This page gives a brief introduction to member authors in the Top of the South, arranged in alphabetical order. To find more information on the member and their writing click on the author's name.
To jump straight to a place in the alphabet, click on the letter below
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Jeanette is the author of three books, recounting her life as an 'islomaniac' - i.e. loving (and living on) islands. The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife was published by Cape Catley in 2001, The Lighthouse Children’s Mother in 2007, and The Price of Bacon in 2011.
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After a career in which he wrote extensively on technical topics, Garrick has shifted his attention to creative writing. What Happened to Haystacks and Horses? is a hybrid fiction/fact book about changes in our rural life, while Farmer Bill is a fictional autobiography. His current focus is on short stories of which he has published three collections to date.
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During her years training, teaching and parenting, Megan wrote children’s stories and wove countless oral tales, none of them published. Out of these experiences, however, On Her Journey was born - a collection of poems that explore a woman's life navigating the world, relationships, societal ‘norms’ and expectations and her own relationship with herself.
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Robyn wrote extensively for newspapers and professional magazines before writing Minute Taking Madness and co-authoring How Not to Fail in Business Without Really Trying, with Bob Boze. Since then she has turned to fiction, writing under the name of Casey Fae Hewson and has written three contemporary romances: Haven River, Aqua Bay and Misty Springs.
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Academic, researcher and writer, Patricia has published five novels, as well as a history book, Unauthorized Power: Parihaka - a Social History and a series of stories for young children. Magic to Mindfulness: a Pathway into Science (published 2020) is aimed at encouraging young people to enjoy science through simplifying its complexity.
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Martin grew up in the northwest of England but discovered New Zealand in 1998 when he came to work with a new branch of an international engineering consultancy. Writing became a major focus of his life when he at last managed to set aside dedicated time for it. Since then he has completed an historical trilogy, The Four Masters, set in Ireland, where his ancestors lived, and more recently a humorous fantasy, called Destroyer of Worlds.
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Geographer and environmental scientist turned novelist and occasional poet, David has published five novels and a collection of poetry to date. His novels have been long-listed for the Michael Gifkins Award and short-listed for the Constable Trophy and NZ Booklovers Award. He has also won prizes both locally and internationally for his poetry.
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Widely recognised for her skills as a flax-weaver, Ali gives workshops on the craft, runs a website on flax-weaving for both beginners and fellow experts, and has written five guides to flax-weaving, including her latest Flax Weaving for Children of All Ages, published in 2024.
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Kathleen Byrne is a member of Mawhera Writer's Group in Greymouth and published her memoir Away...For God's Sake in 2021. This tells a story of growing up in post WWII Ireland, joining a religious order of nuns, and living and working in prisons in France.
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Suzanne Clark has farmed deer, searched for gold in the hills and pioneered a business growing oysters in deep water cages since moving to Golden Bay. In addition to that, she has published five novels and a children's picture book. Her novels are mainly historical fiction, and the latest Hōkioi: Giant of the Sky is a story about the giant eagles that once inhabited the Pacific region.
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With a background in classical studies and drama, Rachael also pursued acting for a while and wrote plays for amateur theatre and film scripts. She now writes Young Adult fiction. Her debut novel Spark was released in 2014 by Walker Books Australia. Book two Stray followed in 2015, and book three Shield in 2016. Her latest YA title The Rift was published in 2018.
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Marion has published a number of books, mainly picture books for children, as well as fiction for young adults, and short stories. She also has children’s stories published in anthologies. Several of her works have won, or been short-listed for, awards, including the annual Joy Cowley Awards and the New Zealand Rural Women’s/MPI short story and photographic competition.
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Over a span of thirty-plus years, John has written and produced for all forms of media: print, radio, jingles, TV, video, short film, exhibition marketing and web content. Most recently, he was arts writer for Wild Tomato magazine, a freelance PR journalist, and a reviewer for Theatreview. Currently his main role is in creative direction and writing for ad agencies and personal clients.
