For the last nine years I've worked from home as an editor and proofreader with my own business. I've also been writing, publishing my first novel in 2022 and working on my second. What some of you may not know is that before this, I was a professional fundraiser and worked in the NFP sector…
The Importance of Connection
Connection isn't just a buzz word. I've realised lately that I need more of it, and not the online kind. So I've been thinking about how I can connect with people in a meaningful and enriching way - starting with my existing friendships. For me, this means actually being in the presence of a friend,…
It will be Spring Tomorrow
Here’s a poem I wrote on the eve of spring five years ago. I was heartbroken but hopeful, just out of a long relationship and in a new home. Five years on and I'm a bit bruised and battered after a dreadfully hard eight months. This year the beginning of spring brings only quiet hope…
Book Review: The Queen’s Wife
New Zealand author Joanne Drayton launches her new book The Queen's Wife TONIGHT as part of Auckland Pride Month's Samesame but Different LGBTQIA+ Writers and Readers Festival. Congratulations, Joanne! I reviewed the book for NZ Booklovers. Here is my review: ‘Life is a game of chess. You should try playing it with two queens.’ So…
Anniversary
This story was announced today as Highly Commended in the NZSA Northern Branch Short Story Competition. We had to write on the theme of Loss. The story actually constitutes just one part of a larger work (more to come on that), but was originally based on my experience of miscarriage. I press my hands deeper…
Mama
My mother died on Christmas Eve last year. I'm heading down to Nelson soon to be with my dad on the first anniversary of her death. I may not write about it. I'm not sure how I'll feel. But here's a piece I wrote while she was dying, in late November or early December 2021.…
Book Review: Mila and the Bone Man
Mila and the Bone Man by Lauren Roche Book reviewing 101: Review a book when you’ve finished it. I thought I would try something different with Lauren Roche’s Mila and the Bone Man. I’m currently reading it, and I propose this: a short meditation on the journey so far. The thoughts and feelings that have…
Book Review: The Doctor’s Wife
The Doctor's Wife by Fiona Sussman I sense it when I talk about murder mysteries and psychological thrillers written by New Zealand authors. I call it the Kiwi cultural cringe: the idea that New Zealand commercial (or genre) fiction is inferior. Perhaps it’s something to do with New Zealand’s literary tradition still being in its…
Much Ado About … what, exactly?
The issue of arts funding and who gets what is not a new debate in Aotearoa New Zealand. Creative New Zealand (CNZ) has regularly come under fire from writers and artists, with literary doyenne Paula Morris even winning a bias complaint against it earlier this year, after it turned down her application on behalf of…
The Girl Behind the Bar
Two weeks ago I got an email telling me my short story, 'The Girl Behind the Bar', was runner-up in the 2021 Radio New Zealand Nine to Noon Short Story Competition. The delay in letting me know was apparently due to COVID lockdowns and resultant recording studio delays, but now all systems were go, and…
Patricia Bell, Author 