Stephanie Parkyn
Stephanie Parkyn's first novel, Into the World, was published to wide acclaim in 2017 and longlisted for the Tasmanian Premier's Book Prize. Stephanie always wanted to write fiction, growing up in a book-loving family in Christchurch, New Zealand. She had a rewarding career as an environmental scientist, but is now living her dream of writing stories and travelling to find them. She is fascinated by the human motivations behind the events of history and is particularly drawn to illuminating women's stories. After enjoying ten years living and exploring in Australia, she now writes from her home in a bush-clad valley in Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. Josephine's Garden is her second novel published by Allen & Unwin.
Genre:
- Adult Fiction
Skills:
- Academic Writing
- Novelist
- Public Speaking
- Research
- Workshops (adults)
Branch:
Hamilton
Location:
Coromandel
Publications:
Into the World
A destitute mother fleeing the wrath of her family makes a desperate choice to disguise herself as a man on a voyage to the South Pacific. Inspired by a true story, Into the World tells of Frenchwoman Marie-Louise Girardin’s extraordinary life set against the turmoil of the French Revolution and the age of scientific enlightenment as she embarks on a journey to reclaim her child.
Josephine's Garden
France, 1794. In the aftermath of the bloody end to the French Revolution, Rose de Beauharnais stumbles from prison on the day she is to be guillotined. Within a decade, she'll transform into the scandalous socialite who marries Napoleon Bonaparte, become Empress Josephine of France and build a garden of wonders with plants and animals she gathers from across the globe.
But she must give Bonaparte an heir or she risks losing everything.
Two other women from very different spheres are tied to the fate of the Empress Josephine - Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Their lives are put at risk as they each face confronting obstacles in their relationships and in their desire to become mothers.
From the author of Into the World comes a richly imagined historical novel about obsession, courage, love and marriage.