New publisher, new New Zealand author

An appealing looking novel arrived in the mail last week from Hachette NZ published under the Two Roads imprint. I had not heard of the Two Roads imprint before, it just said inside the book, a Hodder & Stoughton imprint, so I wrote and enquired about it. Two Roads Publisher Lisa Highton has now replied:

When I started Two Roads books just a year ago I found what I wanted in a book, either to read or to publish, came down to just four words: stories voices places lives.  Like many readers I wanted a strong page-turning story, told in an original voice, transporting readers to other places and telling us about other people's lives and, thereby, our own. 

People often ask me 'how do I know I want to publish a book - fiction or non-fiction?'  It's actually a kind of magic, almost a physical reaction...I knew I wanted to publish The Sea on Our Skin from the moment I set foot on the island's beach, I could hear the waves, smell the sea  and the first words seemed to say... let me tell you a story...and this is a very beguiling story from a new and talented writer. It seemed a perfect fit for a new fiction list.

On the morning of the wedding of Ioane Matete and Amalia Hoko, it rained. The clouds that had been waiting, dark and swollen for days, gave in to their impatience and a torrent of water pounded the island. The damp between Ioane’s toes made his feet itch and the itch in his feet made him desperate to move on. He was an explorer, not used to staying still. As soon as the wedding – by which he meant the wedding night – was over, he would leave his new bride and set out once more on his travels.

 Surprisingly few books are set in the South Seas and maybe it took a travelling Scottish girl to write one (after all there is precedent, with Robert Louis Stevenson aka Tusitala).  Madeleine's writing has a kind of island rhythm as we follow the story of Amalia, her marriage to Ioane and their four unusual children.  

About the author:

Madeleine Tobert
Originally from Scotland, Madeleine spent several years in the Pacific islands. She tried to leave but found she just couldn’t. She now lives in Auckland with her Fijian husband. The Sea on Our Skin is her first book.
Madeleine’s website here

Footnote:

Thanks Lisa, The Sea on Our Skin looks most appealing, and is now in my reading pile.Best wishes with your new imprint.