| Reviewing: I read children's books all the time, which is what most busy parents and professionals don't have time to do, however interested they may be in children's literature. I write reviews of the books I read, mostly for my own files and this website, but some are published.You'll find my reviews in Magpies (see Reviews Introduction for more information about this publication). Experience: During my career as
a librarian I worked in a secondary school library and a teachers'
training I am available to talk at schools through the Writers in Schools scheme. Short List of Published Books:Cross Tides (Longacre Press, 2004) Kev and Borax (Penguin Australia, Aussie Bites series, 2005) - now out of print. Ratso (Penguin NZ, Kiwi Bites series, 2005) Furze the Fixer (Penguin NZ, Kiwi Bites series, 2005) A Long Way From Home: The Diary of Lillian Glenmore, Warkworth, 1943 (Scholastic NZ, My Story series, 2005) Fish Tale (Penguin NZ, Kiwi Bites series, 2006) Hideout (Longacre Press, 2007) Out of the Deep and Other Stories from New Zealand and the Pacific, edited by Tessa Duder and Lorraine Orman (Reed Publishing/Storylines Trust). Land of Promise: the Diary of William Donahue, Gravesend to Wellington, 1839/40 (Scholastic NZ, 2008) Visit My Books below to find more information about these novels. Short Stories: Other successes have been seven stories in the New Zealand School Journal (see below), a story called The Sloven, published in Allsorts (13 no.12, Oct. 1998), and several stories for teenagers in a (now ceased) magazine called Charlie. One of the School Journal stories, called Honeysuckle, has been reprinted in The Puffin New Zealand Storybook (ed. Gwen Gawith; Penguin) and in Animal Stories for Nine Year Olds (ed. Helen Paiba; Macmillan). I have a story called Out of Sight in Barbara Else's first anthology, 30 Weird & Wonderful New Zealand Stories (Random House NZ), and a story called Charley Two in Claws and Jaws: 30 New Zealand Animal Stories (Random House NZ). There's a story called Abracadabra! in Mischief and Mayhem (Random House NZ). The next anthology, called Hideous & Hilarious: 30 Historical Stories includes two stories by me. I have a story called Crosses in Out of the Deep and Other Stories from New Zealand and the Pacific (Reed/Storylines). Barbara Else's anthology called Dare and Double-dare includes my story called Having a Go. Part of Ratso has been reprinted in The Puffin Treasury of New Zealand Children's Stories, Volume 4 (Penguin, 2007). PS. Visit my Story Corner to read a short fantasy tale for children. Future Books: My next book will be published in the Lightning Strikes series, issued by Walker Books Australia. It's a ghost story/thriller called Haunted. I'm currently working on another teenage novel set on the West Coast in the coalmining areas north of Westport, including Denniston and Millerton. Like Cross Tides, this will be a blend of historical and present-day stories, spanning four generations of a coalmining family. It's tentatively called Touchstone. School Journal: For New Zealand teachers interested in finding my work in the School Journal, here they are -
Advice to Writers: If you're determined to become a writer for children, visit my page So You Want to Be A Children's Author? It offers a list of tips that helped me get my stories into print. It is specifically aimed at New Zealanders. ************************************** My Books
************************************** The Writing of Cross Tides (Longacre Press)When I first decided to write a novel with some New Zealand history as one of its themes, I started reading books about women pioneers. I soon came across the story of Elizabeth Guard, the first European woman to live in the South Island. Elizabeth had an amazing life. She was about sixteen when she arrived at her husband’s shore whaling station at Te Awaiti in the Marlborough Sounds. Later in her life she was kidnapped by Maori after a shipwreck on the Taranaki Coast, along with two of her children. She was held hostage for several months until her husband, John Guard, managed to raise a troop of British soldiers to rescue her. The Maori settlements were destroyed in the process and many Maori were killed. I wrote an adults’ historical romance based on Elizabeth Guard’s life, which was not published. However the story was stuck in my brain, and I began piecing together the plot for Cross Tides. As I started to weave the parallels between Lizzie and Bel, it was necessary to deviate from reality and turn the 1830s girl into a fictional character. My Lizzie had to come to a sad end so that Bel could solve the mystery and triumph over her own personal problems. Dawson’s Beach is based on Te Awaiti, the location of John Guard’s shore whaling station on Arapawa Island. I researched all the historical sources relating to whaling in the Marlborough Sounds to envisage what the station would have been like. The reality was probably worse than I have described. Whaling was a bloody business. I wrote the sections describing the fictional Te Whetu tribe’s occupation of Dawson’s Beach several years before the seabed and foreshore issue became hot news in New Zealand. I did not want this theme to focus simply on Maori versus Pakeha claims to land, because this is too "big" a topic for a multi-layered teen