New Zealand Writers

ROSIER-JONES, Joan

A powerfully realistic novel, a strong and compelling portrayal of one woman's life.

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ROSIER-JONES, Joan ( - ) is a fiction writer for adults and children who has also published two guides for would-be authors.

Born and raised in Christchurch, she has worked as a teacher and travel consultant and is a past President of the New Zealand Society of Authors.

Cast Two Shadows (1985) is Rosier-Jones' first book. Set during the 1978 Bastion Point land protest it tells of a young woman whose mixed Maori / Yugoslav heritage makes her feel a stranger in both cultures. "[A] powerfully realistic novel, a strong and compelling portrayal of one woman's life."

Voyagers (1987) is a novel "marked by prodigious and impressive research," writes Fiona Kidman, "...immensely satisfying and thought-provoking." Canterbury Tales (1990) looks into the lives of a group of travellers on a South Island train. Mother Tongue (1996) is set in an imagined future where a Maori dictatorship is ruling New Zealand.

Joan Rosier-Jones has published two guides for authors, Writing Your Family History (1997) and So You Want to Write (2000). Her one-act play, "The Stars Go Down," was performed at the Maidment Theatre in 1985.

Rosier-Jones's latest novel, set in Ireland, is Yes (2000).

(KC.)

Updated Information

Publicising Your Book (2005) and Marketing Your Book (2006) were both published by the New Zealand Society of Authors.

Writing your family history: A New Zealand guide (Random House, 2005) is a useful guide to writing your family history.

Writers in Schools

Joan Rosier-Jones is available to talk to school children of all ages, as part of the Writers in Schools programme. She is happy to discuss all topics to do with writing fiction, but would prefer to speak to around 20 students at a time. She is prepared to run workshops by prior arrangements.

KAPAI