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Deborah is a freelance nature, science and well-being writer with a background in biomedical science. Her writing has included science communication and regulatory documents; newsletters, blogs, monographs and articles; book reviews; historical, science, nature and well-being reports; research reports; online teaching material and e-books (USA).
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John has written three biographical books about members of his family. Porters In My Past tells tells of his great grandfather and two brothers who came to New Zealand in the 1850s. Accidental Immigrants: They Sailed for India, But Settled in New Zealand is the story of his great-great-grandfather, Thomas Powell. His latest book, The Audrey Story: From Backcountry to Beehive and Beyond, recounts the story of his late wife Audrey, her life and career.
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Colin writes the Captain Stinky and Sailor Puss series of books for children aged 3-8 years. They are amusing and educational with a nautical theme, a moral in each story and a quiz at the end. The object is to write fictitious tales interspersed with facts about old sailing ships, sea fish and birds. A Chuckle and Learn series.
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A compulsive diarist, Judy has been writing Morning Pages for over twenty-five years, and has written a number of articles for magazines and newspapers. She also occasionally writes poems. After attending writing courses at Otago University she wrote a memoir, Off the Hook, recounting the story of her nomadic and unpredictable life, which was published in 2020.
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Working for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Lincoln, and later as Professor of Botany at Victoria University of Wellington, Phil has specialised in the study of weeds and hebes. He has published over 100 scientific papers and book chapters and, retired now, focuses on creative non-fiction and memoir.
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Bruce is the author of the biography Walking with James Hogg, reflecting both on his ancestor’s journeys through the Highlands and Islands from 1802 and his own own misadventures in following them.
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Jeanette is a picture book creator. Living on the West Coast of the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, she has developed a great love of all things wild. Her books reflect an environment that is interdependent , interrelated and alive with wonder.
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The author of six non-fiction books and a contributor to several anthologies, Katherine Palmer Gordon writes about contemporary issues both serious and light-hearted. Much of her writing focuses on indigenous people and their experiences in the modern world. Her most recent book, This Place Is Who We Are won the Jeanne Clarke Award, was short-listed for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Book Prize, and was runner-up for the BC Historical Writing Award.
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With a background in Art History and Education, Elizabeth has a passion to help women and girls understand and appreciate the intelligence of the female body, and how it connects us to the cycles of the natural world. These are themes in her first novel, The Well of Truth - a story that reflects her love of art, travel, mythology, goddess traditions, trees, and the moon.
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Shelly Nonanda Harris is the pen-name of Susan Nonanda Smith. An experienced teacher who also runs her own drama school, she writes the ‘My Nanny' children's stories which she hopes will give young readers the courage to rise above their circumstances. Five illustrated books in the series are now available.
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Freelance journalist, historian and novelist, Carolyn is the author of Great Expectations: the Colonisation of Buller, an account of the nineteenth century settlement of the Buller region, and The Floating Basin, a small-town Gothic story set against the background of a murder inquiry.
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Over 30 years, Rebecca has written for a wide range of magazines and won numerous media awards. In 2015, she moved to Golden Bay and after publishing several books about sailing and notable sailors, has now written an account of her time as a lifestyle block holder, called High Heels and Gumboots to be published in 2025.
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After writing for newspapers and magazines. Pam wrote two non-fiction book, Shimshal and Women of Shimshal, about life in a remote area of Pakistan. In 2021, under the name of Laura Strange, she published a memoir, Big Pockets - the Confessions of a Wanton Woman.
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Karen Heslop grew up in Auckland but settled in Nelson after she had completed her Dentistry degree. Having always loved reading, she developed a desire to create and write, starting with short stories and poetry and eventually working her way to her first novel, The Terrible and Great Year of Molly Evans, which was published in 2017.
