Introducing Our Clients and their Books
Norman McClean
Born in New Zealand and having taught secondary school students for all of his adult life, he has made numerous trips to the Mediterranean to examine archeological sites and locations that have held for him a life-long fascination with ancient empires, especially Minoan, Greek and Roman.
Teaching Art, Art History and for several decades, Classical Studies, much of his writing has been based on knowledge acquired of antiquity. A parallel interest in the Jewish Graeco-Roman era that saw the decline of Judaea, has led to numerous visits to Israel and surrounding regions.
Previous Publications
JESUS ON OUR OWN GROUND and PHARISEES AND FALLACIES, have examined Christian origins along with Jewish and Christian history. The former title won a national literary award in New Zealand for works in the Body, Mind, Spirit genre.
REVELATION is a novel that examines the socio-political and religious factors that led to the writing of that so-named last book of the New Testament, perhaps the most widely misunderstood yet oft-quoted Biblical book.
Intrigued by an apparent lack of any fictional title dealing with Revelation – the mystical letter composed some nineteen hundred years ago – the author stresses that his novel avoids Revelation’s supposed prophetic nature but emphasizes the upheaval of Jewish religious and political life in the first century C.E. that saw the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the annihilation of the entire Jewish state. The psychological and spiritual shock of this is strongly reflected in the last book of the Bible, that lengthy document entitled Revelation.
Since the emergence of Christianity coincided with that century of chaos, Revelation – the novel – brings both themes together. It would disturb and hold little appeal for conservative Christians but be welcomed by readers who are interested in the evolution of belief and the ways in which strongly held convictions have so powerfully shaped subsequent history. Contemporary fears of what are often termed End Times are dismissed in understanding why and how the original Revelation came to be composed.
Ian Cattell
Ian Cattell is a software developer who wanted a change from staring blankly at a computer screen all day. So he decided to write a book. Yeah, I know… Over the next six months he learned that there are many advantages to writing a book compared to writing software, the main one being that he doesn’t have to re-write it whenever Microsoft decides it’s “time”. He enjoys astronomy, baking organic bread, and trying to figure out why some people insist on using Macs – but when his neighbour is out he likes to play his drums. He’s got a Roland TD-11KV with the extra CY-12 Crash cymbal and double kick pedals, he runs it through a 150W Mosfet PA amp via a BOSS… Oh… your eyes have glazed over… never mind. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Wanda Luthman
A Multi-Award-winning children’s author, Wanda Luthman, utilizes her expertise in both mental health and guidance counseling to infuse each of her children’s stories with social/emotional messages such as forgiveness, perseverance, self-acceptance, and love conquering evil. She writes fantasy adventure stories that show lives being changed by the magic of love.
Wanda lives in sunny Florida with her two adorable yorkies and 15 rescue feral cats (all fixed responsibly and still residing outside and on her porch in their colony)! She loves the outdoors and finds it a great source of inspiration whether she is riding her bike, swimming, or walking. Her books are available in many formats from hard cover; paperback; ebook; and audio. Her audio books include The Lilac Princess; A Turtle’s Magical Adventure; Gloria and the Unicorn; Little Birdie Grows Up; and Sophia the Christmas Eve Snow Bunny & the Real Gift.
Joanne Ruth
Joanne Ruth was born and lives in New Zealand, one of the world’s favourite tourist destinations and adventure capitols. Writing has been her passion since childhood and with inspiration from adventurous children and grandchildren, the beauty and wonders of the world around her and the amazing and unlimited capabilities we humans have. Inevitably, she should become a novelist. Publishing later in life, her novels ‘The Unexpected One’ and ‘Waking Fire’ are the first 2 in her ‘TAMSIN’ series.
Mark McQuillen
Mara Reitsma
Mara loves to write.
No, that’s too general. Mara loves to write books filled with wicked stories. Nope, still not good enough. How about this?
Mara has dabbled in the whimsical world of wording, cast spells across the pages of time, and given life to not only the story line itself; but to a whole new universe, in which thousands of stories can now take place. And will…. She’s always been told to have a wild imagination, and the stories she has published so far, should be enough to prove it; if not, take a peek at some of her videos!!!
Chloe King
A beautiful place to live is in the middle of the wilds of North Wales and add a few pets. Chloe love to write and give a hot story to my readers. Hot they certainly are. Better read when your partner is around… Chloe love animals, fresh air and the occasional trip overseas. Yes, she’s single and enjoys the odd lover now and then. You can read more about her on her website or get to know the real person from my deliciously sexy novellas.
Kyrena Lynch
Kyrena Lynch is a poet and author who lives in New Zealand with her family and two cats.
She published her first poetry book in 2017, ‘chaos abound: peek into a poet’s mind’, as a gift for her grandmother in the UK; she’s also taken part in several anthologies published by Plaisted Publishing House.