novel. So I invented a tribe who had been conquered by the powerful Ngati Toa tribe – which actually happened to several real tribes in the area. With the character of Bel, I am trying to explore the effect that divorce can have on young people. Having experienced the breakup of my parents’ marriage when I was eight years old, I am concerned by the high number of marriage breakups today. Parental divorce does affect the children, some worse than others. It’s not easy for children to accept the huge changes involved – hence Bel’s anger and distress. The novel is meant to be multi-layered – offering an absorbing but not particularly easy read. As part of my career as a librarian and a book promoter, I have read hundreds of overseas novels for teens which interweave several themes and genres, and I was trying to produce a similar work. Including some New Zealand history is meant to give the story an extra depth and resonance – and relevance for New Zealand readers. Tessa Duder acted as my mentor during the writing of the novel. This is a scheme funded by Creative New Zealand and administered by the New Zealand Society of Authors. Tessa’s assistance was invaluable. She worked hard at removing my middle-aged voice, recommended a major change from a time-slip format to a ghost story, and encouraged me to invent the last all-important link between Lizzie and Bel. Above all else, I wanted to write a book that would be considered "a good read". I hope most readers of Cross Tides will agree. Lorraine Orman (November 2004) ----------------------------------------------- The Writing of A Long Way From Home: The Diary of Lillian Glenmore, Warkworth, 1943 (Scholastic New Zealand)I have a house at Omaha Beach, which is the sandspit protecting the Whangateau Harbour (east of Warkworth). One day my literary agent, Ray Richards, said to me, "Did you know that the United States Marines were camped in your area during World War II?" Of course I said no, I didn’t know that. Then he said, "You should write a book about it." So I went away and started researching – and got so interested in the idea that I decided, yes, I’d write a book about it. Then Scholastic NZ agreed that it would be suitable for their My Story series. I was lucky enough to be given a Creative New Zealand grant – and I started writing. I did lots of research in libraries and museums to find out how the war was affecting people in New Zealand in 1943. But the best sources of information were the people themselves. I sent a letter to the Rodney Times asking if any local residents had memories of the war years when the United States troops were training in the Warkworth area. Half a dozen people contacted me, many of whom were children at the time. Some of them had even lived on the farms behind Whangateau, which is where my book is set. I interviewed these people and taped their stories, hearing dozens of fascinating memories. The people I interviewed were happy for me to use their stories in my book. It wasn’t hard to weave these memories into a story focused on one family. Lots of important things were going on in New Zealand and overseas in 1943, so I used these to create a plot that would support the personal stories of the Glenmore family and their friends. The American troops were far from home; the New Zealand soldiers in North Africa were also a long way from home; once I’d thought of Lillian, my heroine, being sent away from home for the sake of her health, I had a story and a title. By the way, the idea of Lillian having a spot on her lung was based on my own experiences. In the 1950s I was sent to stay on a farm near Katikati for three months – because I had a suspicious spot on my lung. Thank goodness it didn’t develop into tuberculosis.
Selected Bibliography for A Long Way From Home Bardsley, Dianne. The Land Girls: In a Man’s World, 1939-1946. University of Otago Press, 2000. Bevan, Denys. United States Forces in New Zealand, 1942-1945. Macpherson Publishing, 1992. Bioletti, Harry. The Yanks Are Coming: The American Invasion of New Zealand, 1942-1944. Random House New Zealand, 1989. Campbell, Judith A. Between the Kitchen and the Creek: Memoirs of Childhood. 2nd ed. Chappell Printing (available from David Grant, 24 Gerontius Lane, Snells Beach 1241), 2004. Ebbett, Eve. When the Boys Were Away: New Zealand Women in World War II. Reed, 1984. Edmond, Lauris, ed. Women in Wartime: New Zealand Women Tell Their Story. Government Printing Office, 1986. Hinton, June and Jack. Commemorative Booklet: The Friendly Invasion of New Zealand by American Armed Forces, June 1942-October 1944. Minister of Internal Affairs, 1993? McLeod, John. Myth and Reality: The New Zealand Soldier in World War II. Reed Methuen, 1986. Phillips, Jock, with Ellen Ellis. Brief Encounter: American Forces and the New Zealand People, 1942-1945. Historical Branch, Dept of Internal Affairs, 1992. Rodney & Otamatea Times, 1943 [microfilm] Steinberg, Rafael, and the Editors of Time-Life Books. Island Fighting. Time-Life Books, 1978. Taylor, Nancy. The Home Front (2v.) Government Printing Office, 1986. (Also available at http://www.nzetc.org/projects/wh2/index.html) Toth, Susan Allen. Blooming: a Small-Town Girlhood. Little, Brown, 1981. Twedt, Jerry L. Growing Up in the 40’s. Mancorp Publishing, 1994. Uris, Leon. Battle Cry. Granada