Collection: NEW BOOKS

People are dying in Blackriver.

Mikel Ofeli is tired. He has been commander of the guard at Sheerwall Castle for decades. As he mourns the passing of his wife, Mata, and with his son Tuomas away on a diplomatic mission, he is confronted by horrifically maimed bodies discovered near the castle walls.

Mikel will avoid the interference of godlings and question the benevolence of Mercy's Shield as he searches for the cause of these murders before anyone else is put in danger. He is the only one who can face down mercenaries, religious leaders, and the Lord of the Castle, one of his oldest friends.

Events in his past continue to affect his present, and his decisions will be influenced by memories that won't let him rest.

There Is A Stranger Here is a fantasy thriller that places familiar action into a new world. The damaged detective with personal issues is commander of the castle guard. He has to stop a serial killer before they strike again, but this killer is not human. Settle into the lush world-building, danger, and excitement of Aotearoa New Zealand author Aaron Dick's latest novel.

Published: January 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780473731724
Language: English

Meet the Author:

Aaron Dick is a teacher living north of Auckland in New Zealand with his wife, their two daughters, and a small menagerie of household animals. They all love when his eldest daughter visits too.
He grew up as a voracious reader of science-fiction and fantasy, often to the annoyance of his unheeded family. Becoming an author was a childhood dream, alongside being a palaeontologist, or a rock star.

Raised to be a wife. Taught to be obedient. Expected to obey.

Taken in as ward of Lord Drakon after her parents' slaughter. Forced to navigate a new life, trying to become what is required of her in a world so vastly different than what she had known.

Then Attica, Kingdom of the Wytchlings, moves to rise again. Territories long alienated are forced to unite. Secrets begin to unravel. Secrets that make her question everything.

She is Amylia Sylvers.
And she is about to show the world that even the most unexpected …
can burn the brightest.

Series: The Wytchling Chronicles, #1

Format: C, 369 pages, Paperback
Published: July 3, 2022
ISBN: 9781991165800
Language: English

The Heliacle has risen.
But it wasn’t without a cost.

After being freed from her ordeal in Lylican,
Amylia begins to heal as she forges a new life in Asteryn.
But within its borders, bonds are being strained to the limit.
Old wounds test the strength of those closest to each other.

The eight territories of Labrynth are still dangerously divided,
human distrust of Wytchlings cleaving them apart.
After devastating attacks threaten to break tentative alliances,
Asteryn makes a desperate attempt to unite them all.

Attica is stirring…
Imogyn, its Queen, is ready for war…
And she knows something they don’t.

Series: The Wytchling Chronicles, #2

Format: C, 400 pages, Paperback
Published: August 5, 2022
ISBN: 9781991165831 
Language: English

I was born in blood and pain. I should have been thrown to the wolves with my mother’s body, my soul destined to roam the woods with my sisters. But fate laid its cold hand on me as I entered this world, wrapping its icy fingers around mine and leading me towards a life I could so easily have never seen.

My name is Lyrik Damaris.
And this is my story.

Series: The Wytchling Chronicles, Novella, #3

Format: C, 218 pages, Paperback
Published: May 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781991165862 
Language: English

WINNER, Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, 2022

Kurangaituku is the story of Hatupatu told from the perspective of the traditional ‘monster’, Kurangaituku, the bird woman. In the traditional story, told from the view of Hatupatu, he is out hunting and is captured by a creature that is part bird and part woman. The bird woman imprisons him in her cave in the mountains. Hatupatu eventually escapes and is pursued by Kurangaituku. He evades her when he leaps over hot springs, but Kurangaituku goes into them and dies.

In this version of the story, Kurangaituku takes us on the journey of her extraordinary life – from the birds who sang her into being, to the arrival of the Song Makers and the change they brought to her world, and her life with Hatupatu and her death. Through the eyes of Kurangaituku, we come to see how being with Hatupatu changed Kurangaituku, emotionally and in her thoughts and actions, and how devastating his betrayal of her was.

