Ben Connolly is a children’s author with a passion for the outdoors, travel, and adventure. When chronic fatigue syndrome redefined his life in 2015, he had to give up a lifelong business career. Ben took up writing and completed a Diploma in Creative Writing at Massey University. Parent to four now grown-up children, he has always loved a good yarn, and honed his storytelling making up bedtime tales. Ben lives with his wife, Nicky, beside the beach in South New Brighton, Christchurch. 

'The Pirate of Oreti Beach' is Ben's first chapter book for middle readers. Published in October 2024, it follows the story of Archie, a young pirate happily plundering the southern lands of Aotearoa. After a serious misdemeanour, he is sent to stay with Nana in Auckland. When the airport pickup doesn't go to plan, things start to go awry. Archie's penchant for hijinks gets him into bother, but events take a sinister turn when he witnesses a dastardly crime; disorder and mayhem ensue. 

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