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Wix mainly lives a life of crime in novels featuring financial forensic sleuth Cassidy StPaul. Her four books to date are: Dead Money (2012), Conscience Money (2013), Texas Money (2014), and Rugby Money (2015). She also writes short stories and has produced short help books on how to survive austerity and how to read to your dog!
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As well as academic works and essays, Linda Jane writes children's picture books. Her three published titles have been shortlisted for a number of awards, including the NZ Booklovers Awards (twice), NZCYA Book Awards and the Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals.
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Kaye’s historical novels A Secret Mind (2012) and Cross the River to Home (2011) were published by Random House, New Zealand, and in Germany. The Body Snatcher, a Young Adult novel with a Marlborough Sounds background, was published in 2015. Her short stories have been published in The New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and New Idea magazines.
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Born in Christchurch, Julie is a Picton-based writer. Her book Katherine Mansfield in Picton was published in 2000 and she has also compiled a Chronology of Picton and Queen Charlotte Sound (Volume 1, to 2009). She co-edited a poetry anthology, Reflections, and edited Impressions: Picton Poets an Anthology, while several of her own poems have been published in anthologies.
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Jacquelyn is an author, artist and educator whose writing
focuses on the relationship between our spirituality and nature. She wrote and illustrated The Children of Gaia, an eco-spiritual novel on the problems facing the forests of the world, and This World of Echoes: A Divine Guide to Being Human. Her latest book, DEVA: Our Relationship with the Subtle World was shortlisted for the Ashton Wylie Unpublished Manuscript Awards. |
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Belgian by birth but now resident in the Nelson area, Christine has published four novels: A Can of Sunshine (2013), Caging Skies (2019), Primordial Soup (2020) and In Amber’s Wake (2022). Her books have been translated into seventeen languages and adapted to theatre and screen. A Can of Sunshine was selected as one of the ‘Best Books of the Year 2013’ by the NZ Herald.
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After several media jobs, Liz was a publisher-editor-designer for ten years before editing a community paper in Albany. As a freelance writer she wrote articles for NZ Geographic and NZ Listener, and later completed a BA in English before becoming internal communicator at Waitakere City Council. She now writes for pleasure, makes pottery and runs a B&B called ‘The Writer’s Room'.
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Jan has long written fiction, alongside her life as a clinical psychologist and mother. After taking early retirement, she dedicated herself to writing and completed a novel, Butterfly Soup, and a self-help book for depression sufferers, Harnessing Hope. Her two most recent works are reflective studies on life and coping with its problems.
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Anne has been an orchestral oboist and a university lecturer and researcher. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed books and journals across the world. Since settling in New Zealand she has published a number of books for young children.
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Paul Maunder has had a lengthy career in film and theatre. Both writer and director of his films, his work has won international awards. In recent years he has published five novels, including the Moments In Time trilogy spanning the time from 1862 to 2019. He has also released a collection of plays and an autobiography.
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A writer and poet based in Blenheim, Carol has wide experience in writing for business and policy, but now dedicates herself to creative writing, including short-stories and poetry. She has been published in several local and international magazines and anthologies and been a finalist in several writing competitions.
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As well as being a published poet, Helen is the author of the bestselling ‘Grandma’ picture books, about a down to earth great-grandma whose special brand of marmalade has helped everyone from policemen in a faint, to the All Blacks, Santa’s reindeer and the guards at Buckingham Palace. In 2018, Grandma Joins the All Blacks was listed in Booksellers choice twenty bestsellers of the decade.
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One-time secondary school teacher in England, writer in residence for a theatre company in Ireland, and freelance editor, Belinda is the creator of the Silvana Chronicles - a three-book fantasy set in a magical world. She has also written a children’s book, A Handful of Eggs, and several short stories
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Des Molloy is author of five books recounting his motorbikeadventures in various parts of the world: The Big Sit (around Australia), The Ernie Diaries (London to Iran), Zen and the Last Hurrah (back country America), The Last Hurrah (Beijing to Arnhem) and No One Said it would be Easy (youthful follies in America). All are published through his publishing collective, Kahuku.
