Author Val Clifford fell in love with the Marlborough Sounds as a child, now its unique location features in her latest work.
A Londoner by birth and now based in Australia, Val spent 20 years living in New Zealand and has a deep love of the Marlborough Sounds.
Speaking ahead of the launch of her new book, Play of Light on Water, Val’s second creative book explores the relationship between Ellen and Tom.
She uses a fictitious fishing village in the Sounds as a backdrop to her tale of two people finding refuge and healing themselves.
Val says that falling in love with the Sounds when she lived in New Zealand and writing about it is a wonderful excuse to keep returning.
Val’s background includes a life of education and women’s health research.
After years of formal research writing, she shifted her focus to memoir and creative writing and has completed two books.
“Writing is a constant learning curve.
“From the plays, stories, poetry of my youth (all condemned to the wastepaper bin), through the research and academic writing required of a career in university teaching, to the memoir of my time in Fiji and now my novel, set in the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand,
“Over the years I have published two academic books, a memoir and now a novel. Another two books are waiting for my attention to become a reality. I think writing has become an addiction,” Val says.
Her first book, a memoir, Fijian Shadows: Living through the Coup of 2000 covered two years working and living in Fiji when a coup erupted around her.
The book was Highly Commended in the Society of Women Writers NSW Non-Fiction Book Awards 2022.
The Picton Historical Society is delighted to invite the public to meet with Val and hear excerpts from her novel at Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum on February 8 at 3pm.
Signed copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day. For more information email info@pictonmuseum.co.nz