Kyrena is currently writing poetry for her next poetry book and taking a hiatus on her many WIP novels. She enjoy photography, visiting the beach, digital art and photo manipulation, traveling/road trips, and exploring food of varying types.
Her pen-name was created by combining her Aunt Karen and Uncle Ray’s names together (they died long before she was born and she wanted to honour them), and the surname of her favourite actress, Evanna Lynch.
J C Christian
J.C, Christian is a new author living in the rolling green fields of Nebraska with her husband, David Christian, a musician. After nearly two decades as a social worker, J.C. is now a full time author and advocate for survivors of childhood trauma.
“Reaching for the Light: Incest Survivor’s Story” tells the very personal story of her recovery from the trauma of incest. When asked why she chose such a personal topic for her first published book, J.C. shared “I wrote this book as a gift of hope, inspiration, and healing for the approximately 40 million women in the United States who are or will be victims of this crime. It’s time we take incest out of the dark where it hides and shine the light on the lives it devastates. The survivors of this crime deserve to be recognized for the incredibly courageous people we are.‘Reaching for the Light: An Incest Survivor’s Story’ is now available for purchase on Amazon.com
J.C.’s next book “Searching for the Light Together: Incest Survivors and the Challenge of Relationships” and the third book in this series “The Light Through the Trees: Trauma Survivors Through the Generations” are still being written.
Warren Lockie
A retired teacher who loves a good story which reflects our human condition. His interests include literature, music, science (and Sci-fi), nature, ecology, psychology, philosophy, spirituality, the simple pleasures of everyday life and interaction with family, friends community and nature. Weta the Insect Wars, was over twenty years in the making from the first scribbles to the final full stop after retirement made time available for its completion.
Jim Cartwright
Jim Cartwright is a contemporary Australian spiritual writer, not aligned with any particular religious organization. He has a natural ability to simplify the most complex of issues relating to spirituality, while also introducing new logical concepts and alternative perspectives. Jim’s teachings provide a fresh unique reading experience, delivering valuable wisdom to those readers who are enthusiastically pursuing their spiritual path of least resistance.
Keith Broad
Catherine Schythe
Poppy Mann
Poppy Mann ( nom de plume) was born in Melbourne Australia and after a fashion design career with top Australian fashion houses was offered a job designing sportswear and lingerie for a leading fashion house in Wellington New Zealand. Here she met and married her husband, a career army officer and travelled overseas on various postings with him and her three children. She lived in Singapore and Indonesia before returning to Rotorua after her husband retired from the military. Here they both opened three successful restaurants, the most notable being Poppy’s Villa which stayed open for twenty years. Poppy also tutored in fashion at Waiariki Technical Institute and wrote food columns for various magazines and newspapers.
She has been published in an army wives’ memoir in Australia and has written two other novels, yet to be published.
Marjorie Hembroff
After retiring M.E. Hembroff decided to pursue her dream of writing a book. Her daughter adopting an abandoned cat motivated her to start creating a story and soon the character of Bess was born. For inspiration, she tapped into her childhood from the 1950’s when she grew up on a farm in rural Manitoba, Canada, the fourth of five children. M.E. Hembroff now lives in Strathmore, Alberta, with her spoiled Shih Tzu, two cats, and two budgies. Bess’s Magical Garden is her first book.
Michael J Elliott
Michael J Elliott was writing stories since his early schooldays and was described by his school principal as “A Second Alfred Hitchcock”. Michael continued his love of writing in high school where he wrote and acted in films for his Media Studies class. He went on to study Media briefly at College, writing film scripts and radio ads. As a member of a community social theatre club, Michael wrote many of the sketches and routines that were performed for the benefit of senior citizens clubs. His most notable writing success was having one of his previously written comedy sketches chosen for a television comedy special.
Michael lives in a Bayside suburb in the State of Victoria, Australia. When he isn’t writing tales to terrify readers, he’s often uploading new content to his You Tube Channel, The Dark Realm Diaries. It’s a channel for lovers of horror/thriller fans. It features book and movie reviews, trivia and myths and legends from around the world.
Mike has also been commissioned to illustrate the childrens book series, Girlies Adventures by author Claire Plaisted (Available on Amazon). Meanwhile he can be found relaxing with books, cooking, drawing and watching Golden Age Hollywood movies.
Patty Fletcher
I’m a single mother with a beautiful daughter, of whom I am enormously proud. I have a great son-in-law and six beautiful grandchildren. From April, 2011 through September, 2020 I owned and handled a black Labrador from The Seeing Eye® named King Campbell Lee Fletcher A.K.A. Bubba. Sadly, after a long battle with illness on September 24, 2020 King Campbell went to the Rainbow Bridge where all is peace and love. It is my hope to one day return to The Seeing Eye® for a successor guide.
