Join Manuia Heinrich to celebrate the launch of her YA speculative thriller, Salt Water Blood, pitched for fans of Angeline Boulley and Moana.

An Indigenous teen who hears the sea’s prophetic thoughts must rely on the gift she’s always feared to save her brother—and her island home—in this “original and riveting page-turner” (KIRKUS starred review).

Manuia is a Tahitian Chinese writer based in Pōneke. She holds a PhD in Pacific studies from Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington. A 2026 Publishers Weekly Writer To Watch, she’s an alumna of the NZSA Mentor programme and cofounder of Pacific Islanders in Publishing. Salt Water Blood is Manuia’s debut and the first YA novel traditionally published by a Tahitian author.

RSVP: DemiC@allenandunwin.com