Mixed Blessings

Amanda Giorgis

The Applecross Saga 5. liburua · Amanda Spearing

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The girls are growing up. Not for them the daily grind of family life. Not yet anyway. After all, it is 1873. Women have more opportunities than ever before, especially in New Zealand in an era of great prosperity and progress.

Five years have passed since we last visited the Mackenzies. Applecross sheep station is thriving, more people than ever have made it their home. There are changes everywhere, big and small, but James and Sophia remain the solid, dependable mainstay of life in the rural community. Until a dramatic incident rocks the very foundations of Mackenzie’s Basin.

We join Heather, Caroline and Adey Rose, daughters of the Basin, as they blossom into young ladies, find their feet in the burgeoning city of Christchurch and take their first hesitant steps into the world of romance.

However, the draw of Applecross is strong……..

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Amanda likes to weave well-researched, true historical facts into her stories while building credible and likeable characters amongst the ordinary folk of rural New Zealand in the late1800s. She would love you to join her in their adventures, triumphs and tragedies. And we mustn't forget the dogs who worked so hard on high country farms to bring prosperity to the region. Meet Friday, James' favourite collie and all her descendants. Their story deserves to be told too.

Amanda was born in Somerset, England. She emigrated far too late in life to New Zealand in 2008 and now writes while looking out onto the flat plains with snow-capped mountains beyond. It is a place where it is easy to find inspiration for stories of the early settlers who made this unique place their home. 

She shares her home with her long-suffering husband, Terry and three rescued huntaway dogs, Nemo, Jess and Ted. Their ten acres of wild garden are home to an assortment of chickens, more ornamental than productive, and a small flock of self-shedding sheep. At night, the big skies, unpolluted by light, provide glorious views of the milky way, and an occasional glimpse of the Southern Lights.

When not writing, Amanda rings church bells and enjoys photography, gardening and finding out about her family history. On lazy days, when not reading or listening to a book, she gets the knitting needles out.