Michelle Kelly
Michelle lives in Auckland, New Zealand in a cute little cottage she calls ‘The Writery’’. Originally from the Deep South of New Zealand, she has lived in Auckland since she was a teenager but is still a Southern girl at heart. The two best things she ever grew are her sons Paul and Mike. Her boys were the inspiration for her novel Payback which became a NZ Post Finalist in 2009. In fact, Michelle loves mixing truth with a bit of fiction which makes her friends and family extremely nervous that someday, something they say or do, might end up in a novel. From the age of 5 Michelle knew she wanted to be a writer but it wasn’t until her boys went to school she thought she’d ‘give it a go’. In 1997 she enrolled in a correspondence course and by misinterpreting the assignment wrote her first, accidental novel. The surprised tutor reiterated the instructions but the tutors final comment was ‘It’s not bad, you should try and get it published.’ It’s still in the bottom drawer in the study, gathering dust. Not wanting to get locked into one particular genre Michelle randomly alternates between writing pre-teen fiction, chick-lit and historical fiction. Her new novel Riverstones, a historical fiction based in Central Otago, New Zealand, came to her in a dream. Michelle hopes to write the movie screenplay of Riverstones soon so she can showcase the beauty of the Central Otago landscape to the world.
Genre:
- Adult Fiction
Skills:
- Novelist
Branch:
Auckland
Location:
Auckland
Publications:
Payback
"You're Short! The geeky-looking guy at the corner shop had said.
"Yeah? Well you're ugly - and I'll grow," Riley had retorted.
But what if he never did? Riley's biggest problem is that he's short. His other problem is Kelly - she's not talking to him and he doesn't know why. Then, to top it all off, in a moment of pure insantity he thumps the biggest bully in school.
Vince McGerk vows to get even, but Riley doesn't know when or how. The only thing he knows for sure is that payback is certain.
Riverstones
In the heady gold rush days of the 1860s, men went missing and were never found. Some drowned, some starved, some simply disappeared never to be seen again.
Mary Healey finds herself alone in a new country with six children. After trekking across the province searching for her missing husband Jim, she finally gives up looking for him and discovers a new place to call home. She purchases the Welcome Home Hotel, and posing as a respectable widow, runs a successful establishment with the aid of her three daughters, Annie, Meg, and Kitty.
But the past refuses to remain buried and surfaces only to rip open barely healed scars. With the help of a young priest, Mary reluctantly embarks on a journey that is harder than traveling from the other side of the world, a journey of learning to forgive and love again.
A story of love, loyalty, and betrayal, Riverstones is a passionate story of a family who learn when all else is lost, love remains.
Scattered Stones
In the heady gold rush days of the 1860s, men went missing and were never found. Some drowned, some starved, some simply disappeared never to be seen again.
The second book in the Riverstones series, Scattered Stones, continues the story of Mary Healey and her family’s life on the goldfields.
Jim Healey has returned from the dead and reconciled with his estranged wife, Mary. Together, they try to build a legacy, but life is becoming as uncontrollable as the river in flood.
Mary loves her family fiercely, but forced separation and division cause the family to become scattered, and a tragic accident devastates them all.
But they know, above all else, no matter what - love remains.
Sticks and Stones
The third book in the Riverstones series, Sticks and Stones continues the story of Mary Healey and her family's life on the goldfields.
Charles Butler, the man who tried to kill Mary and her husband Jim, has been arrested. Jailed in Dunedin he is to be tried for arson and attempted murder.
Butler is also suspected of being the Notorious Pickaxe Murderer, responsible for multiple killings in, and around Skippers Canyon.
Determined to see Charles Butler hang, Mary travels to Dunedin for the trial, but while she is there a ghost emerges from her past and leaves her wondering - will love remain?