My Account
Once Vicky Adin of Ōrewa began learning about historical facts, she was led into writing historical fiction.
In the 1990s, she began looking into her husband Bruce’s family history.
“It takes you down a lot of rabbit holes,” she says. “A genealogist told me that facts are good, but you need to put meat on the bones. It’s not just about when our forebears lived and died, but who they were. The stories are what fascinate me.”
Back then, pre-internet, research like this was very hands-on. It was time consuming and labour intensive with a lot of dead ends, as Vicki went to churches and council offices to look at records, or searched through microfiche at libraries.
Along the way she put quite a lot of meat on the bones of her husband’s genealogical history – so much so, that she began writing her first series of books – The New Zealand Immigrant Series.
“Once I’d done the research, I just couldn’t let those stories go,” she says.
Her first book, The Disenchanted Soldier, focused on a soldier from Bruce’s family who fought in the NZ Wars, but later regretted taking part. All his sons were conscientious objectors in World War I.
Vicky went on to self-publish five more stories in that series, inspired by true stories of early New Zealand immigrants.
She later researched her own family history, which included learning a lot about the lives of sweet-makers in Wales.
She is currently writing a second series of books – dual-timeline family sagas about finding your roots.
The second in that series, Elinor, was published this month and she is in the early stages of the third.
Much of the information is now available online, but although this makes research a lot easier, Vicky says it is not the complete answer.
“Cemetery records are online, but it’s something else altogether to stand in front of a headstone and read the inscription, or visit an old house or an area that someone lived in. That can lead to more research,” Vicky says.
WIN THE BOOK Hibiscus Matters has a copy of The Art of Secrets, by Vicky Adin, to give away. To go in the draw, ‘like’ Hibiscus Matters on Facebook and message us your name and phone number with ‘The Art of Secrets Giveaway’ in the message. Or, write your name, address, daytime phone number and The Art of Secrets on the back of an envelope and post to Art of Secrets Giveaway, Hibiscus Matters, 21 Florence Avenue, Ōrewa 0931. Entries close Friday, June 17. E-editions of her books are available on Amazon, or for printed copies visit www.vickyadin.co.nz
