Authors

Karen McMillan is the author of 20 diverse books, from bestselling novels, The Paris of the East, The Paris of the West and Brushstrokes of Memory, to non-fiction books that inspire and help others: Everyday Strength and Unbreakable Spirit, and now the Elastic Island Adventures series for children. Karen wrote Elastic Island Adventures as a fun family project to enjoy with her husband’s granddaughter, Milla. The books are now optioned for the screen, and Suzy Cato is doing narration for the audiobook versions. More information at: www.karenm.co.nz and www.elasticisland.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fiona moved from Wellington in 2002 to help establish the vineyard with her sister and brother-in-law. She was in employment relations for 35 years, and continued working whilst the vineyard was being established. She is now retired, both from full-time employment and the vineyard, as the family have closed the business. She decided to write the history of the vineyard, initially just as a personal record for the family, but was encouraged to consider publishing her account. She now runs a farm stay in what was the old cellar door on her property, and keeps five goats. Fiona has had other writing published including a non-fiction book, journal articles and poetry.

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Jo McNeice is a poet based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. She completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, in 2013, and her poems have been published in Turbine | Kapohau, Sport, JAAM and Mayhem. In 2023, McNeice won the prestigious Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award for her manuscript Blue Hour.

Dougal McNeill teaches in the English Literatures & Creative Communication Programme at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University Wellington. He is active in the Tertiary Education Union. His other books include Writing the 1926 General Strike, co-authored with Charles Ferrall, and an edition of Harry Holland’s Robert Burns: Poet and Revolutionist.

Jeff McNeill is an acknowledged authority on the 1917 Battle of Messines in both Belgium and New Zealand. He has guided battlefield tours and given public and academic presentations as a member of the New Zealand Pilgrimage Trust. With his training as a geographer and his expertise in modern mapping technologies, he is able to integrate the social and spatial dimensions so as to make sense of a highly complex military action. A Senior Lecturer in the School of People, Environment and Planning at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, McNeill holds a PhD in Politics, an MA(Hons) in Geography and a Master of Public Policy awarded with Distinction.

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Hannah McQueen is a financial advisor and Chartered Accountant Fellow (FCA), and has her master's in taxation studies. She is the founder of enable.me - financial personal trainers, where she has worked first-hand with her clients to diagnose and assist them to get ahead faster. Hannah is one of NZ's leading experts in personal finance and is the 'go-to' person for many media outlets.

Ewen McQueen has a passion for New Zealand and its history. Over the last three decades he has offered thoughtful and insightful commentary on key social and political issues for our nation. His work has been published in a number of major newspapers and on his blog RenewNZ. Ewen holds an MA(Hons) in economics from the University of Auckland, and has worked in the health sector for many years. He lives in Mt Eden, Auckland.

Heather McQuillan used to be a teacher who wrote. Now she’s a writer who teaches. If she’s not writing in the room at the top of a spiral staircase, Heather can be found at Write On School for Young Writers in Christchurch, where she is a tutor and director. This is her fourth novel for young people. Heather loves being close to the ocean and hearing the waves but, on a still night, she is often disturbed by the thrumm thrumm thrumm of ships waiting outside the harbour.

Ron McQuilter is a career investigator, brought up in the "hard" part of Glasgow. He joined the Glasgow Police aged 19 and was posted to the Gorbals, famous for its high crime rate. He fell in love with a Kiwi girl and immigrated to New Zealand in 1983 where he became a private investigator. Now the country's most prominent PI, he features regularly on television and is the go to man for media comment.    Ron is the founder of and still heads up Paragon, New Zealand's largest PI firm, with a team of agents and several national contracts. Ron has featured as one of the Missing Pieces team on TV3, specialising in tracking down lost family members. In 2008 he travelled solely to London and managed to solve a 6 year old cold case involving a missing New Zealand man.