Publishing, 1958. Lorraine Orman (October 2005) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Writing of Hideout (Longacre Press)The initial inspiration for this book was the setting. When I lived in Wellington for twelve years, we often drove up to Pukerua Bay to stay in an old bach owned by friends. The special atmosphere of this house was due to the fact that it was built right on the beach. You went out through the gate, across the concrete walkway, and you were on the sand. There was something very satisfying about lying in bed listening to the waves only a few metres away. And also a bit frightening, if the wind was blowing hard and the waves were booming... I decided it would be a good place to hide from the world. So I started to think about a teenage girl running away from home and hiding at Pukerua Bay. I also wanted to explore the relationship between two sisters (I am an only child), but I knew it probably would have to be a troubled relationship. Once I came up with the idea of two sisters running away from home, I had to think of a very good reason for them to take off. Slowly I invented Roz and Dawn's unhappy home life. A neglectful, alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend provided the two girls with plenty of reasons to flee to a place of safety. While reading about Kapiti Island, I came across comments relating to the spiritual characteristics of the island. I was interested in the fascination this island has for so many people, both Maori and Pakeha. I decided to develop this theme in order to give the book an element of mysticism. For a long time I had the three characters - Roz, Vic, and Don - under separate spells emanating from Kapiti Island. But eventually inspiration came and I was able to bring them together in a common cause - the development of a place of learning on the island. This is something I'd love to see happen in reality - wouldn't it be great if young people could go and stay on Kapiti and learn about its fauna and flora and history? Many thanks are due to Barbara Else from Total Fiction Services. Barbara assessed the first version of this story, and her tough advice empowered me to change it from a leaden, flabby lump to the lean, fast-moving drama you can read today. To aspiring writers - an assessment is definitely worth the money! Lorraine Orman (August 2007) ------------------------------------------------------------- The Writing of Land of Promise: the Diary of William Donahue, Gravesend to Wellington, 1839-40I imagine most New Zealanders don't remember much of the New Zealand history they learned when they were at school. When it comes to the first British settlement, they vaguely recall the names of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and the New Zealand Company, but not much else. I was thoroughly enjoying A Sort of Conscience: The Wakefields by Philip Temple, when I suddenly thought that somewhere in this saga lay another book for the My Story series. What better way for youngsters to learn about the first British settlement in their country than by creating an entertaining story - a story narrated by an ordinary, middle-class British boy about the trials and tribulations of emigrating to New Zealand. So I invented the Donahues. As soon as I started thinking about them I realised that their story didn't start when they arrived in Port Nicholson - it started much earlier, when they set off from England on a tedious voyage halfway round the world. It didn't take me long to discover that the New Zealand Company's ship the Adelaide experienced the most troublesome voyage of the six vessels, so the Donahues had to be passengers on this ship. Fortunately many letters and diaries were written about the troubles aboard the Adelaide. My task was to combine these real events with the fictional adventures of the Donahue family. Sometimes it was hard to create credible situations. For instance, I wanted Will and his sister Sophie to exerience life both in steerage and on the poop deck, so I invented the situation whereby they were both employed as temporary companions to rich poop deck passengers. It must have been heartbreaking for the immigrants to arrive in Port Nicholson and find the promises of the New Zealand Company were a pack of lies. Add to this the realisation that there were on-going complications with land ownership - the immigrants probably longed to turn round and sail back to England. Against this background of disappointment, disillusionment and danger, the Donahues play out their own personal adventures. Each member of the family has a metaphorical journey to make. Will himself battles to achieve his chosen career in printing and publishing - while his friendship with a young Maori warrior pitches him into the middle of the bitter quarrels between the Maori and the New Zealand Company over land. It was essential for this story to describe all points of view relating to the land situation - that of the Wakefields, the new settlers, and the dispossessed Maori tribes. Actions taken in 1840 had huge ramifications for subsequent race relations, and are still affecting our society today. I hope I have managed to clarify the situation for younger readers so that they can understand why disagreements over land are still happening nearly 170 years later.
