Stories from Oceania
The coastal village of Matala prided itself on being a community that worked together. United to carry out village projects. Their village had won first place in the Teuila Festival National Dance competition, for the last five years running. Their cricket team was unbeatable in Upolu. And they were awarded certificates every year in the… Continue reading Warriors from Weavers
Every author’s process for writing a novel is different. They may even have several different approaches that they use for different genres. I wrote my first novel TELESĀ ten years ago and I’m now preparing to launch my fourteenth novel, MATA OTI. In that time, I have changed how I write, often according to my… Continue reading The Process: How I Write a Book.
She couldn’t sleep. So when the cry came, she heard it immediately. “Help me! Please.” A man’s voice. Calling from the road. “Auoi, ou te fia ola.” The Samoan’s universal cry for survival. I want to live. Iva leapt up with her torch, raced down the stairs and peered out the window beside the front… Continue reading Auoi, ou te fia ola
I wrote this in my journal two years ago and am sharing it here because I still need the reminder! I wrote it after finishing my first EnTri triathlon which was a 500m swim, 10km bike, and 3km run. Almost everything that could go wrong in my triathlon yesterday - went wrong. I had an… Continue reading What else could possibly go wrong?! Everything.
I'm thrilled to have FIRE'S CARESS shortlisted alongside some brilliant books in the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Congratulations to all the authors! FIRE'S CARESS is the sixth book in the Telesa world. The judges said of Teuila and Keahi's story - "Lani Wendt Young brings her characteristic linguistic flair… Continue reading Some fia-show, fiapoto news!
It's 2am and I'm hot. No, not as in HOT to get busy with that man who sleeps in the same bed as me. (Even though he is rather delicious.) And not HOT as in supermodel strutting down a catwalk HOT DAAAYUUM GIRL YOU ARE ON FIRE WITH YOUR SEXILICIOUS SELF hot either. I'm not… Continue reading I’m a Hot Woman of the Night.
Thirteen years ago our lastest baby was born premature, via an emergency c-section at National Womens Hospital in Auckland New Zealand. She arrived after I stayed in hospital for many weeks trying to #keepHerInUtero and growing for as long as possible. I was sick with pre-eclampsia and each day as I got more swollen and… Continue reading Bella’s World
It's the Baby Demon's birthday next week. She's turning the big THIRTEEN. So in actual fact, she is not a baby. Something she's been telling me since forever. Since January she's been saying that she's BASICALLY thirteen already. At this rate, soon I will blink and she will be BASICALLY twenty-one. The child who is… Continue reading I quit being the Master of the Birthday Party Universe
Hi everyone, its been a long while! The bad news is that I lost my blog/website with all the latest info and writing on it. (Don't ask what I did/didn't do for that to happen. Just know that I am a pitiful procrastinator of all things related to tech and domains and deadlines and reminders… Continue reading I’m Back. With Demons and a Faikakala Summary
I was invited to speak at a Youth Careers Evening where two of my Fab5 would be in attendance. In other words, the possibility of embarassing my children was very real. Big Daughter's advice - "Tell them about going on book tour and all the people that line up for you to sign their book.… Continue reading You Can’t Handle The Truth.
Lani Wendt Young 