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After a career as a producer and script-writer, and then advertising, Phil set up a website development company in Marlborough. His first novel was The Art of Dodging (published in 2017) the story of the Artful Dodger’s life after he had left the pages of Oliver Twist.
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Trish is a playwright and writer. Her non-fiction book Knock Knock: Confessions of a Kiwi Interviewer was published in 2021 by Upstart Press, while her short story With All My Heart won the NZSA Northland Branch 2021 Short Story Competition. Several of her plays have also been staged both locally and in Europe, and Housewifely Duties was short-listed for the Short and Sweet Festivals Sydney and Dubai.
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Born in Donetsk, Ukraine, Julia is a vegetarian, ASMR artist, biologist and a writer. She has published several scientific papers, and in 2022 wrote her first children's book, Lada Between Two Worlds - a fantasy aimed at middle grade children, which focuses on animal rights. She also runs a popular YouTube channel featuring Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos to help in relaxation.
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Sue writes both under her own name and her pen-name, Nyria Fey. She writes romance, fantasy romance for adults and young adults, and fantasy for nine to twelve year olds, and since her first novel was published in 2007 she has had over thirty books published, both in e-book and print. Her books vary in length from short stories to novellas and full novels.
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Acclaimed artist and author, Mike Ponder is also a successful and pioneering olive-grower, who helped found New Zealand's olive industry through his best-selling book, The Good Oil (1998). He has published three novels as part of his trilogy on conspiracy, and several books on his art, including Oil on Canvas (2004).
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As a probation officer and social worker, Mary mainly wrote assessments of individuals and families in need. Now retired, she has ventured into creative writing and finds inspiration amidst the people she used to deal with. She is a graduate of Hagley Writers College, Christchurch, a founding member of Mawhera Writers, Greymouth and as an avid member of Greymouth Toastmasters knows the power of the spoken word.
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Award winning New Zealand author Robyn Prokop writes fantasy and children's picture books. Her debut novel Taelstone, won a Bronze medal in the Wishing Shelf Awards in 2019, and the 2nd novel in the series, Heartstone, was published in 2020. Her inspiration comes from the stunning New Zealand environment and characters she has met, both in her life and in the world of stories.
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While living in Thailand in a small Khmer-speaking village Tarmo wrote articles about Thai life for in-flight magazines and produced a collection of short stories: Vapour Trails – Tales from Rural Thailand. Since moving to New Zealand in 2001 he has written current affairs articles and newspaper columns for publications in both Finland and New Zealand.
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Born in Edinburgh (Fraser clan), raised in England, Jaclyn attended Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, studying English and Modern History. She writes contemporary women's fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction and has recently begun a suspense thriller series. She writes about strong women who inspire her.
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Shannon mainly writes short stories and flash fiction, for which she has won numerous awards including the Pushcart Prize in 2020, the Fish Short Story Prize (2022), Cuirt New Writing Prize (2019), Reflex Fiction (2017), and Flash500 (2019). Her writing has been published on-line and in print in anthologies and magazines across the world.
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Born in Malawi, Annabel has been a journalist, academic and writer. Publications include academic papers and conference presentations and, most recently, Constance Barnicoat: A Cool Head and a Sharp Pen - the biography of a lesser known Nelson woman who became a ground breaker both as a journalist and as a mountaineer.
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Wendy writes youth and adult fantasy (as Wendy Scott) and children’s novels (as WJ Scott) and is currently branching into romance (under the name Wendy Jayne). She was a winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2015 and silver medalist in the 2016 Readers' Favorite Book Award. She also offers a book review service (see Promotion & Publicity in Writing Services).