Format: 152 mm x 229mm
Published: November 7, 2021
ISBN: 9781775506560
Language: English
RRP: $35NZD

This story charts the journey of Hineraukatauri – a cocoon/chrysalis who has entered a new realm, the human world, without their voice. It’s dark and wet, Ranginui and Papatūānuku have not yet separated or are in the process of having their offspring create space between the two.

In visiting each of the offspring, they gift Hineraukaturi a different component or aspect of music, ultimately her voice, represented in the shape of the Pūtōrino. Renowned musician and composer, Hirini Melbourne happens across the shape, and his breath, in playing it, gives life to all the gifts as he makes beautiful music through this instrument.

Format: Soft cover, 210 mm x 270 mm
Published: May 31, 2024
ISBN: 978-1-77550-824-3
Language: Te Reo Māori
RRP: $22NZD

Shanti has been living in the city of Gorduum for two years, working alongside her shrewd uncle Dunin and exploring streets lit by shining plants. But the excitement of such wonderful places palls over time, and now she has an opportunity to follow investment opportunities to strange distant lands. Her desire to explore has been awakened once more.

Travelling to the canals and jungle of Chechezuk will bring her the same awe and joy as her first journeys to Gorduum. But unfamiliar customers bring new dangers in the watery canals of this city and desperation hides in plain sight.

When Hidden Eyes Grow Dim is a standalone sequel to Where The Fields Grow Light, by Aotearoa New Zealand author Aaron Dick. Follow Shanti as she delves into a city built on water, and finds her faith and relationships challenged by the people she meets there.

Published: January 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780473639136
Language: English

Meet the Author:

Aaron Dick is a teacher living north of Auckland in New Zealand with his wife, their two daughters, and a small menagerie of household animals. They all love when his eldest daughter visits too.
He grew up as a voracious reader of science-fiction and fantasy, often to the annoyance of his unheeded family. Becoming an author was a childhood dream, alongside being a palaeontologist, or a rock star.

Shanti is a young woman who spends her days helping out behind the counter of the family general store in the small village of Graama. Seeing as her family and friends are content to remain working hard in the shops and fields of Graama, Shanti feels she must restrain her dreams of seeing far off places from the stories she heard as a child.

But when a chance comes up to travel to the distant city of Gorduum, as part of her mother’s business, she leaps at the opportunity; though she worries about leaving her family to cope without her. She doesn’t know how she feels about leaving behind two young men who often seek her company either.

Before long she is caught up in the world of the lights traders, companies that grow plants which glow and illuminate the city. With her uncle’s help she begins to navigate through this shining unfamiliar city to complete her business, but finds herself spending more and more time with a man pursuing darker goals.

Where The Fields Grow Light is the first full-length novel by New Zealand author Aaron Dick. This fantasy story features family left behind in search of something more, beautiful sights and luxurious places, strange technologies, the perilous navigation of a new and unfamiliar society, chances for romance, and a slow descent into something dark and dangerous.

Published: January 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780473523442
Language: English

Meet the Author:

Aaron Dick is a teacher living north of Auckland in New Zealand with his wife, their two daughters, and a small menagerie of household animals. They all love when his eldest daughter visits too.
He grew up as a voracious reader of science-fiction and fantasy, often to the annoyance of his unheeded family. Becoming an author was a childhood dream, alongside being a palaeontologist, or a rock star.

Agatha is a little girl with some big feelings. Sometimes those feelings can get a bit overwhelming and she just wants to cry!

During those times, she likes to take a moment and imagine herself in a forest, where all her emotions turn into little creatures. Sometimes it can take a while before she can see them properly, but once she gets to know them and makes friends with them, they become an important part of her forest.

Agatha's Forest is a great way to introduce kids to CBT principals of self-awareness and naming emotions and practices like meditation and sitting with your feelings rather than reacting to them.

A great resource for parents, classrooms and kids who want to learn how to manage tricky feelings like anxiety, anger, shyness and more - the only limits are your own imagination!

