These are just some of the books published by authors who have worked on them during a Write Across New Zealand retreat
Fiction
The Valley of Unlikely Acquaintances
Author: Terri Te Tau Attended: Spring 2024, Spring 2023
A remarkable debut novel that follows one close-knit Māori community and the Wairarapa forest they are fighting to restore. When human remains are found in a nearby cave, the valley is drawn into speculation. What begins as an isolated discovery soon reveals unsettling ties to the 1800s, when the region's ecological devastation first began.
Memoir
Every Second Counts
Author: Charlotte Glennie Attended: Autumn 2024
Charlotte Glennie's fascinating, fast-paced memoir Every Second Counts tells how, after surviving a near-fatal accident, she went on to break new ground reporting across Asia during major world events. From being the first NZ correspondent to film in North Korea to reporting live in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people, Charlotte writes about people living in extreme circumstances, and what it is like to be there alongside them.
Self-help
Start Here: A Practical Guide for the Overwhelmed
Author: Dr Kerry Makin-Byrd Attended: Spring 2024
Hachette Aotearoa published Dr Kerry Makin-Bird’s second book, Start Here: A Practical Guide for the Overwhelmed, in November 2025. In the book, Kerry distills a century of science into a three-step recipe for treating burnout: soothe, transcend, then move. A burnout survivor herself, Kerry previously published a poetic memoir, The Ballad of Burnout.
Thriller
See How They Fall
Author: Rachel Paris Attended: Spring 2024, Spring 2025
Published by Hachette Aotearoa in March and immediately found its place on several NZ Fiction bestseller lists. The book is a twisty thriller that centres on the billionaire Turner dynasty and has been described as Succession meets Big Little Lies. Rachel returned to take part in the Spring 2025 retreat, where she worked on her highly anticipated second novel.
Short Stories
Surplus Women
Author: Michelle Duff Attended: Spring 2024
Michelle Duff’s astonishingly good short story collection Surplus Women was published by Te Herenga Waka University Press in March 2025. Her cast of hungry teenage girls, top detectives who forget to buy milk, frustrated archivists, duplicitous real estate agents, and ‘surplus women’, are all as vivid as wafts of Impulse from a backpack in the 90s.
Historical Fiction
Miss Bumby's Mission
Author: JM Laird Attended: Autumn 2024
In 1838, when Mary Bumby's brother decided to travel from England to be a missionary in New Zealand, she accompanied him, along with two hives of live bees on the arduous six-month journey. When they landed in the Hokianga, she became New Zealand's first beekeeper. This story is based on Mary's diary and accounts by those who knew her.
Fantasy
The Raven's Eye Runaways
Author: Claire Mabey Attended: 2021
Published by Allen & Unwin, Claire Mabey's debut middle-grade novel won the NZSA Best First Book Award at the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Junior Fiction Book 2025 and was shortlisted for several other awards. It tells the story of three friends and a one-eyed raven who find themselves up against the rulers who restrict the gifts of writing and reading to an elite few.
Magical Realism
The Grimmerlings
Author: Rachael King Attended: 2021
Winner of the 2025 Hadyn & Rollett Children's Booksellers' Choice Award and the 2025 NZ Booklovers Award for Best Junior Fiction Book, The Grimmelings is a story of Ella and what happens when the boy she has cursed goes missing, in the same sudden, unexplained way as her father several years earlier, and she discovers that her family is living in the shadow of a vengeful kelpie, a black horse-like creature.
Historical fiction
Rue de Paradis
Author: Jeena Murphy Attended: Spring 2023, Spring 2025
Set in France in 1933, Rue de Paradis is the first book in the Semiramis Queen of Heaven trilogy. It tells the story Yvette, who flees to Paris with her younger sister Janie to protect her from the village predator. They find sanctuary with their cousin Daniel at the prestigious Blum Foundry, where Yvette's love of sculpting grows.
What past retreat participants say
"The retreat was fundamental to the start of my first novel and I'm forever grateful for the beautiful space created by Kerry. Access to time to write, and to Elizabeth's expertise and inspirational brain, meant I could finally pluck out what had been simmering for a while but that hadn't been given any attention. There's something alchemical about the confluence of a stunning location, a group of enthused writers, delicious food, and Elizabeth Knox that hones your concentration and opens the door to words on the page."
Claire Mabey
Founder of Verb Wellington, LitCrawl Wellington and Lōemis. Claire is also a writer, books editor at The Spinoff, book critic at RNZ and co-curator of the writers' programme at the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts. Her first book in The Raven's Eye Bookbindery series was published by Allen & Unwin in July 2024.
"I signed up for the retreat because I was stuck on how to approach a novel, and I hoped that Elizabeth could get me un-stuck. I'd never been to Mārahau before, so discovering it was a huge treat. The tranquil, expansive views, swimming in the harbour and at Split Apple Rock, walking into cool green of the Abel Tasman National Park, the highly distracting birdlife right outside your door (baby weka!) – I felt plugged into nature, recharged. The camaraderie of the writing group was wonderful. Kerry's calm presence established a great rapport right from the start and everyone quickly became invested in each other's work. And we were spoiled with Chloe's delicious food, and daily yoga. The heart of the retreat was Elizabeth, who gave her all over the four days, with group workshops as well as hour-long individual guidance sessions that were absolute gold. Her compassion, wisdom and enthusiasm made me feel I was capable of anything. Yes, I did get un-stuck, and so will you."
Catherine Robertson
Bestselling novelist and proud co-owner of Wellington-based independent bookstore, GOOD BOOKS
"The workshops were stimulating and the time with Elizabeth invaluable, space to write balanced with nourishing yoga, delicious food and inspiring conversation. This was a treat for body, mind and soul, and I left uplifted, energised and eager to complete my project, my writing elevated by the kind encouragement and expert guidance I received."
Sara Litchfield
2023 NZSA Mentorship recipient
"As a fledgling writer, I gained confidence and the audacity I needed to carry on with my writing projects. I came away with ideas, contacts, friends and conversations, which all became a sort of memory bank to rely on at home. Great when your confidence needs a boost."