Stories from Oceania
Storytime. About Darren. About my Dad. About family. And the practicalities of death. When a burial must take place within 24 hours SOMEBODY has to make it happen. Somebody who knows what they're doing, has all the necessary equipment, somebody who can drop everything and come make the grave ready. For us, that somebody, was… Continue reading Give me the Night.
Written on 20th February 2023. On Friday the 17th of February, at 10.40am, at home with my mother sitting beside him, and my brother Cam whispering in his ear "I love you Dad. It will be alright. Everything will be alright" - Dad quietly slipped away. We didnt have time to cry though because he… Continue reading Gone.
We avoided it for 3 yrs but its finally happened. The plague got us. That man who lives in the same house as me, came home 5 days ago from New Zealand. We did not yet know he had covid, so I confess that I kissed him heaps. Which was reckless I admit (In my… Continue reading Dangerous Kisses
I turn fifty next year (wow I know, I'm old!) So I made a list of things I want to do in my fiftieth year of awesomeness. Number one on the list, is I want to do a marathon. And not die. In preparation for that, I have to do a half- marathon THIS year.… Continue reading The Journey begins – with Serena Williams. And chocolate eclairs.
I won? That shout you heard last night from my house here in Lotopa, startling all the birds asleep in the mango tree outside - was me. Finding out that my book FIRE'S CARESS was announced in Wellington NZ, as the winner of the BEST YOUTH NOVEL award in the 2022 Sir Julius Vogel Awards.… Continue reading Best Youth Novel – Sir Julius Vogel Awards
When I'm not writing books, I'm running a publishing venture with my friend Sisilia Eteuati, called TATOU PUBLISHING. Together we put out a rather fabulous anthology of stories by women of the Moana called VA. And we are now working on another book called FUA which is stories for children aged 8 to 12 years.… Continue reading Open Call for Stories
It’s been more than two years since we saw Big Son. He went to New Zealand for a job interview, got a fabulous job and stayed there. He’s living his best life. It’s been more than a year since we saw Big Daughter. She’s in New Zealand too, living her bestest life, working a fab… Continue reading Dogs are Better than Children.
My ongoing #lockdownDiary of random observations and fiapoto thoughts! From my privileged position of being able to lock down with my teenager, both of us working/schooling from home, while Darren goes to work at Young Steel. Samoa locks down for two weeks and goes from one community Covid case to 2000+. Either we are doing… Continue reading Living with Covid in Samoa?
Surprise! I released my new book early. Because I really really wish all my favorite authors and favorite shows would take pity on me and release their next books/seasons early! 😭 (Hello Im looking at you Yellowstone, Bridgerton, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs…) Is anyone else weary sad from pandemic plagues and wars and lockdowns and… Continue reading My New Book is Here
I was an English teacher in Samoa for several years. The challenge was how to help nurture a love for reading in my students – when usually all we had were books written by white people, set in white people places, in a world where white people did all the thinking/talking/acting/feeling, and the rest of… Continue reading Why did I write ‘Afakasi Woman’?