Land of Promise - Selected Bibliography Best, Abel Dottin William. Journal of Ensign Best. Edited by Nancy M. Taylor. Wellington, Government Printer, 1966. Fyfe, Adam and Frank. Revans, Father of the Press. Greytown, Broadoak, 1985. Hastings, David. Over the Mountains of the Sea: Life on the Migrant Ships, 1870-1885. Auckland, Auckland University Press, 2006. The Making of Wellington, 1800-1914. Edited by David Hamer and Roberta Nicholls. Wellington, Victoria University Press, 1990. Manson, Cecil and Celia. Curtain-Raiser to a Colony: Sidelights on the Founding of New Zealand. Christchurch, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1962. Millen, Julia. Colonial Tears and Sweat: The Working Class in Nineteenth-Century New Zealand. Wellington, Reed, 1984. Reed, A. W. An Illustrated History of Maori Life. Wellington A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1963. Robertson, Struan. The Life and Times of Samuel Revans, 1808-1888, Father of the New Zealand Press… Tauranga, 1989. Sandall, Helen & Heaton, Elizabeth Henniker. The Emigrants. London, Methuen, 1963; also Auckland, Paul’s Book Arcade, 1963 (joint publication). Simpson, Tony. The Immigrants: The Great Migration From Britain to New Zealand, 1830-1890. Auckland, Godwit, 1997. Temple, Philip. A Sort of Conscience: The Wakefields. Auckland, Auckland University Press, 2003. Tonkin, Keith. The Longest Journey. Wellington, Gilt Edge Publishing, 2005. Wakefield, Edward Jerningham. Adventure in New Zealand. Abridged edition. Christchurch, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1955. Ward, Louis E. Early Wellington. [facsimile of edition published by Whitcombe & Tombs, 1929] Capper Press, 1975. Wellington: The First Years of European Settlement, 1940-1850. Edited by Gavin McLean. Auckland, Penguin NZ, 2000. Lorraine Orman, February 2008
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college
library, where I was in charge of the children's collections. Nowadays I
spend my time reading, writing,
reviewing, and promoting good books.
In 2004 I was a judge for the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children
and Young Adults.
to think of
something fast. It was his dad's birthday on Saturday and he didn't have a
present." Then Ryan Donovan arrives at school
carrying a cage containing a very pretty rat. Problem solved? Not yet. First
Steven has to convince Mum that rats aren't dirty. Then Ratso is taken on a
trip to the beach - a trip which nearly turns into a disaster. But Ratso manages
to come up with a few delightful surprises of her own... This humorous adventure story
keeps the suspense going right to the end.
suitcase he finds a strange wee man who claims to be a boggart from
Scotland. Furze is furious at going to sleep for well over 100 years
and waking up in a "colonial fleapit on the backside of the
world." Furze agrees to use his boggart ways to help Dougal
with all the fixing and cleaning round the house as long as Dougal
promises to send him back to Scotland when it's done. 
sister are packed off to stay at their grandparents' farm near
Warkworth. Lillian misses her parents (her father is fighting in
North Africa), her friends, and her Auckland school. But life in the
country turns out to be a lot more exciting than she anticipates.
Especially when a Division of United States Marines moves into the
camp just down the road. Four Marines knock on the door one day,
wanting to buy milk. Lillian's life will never be the same again,
now that she's met a quiet country boy from Iowa. 
Kathleen tries
desperately to keep him happy but her attempts to find fish for him
just don't work. Why is Kathleen so committed to finding fish? Well,
the gnome told her that he has the power to make poor old Gramps
happy again ... as long as Kathleen obeys his rude demands.
runaways, but we were also explorers, Dawn and
me... We were travelling into a new world ... Maybe this stupid,
crazy idea was going to work. Things at home have spun out of
control. Fifteen-year-old Roz knows she has to take charge. She
packs up her younger sister and the two of them flee, finding refuge
at a friend's beach house. But are the girls really out of harm's
way here on this wild and windy coast? Has Roz taken on more than
she can handle? Troubling events from the past, and mysterious,
ancestral voices from Kapiti Island seem to haunt Roz. Who should
she be listening to? And when disaster strikes, who can she turn to
for help? A compelling nail-biting drama."
Publishing have produced an anthology of short stories to commemorate
International Children's Book Day on 2 April 2007. Called Out
of the Deep and Other Stories from New Zealand and the Pacific (ISBN
978 1 86978 015 9), this handsome anthology is edited by Tessa Duder and
myself, and illustrated by Bruce Potter with a full-colour
illustration for each story. It offers sixteen Pakeha,
Maori and Pacific Island stories for children aged about 10 to 13,
written by leading writers such as David Hill, Joy Cowley, Anthony
Holcroft,
Margaret Mahy, and Katerina Mataira. Reed Publishing issued it as part of their Raupo
series, commemorating their 100th anniversary in 2007. 
1839-40
is my latest book in Scholastic NZ's My Story series.
From the blurb: "Will Donahue and his family are leaving to
start a new life in the fledgling colony of New Zealand. Will dreams
of adventures in a strange and exotic land far from the world he
knows, that of 1830s England. However his father has other, more
mundane ideas. He wants Will to join him, working behind the counter
of the family store.