A Place by the Sea is a collection of four short stories set at a beach house in the far north of New Zealand. The stories explore the lives, relationships and circumstances of people who rent the cottage; their friendships, fears, hopes and dreams. Driftwood Cottage is the connecting thread that binds the stories together and it becomes a central character in its own right, providing shelter, security and comfort to those who stay there.
Autorentext
Ever since I was a young child, writing has been a passion of mine. I have studied the art of creative writing, submitted my stories to competitions and written articles for a local magazine. Over the last two decades, I've had five books published. My first was titled Simply Parenting, and then two children's picture books, Remember the Moon and Magpie and the Morning Light followed. Another Life was my first novel, then my anthology, A Place by the Sea was written a couple of years later. All these books are also available on Amazon.
The writing of Another Life was a long process, with many stops and re-starts over six years. Even when the manuscript sat untouched, gathering dust in a desk drawer for months on end, its presence always lingered in the back of my mind and I knew I must complete it. I finally reached the finish line in late 2023. I hope I treated the very emotive and sensitive topic of my story with respect and care, and again, I thank the parents I have supported for sharing their thoughts and feelings with me, giving me some insight into the darkness of post-natal depression. I believe they were the inspiration for my novel.
A Place by the Sea is my latest offering, and while some of the topics in the stories are deeply emotional, I also found the writing of them very rewarding and relatable. The setting for the stories has great sentimental meaning for me too, adding to the enjoyment of creating this anthology.