Jane Risdon
Jane Risdon began writing following her successful career in the International Music Industry which has taken her all over the world working, including North America, Europe, Singapore, and Taiwan. She and her musician husband have worked with everything from Rock, Thrash Metal, and R&B/Pop to Chinese Opera. She’s been involved in Artiste Management, Music Production, Music Publishing, and the facilitation of music for TV and Movie Soundtracks.
C A Keith
Welcome! My name is C.A. Keith, I was born to Dutch and English descendants. I spent many years living in England but grew up in Ontario, Canada.
Today I live in Florida. I’m a mother of two young men, Mel is 28; a deaf chef, and Tyler is 23.
I have been writing poetry and short stories since I was a teenager. Presently I’m exploring different genres and writing styles. My favourite place to write is at the Gulf coast of Florida where I now live. Other than writing, I am a College Professor and I work with a physiotherapy team providing home treatment to those in motor vehicle accidents. Two qualities I exhibit are compassion and passion. In my books, browse through some of the anthologies that I have contributed short stories to. Some are fundraisers. One for raising awareness for the LGBTQ community, the other to save the Rhino population from poachers.
Jeanne A Gioia
Life is what you make it, so make it count. Know that no matter the obstacles that get in your way, try to have fun with it. I took my chaotic life and saw the humor. You have no idea how writing ‘Chaos, An Unauthorized Autobiography’ changed my life for the good. I was able to find myself that seemed so lost, found that I have a lot of worth, and that I finally surrounded myself with positive people who have become great friends.
Readers tell me they now feel I am a part of their family, that I wasn’t alone in the hectic cycle of life, and by sharing mine, was able to touch their hearts. This is the best compliment I could ever ask for!
Here’s hoping you enjoy reading Chaos as much as I did writing it.
Mavis Humby
Memoir about being a Foster Parent in England.
Beth Bayley
Beth lives in New Zealand with her husband, three children and two cats. She loves to write in between looking after her family and doing voluntary work. Beth Bayley writes a different kind of Billionaire Story. Yes, they are romantic and have happy endings, after all, most happiness is what most readers want to escape to.
Zora Nyxx
Erotic Novellas
Thanna A Setliff
Thanna A. Setliff has known she wanted to write since she was in fourth grade. She has an active and vivid imagination and loves to share it with people. She enjoys reading books of all genres and would like to branch our into several herself. Her first book is part of a series, Worlds of Darkness, of which Defying Darkness is the first. It is about Vahmpyrs versus vampires. A prequel, In “Darkness Shining” is due out May 24, 2016 and the second book, Stalking Darkness is due by December 2016.
Thanna has also written a short story, “Combustion.” The paranormal psychological thriller is out May 30, 2016, in an anthology entitled “Gems of Strength.” She has another title with the Gems of Sisterhood group entitled “Oh Baby!” that is for the anthology “Gems of Gratitude.”
Winslow Parker
The author lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife. They are both retired, she from elementary school education and he from adult education. Prior to retirement, he taught other blind people computer and other technology skills. Their family includes a daughter, son, a son-in-law, daughter-in-law and three perfect grandchildren.
Sandra Brewster
Sandra has always had relationships with imaginary friends. While her mother was recovering from stroke; her only source of entertainment was reading and she had quickly read through the library in her tiny town. Her imaginary friends were able to come to life in the form of novels for her mom to read. Today, Sandra lives in the Eastern Fraser Valley of British Columbia with her husband.
Wanda L Roberts
Wanda L. Roberts juggles a full – time job in the medical field and writing wonderful children’s books. Wanda’s books are fun educational books that teach children life lessons. Each book include activities to engage children in her stories. Her Adventures of Tara and Pep book series is based on real – life rescue puppies and the many places they explore.
Starla Carr
At the intersection of queer black woman and spiritual writer, you’ll find me. Every delicately delivered word is dedicated to telling the stories that aren’t mainstream but always reflect the truth.
J Franklin Payne
President of the United States Entertainment Force, supporting our military and veterans. Past Producer of USO SHOWS for our military. Selected as the United States Veteran of the Year.
Rob Shackleford
An English-born Australian, Rob Shackleford has also lived and worked in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, with a varied career that has included Customs Officer, Scuba Instructor, College Teacher and management roles in too many places.
With degrees in the Arts and business, he is mad keen on travel, scuba diving, Family History, martial arts, astronomy, and playing Djembe and Congas. Despite that, he is actually not that boring.
Rob is the father of two and has made his green escape with his lovely lady into Australia’s Gold Coast hinterland.
Jenzy Montague
Children’s Book – Noah
Michelle Zeman
Children’s Book – Mumford
Yolanda Boag
Artist for Mumford the Rabbit
Barbara Kompik
Life Stories
Chad Crowe
Artist and Author
Elizabeth Gephardt
Children’s Author, Elizabeth has been a Montessori educator for more than ten years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in both early childhood education and English and has obtained her Special Education Certification. She also holds a master’s in educational technology and a Montessori certification. Her other interests include photography and spending time with her family.
Anne Harrison
Author