Series: A Kids Intro, #4

Format: 40 pages, paperback
Published: 4 September, 2023
ISBN: 9780473692674
Language: English

THE GOTHIC TIKTOK SENSATION AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'A thrilling and seductive Gothic rife with spine-tingling tension and dark romance. A Dowry of Blood left me breathless' Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . .

S.T. Gibson's sensational novel is the darkly seductive tale of Dracula's first bride, Constanta.

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

A Dowry of Blood is a glittering tale of obsession, seduction and power as told through the letters of Dracula's first bride, Constanta.

Praise for A Dowry of Blood:

'Stunningly gorgeous and devastatingly romantic, you won't want to miss this one!' Katee Robert, author of Neon Gods

'A delectable jewel of a tale, shimmering with dark, beautiful prose' Tori Bovalino, author of The Devil Makes Three

'Dark, lush and heartrendingly romantic' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

'A Dowry of Blood is an intoxicating perfume that lingers - an undying love story where beauty and horror clasp hands' Rachel Gillig, author of One Dark Window

'A powerful tale of possession and liberation. This is a Dracula retelling unlike any other - undeniable and unforgettable' Rose Szabo, author of What Big Teeth

'A dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful' Hannah Whitten, author of For the Wolf

'Atmospheric and lush. . . it will haunt you in the best possible way' Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart

'A dark seductive tale. . . intermingling love, pain, fear and anger in mesmerizing prose' Publishers Weekly

'Seductive, lyrical and rich with period detail . . . a dark triumph' Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel

'Mesmeriz

Format: B, 204 pages, Paperback
Published: January 31, 2021
ISBN: 9780356519296
Language: English

As long as I can remember my shadows have whispered to me, speaking in a voice both young and ancient. I have learned to mind them, let them guide me through life even when I do not understand their messages. They whisper now to me, a song of sorrow and heartache that weaves itself around the woman I love. A song I do not want to listen to, yet know I cannot run from.
King Arthur has taken this land. Aided by his advisor Merlin and the legions he commands, he has swept over this once prosperous Kingdom like a plague, chasing the last of the Sylvyns into the far south in his quest for power.
They have nowhere to run now, there is no further to go and I fear the bargains that will be made to protect them are ones that will haunt me for the rest of my immortal life.

I was born touched by Nimmet, both a blessing and a curse.

— Morgana

Series: The Pendragon Chronicles, #1

Format: C, 426 pages, Paperback
Published: December 1, 2023
ISBN: 9798856489681
Language: English

Children understand hundreds of words and concepts before they can communicate verbally, and teaching basic signs to children benefits both them and their parents by providing a means of communication before and during speech development. “First Signs – Everyday Words 2 builds upon the foundation of the first book by introducing even more essential signs. This expanded collection helps you continue to enhance communication with your little one, easing frustration by empowering them to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs more effectively.

You can begin introducing signs as early as you want (the earlier you do means more practice for you!), but studies show babies as young as six months old can remember and recognise a sign. By eight months some children are able to imitate gestures or communicate using simple one-word signs.

First Signs contains 13 New Zealand Sign Language signs with details and illustrations on how to do them.

Series: First Signs

Published: October 1st, 2024
ISBN: 9780473716813
Language: English, NZSL

About the Author
Jenna lives in Auckland with her husband, three-year old daughter, and new born baby boy. Her signature style and quality craftsmanship made her a hit at craft markets where she built a passionate following of fellow art lovers. It was these same followers (along with family and friends) who encouraged her to do what she loved and to never stop creating – a journey which culminated in her first published book A, B Seek in 2017. She has then gone on to create 3 more books including the new sign language books.

Jenna taught her daughter sign as a baby but found it hard to find resources with NZ sign. After learning sign through classes and feedback from people in the deaf community she went on to create these resources in hope to help others.

In between creating she focuses her time on her children, raising them with an appreciation and respect for her Cook Island and Māori heritage.