is known inside the Colony as
The Dragon Defence League
Bringing down an international dragon smuggling ring requires bravery, teamwork, quick thinking, and a touch of arson.
Do Ella, Nathan, Tui, and Oliver have what it takes, or will they become casualties in their own war against the smugglers?
Book 3 of the Dragon Defence League series is a heart stopping adventure that will keep you turning pages until the very end.
The Dragon Slayer’s Daughter
There’s never a dull moment when you’re dealing with dragons.
Tui, Nathan, Ella and Oliver have saved Nathan’s dad. Now they need to save the dragons. Can they convince dragons and humans to work together? Not everyone is happy with their plans, and some are willing to kill to prevent them from succeeding.
Book 2 of the Dragon Defence League series takes you on another crazy adventure with New Zealand’s colourful dragons. Pick up your copy and continue the fun!
The Dragon Slayer’s Son
They said Dad was a dragon slayer. They were wrong.
When Nathan’s dad goes missing, presumed dead, Nathan is whisked away to the Alexandra School of Heroic Arts to train as his replacement. At school, he and his new friends soon learn:
Dragons are not the worst monsters out there.
And Nathan’s dad might not be dead … yet.
Book 1 of the Dragon Defence League series–dragon filled adventure in modern day New Zealand. If you like adventure with a dose of fantasy, this is the book for you!
The Backstory
If dragons were ever real, and if they still existed today, they would most likely be hanging out in New Zealand. Our dense forest and stunning mountains are the perfect place for these giant mythical beasts to thrive unnoticed by people.
Through with Blue
This short story was published in Issue 5 of Thin Skin, a magazine showcasing older writers.
It’s free to read.
Feel free to share.
The Backstory
This story was worked up in the Litopia Lab from draft to final version within a week. It's a real testament to the power of combined viewpoints and expertise. It's my story, but I couldn't have made it so good without Litopia. It's one of my favourite stories I've written, and the fact that it was accepted by Thin Skin, whose acceptance rate is only 2%, makes me love it all the more.
Prophetic Fallacy
Dirk has always wanted to find his real family, and with Klem’s help, he feels he might succeed…this time.
But when his lineage is mixed up with a prophecy and the rise of the Dark One, a simple search for lost relatives becomes something much more dangerous. Is he the foretold Champion of Light? or is something else afoot?
For once, Klem is at a loss, but he suspects foul play.
And the goblin is usually right.
The Irish Key
Grace is running for a controlling husband. She is given a house in southern Ireland, but it isn’t quite the sanctuary she’s hoping for… A dual timeline fiction spanning several generations, and the first of a series contracted by Bookouture.
The Backstory
When I moved to Ireland I found lots of such 'wrecks' waiting to be renovated. In fact, I bought one and spent the next 10 years doing it up. The rest is pure fiction! This would be classed as women's dual timeline fiction. That genre doesn't seem to be available here.
The Silence of Children
When Dee is dragged into her father’s mission to save a girl from her abusive carers, she’s thrust into a chilling world where predators operate behind a mask of respectability. She tries to look away, but can’t—and so becomes a target herself. Haunted by a truth almost too horrific to believe, and driven by a fierce sense of justice, she steps towards the darkness. But making an enemy of the powerful man who controls a hidden network is not only frightening, it puts her own family in danger.
The Backstory
I don't recall how this series started, in all honesty. I had an idea, ran with it, and produced a book I felt had potential. I ran with that, and now have an ongoing series. Not what I envisages, actually.
The Craft of Half-Remembering
My first short story, featuring characters from Songs for Beginners, is published in the the current issue of Mslexia (issue 107) along with an author interview. The story forms part of the Mslexia Showcase on the theme of Blue, judged by author Amy Key.
The Backstory
This was my first ever submission of a short story, and I was amazed that it was chosen for Mslexia's Showcase. I wrote it specifically for the Showcase with the theme of Blue as a starting point. As usual, I started with the final scene and worked towards it. As usual, Neil Harper insisted on a guiding role. But this is Lillian Harper's story.
Legend of the Selkie
Grainne, a city girl, falls hard for Colm, the charismatic but uneducated son of an Irish farmer. She moves to live on his farm in a remote Irish backwater. When Colm is lost at sea, and she is left with Colm’s father, and pregnant with a child she didn’t choose, people say she won’t stick. But legend is unfolding around her. It’s said that Colm’s mother was a selkie, so maybe Colm is not drowned… A contemporary story with a drift of legend set in a contemporary Irish community.
The Backstory
The opening of the story was written while I took the Creative Writing Masters in Cork University. It later evolved into the current story. This book was rejected by Bookouture (and many others), but became the catalyst for The Irish Key, which Bookouture accepted. What is strange is that readers like this book equally as much as the later one that Bookouture decided was right for their list. So, editors don't always get things right!
The Irish Key
Grace arrives in Ireland with her six-year-old daughter, but the crumbling wreck of her grandmother’s childhood cottage doesn’t provide the fresh start she’d hoped for. Her arrival dredges up secrets from the past and changes to course of events for the people who befriend her. This utterly heartbreaking, completely life-affirming story of a family secret that echoes down the generations.
The Backstory
This is the first in series, and was written partially from my own experience of coming to Ireland and buying a wrecked farmhouse to renovate. This was accepted by Bookouture, mostly because the editors were captivated by the visual element. With Irish history as a backdrop to my stories. The 'present' story is set around 1980, to avoid internet etc, but the story revolves around events in the past that led to this moment. The series is now at four books published, and a fifth in progress.
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