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Kate is an indie author, primarily a novelist. Her 'Danton Bay' urban-fantasy trilogy was published in 2021 and 2022. Her short stories have been published in the Down Under Fantasy Anthology, and in 2020 she co-wrote her first short play, St Brigid’s Eve, which won the Best Newcomers award at the 2020 Nelson Fringe Festival.
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Hayley is a Blenheim author and poet. Writing for the mass market, she was twice listed as a top-ten best writer for Momaya Press and was a triple Honoree of the University of Maine at Machias. Since switching to a focus on fantasy, JAFF, poetry and literary short stories she has twice been a winner of the Proverse International Supplementary Prize,
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Karen Stade is a researcher and writer of Nelson history, with over 30 years of professional writing experience. She has written several social histories of Nelson locations and people, including accounts of Nayland College, Nelson's Italian community and the Cathedral steps. Driven by the Wind: the profile of Captain Henry Rose (published 2019) is the story of a major figure in Nelson's early history.
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After spending six years living and working in the icy wilderness of Alaska, Emma moved to the balmier climes of Tasman, and now spends her time writing and giving talks about her experiences. From these experiences a trilogy emerged, starting with Walking on Ice, then two years later the sequel, Nesting on the Nushagak, and two years after that Dancing on the Tundra.
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A storyteller from a young age, Chris started off writing non-fiction and short stories and won the Elyne Mitchell Writing Award (Short Stories) - for which he has since been a judge. Her recently completed novel, For Reasons of their Own, won the Best First Novel category in the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
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W F Stubbs is the author of two novels and two collections of poetry and prose. The Tasman Journey, his first poetry collection (reissued in 2024) reflects on his life living in a van by the Motueka River and finding his true self. His novels explore personal and moral dilemmas in tight-knit communities. His writing is about life in the raw.
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Fiona Summerfield is a freelance writer with a journalism and science background. Her published fiction work has included flash fiction and short stories and she was short listed for the Kobo/NZ Authors E-Publishing Prize and was a recipient of the New Zealand Society of Authors Complete Manuscript Assessment Programme.
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Kerry is a professional writer, magazine editor and freelance journalist who has contributed to magazines both in Australia and New Zealand. She was the Australian correspondent for UK-based magazine, Research World and has been a film reviewer for ABC Northcoast, as well as breakfast show radio presenter/producer for Fresh FM, Nelson.
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Chris has been a lifelong reader and creator. Born in small-town Canterbury, she has explored many facets of creating and exhibiting in fibre and textiles, before adding writing to her repertoire. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Top of the South committee.
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Colin is the author of the 382-page illustrated coffee table book, Body, Mind and Spirit, recounting the 150-year history of the YMCA in New Zealand; and was a contributing author to The Insight Travel Guide to New Zealand.
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Chrissie is an occasional editor and proof-reader as well as writer. Her books include Dear Lizzie: A Kiwi Soldier Writes From The Battlefields of World War One, a collection of her grandfather’s letters, and a children’s book Curious Kiwi Creatures (New Holland 2007). Her short stories - for which she has won, and been shortlisted for, awards - have also been published both locally and overseas.
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Lucy began writing stories as a child. Since then she's been a marine biologist, scientific editor, skiing instructor and track guide. She now works as Media Co-ordinator for Wilsons Abel Tasman, mainly writing brochures, media releases, tourism award entries and websites. She also writes short stories, and in 2020 won second place in the Page & Blackmore Short Story Competition.
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Iona (Waitaha/Kāi Tahu/Pākehā) is a widely published poet whose work has been anthologised internationally. She is the author of three collections of poetry and in 2022 completed A Counter of Moons, a creative non-fiction book addressing the complexities of suicide and bereavement. The following year, she founded Elixir & Star Press, a dedicated space for the expression of grief in Aotearoa.
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Author of contemporary and speculative fiction novels, flash fiction and short stories, Angela has been long-listed for the Michael Gifkins Literary Prize and a finalist in the Takahē Short Story Competition. She is currently working on three novels exploring the forgotten victims of crimes.
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