Book Release: The Pounamu Prophecy

The Pounamu Prophecy

‘Teddy! Teddy! I forgot Teddy!’

‘It’s too late mokopuna. It’s too late.’ A tear rolled down his tough brown cheek. He smeared it away.

‘I cried for my home, for Teddy and for my koro because he wasn’t meant to cry.’

These are the anguished cries of Mere as she watches the New Zealand government burn her village to the ground. Years later she visits Helene and James to finish writing her life story – one of injustice, revenge and reconciliation. But Helene and James have their own problems. After five years together, their marriage has become dull, predictable, boring … and it starts to unravel.

Weaving fiction with the traumatic history of the Ngati Whatua tribe of Auckland, The Pounamu Prophecy explores how individuals and nations deal with betrayal and injustice, the challenge of forgiveness and the power of love.

Cindy Williams grew up in a culturally rich part of New Zealand where the kids sang the songs, played the games and heard the stories of Maori. Many years later she heard the story of injustice suffered by the Ngati Whatua people. She listened to the elders who spoke about forgiveness and moving forward and knew The Pounamu Prophecy was a story that had to be told.

She studied at Otago University, has worked for over 20 years as a consultant dietitian to food industry, sports teams and corporate health, encouraging and inspiring people to live a healthy life. She has a Graduate Diploma in Communication and a Master of Public Health.

“The Pounamu Prophecy is eminently predictive for where we as Aucklanders are re-versioning a future by rekindling some of our past sins to find a pathway that is both lasting and redemptive,” says Haare Williams, long time broadcaster, artist, poet and cultural advisor. “It adds to the fund of knowledge of a Maori struggle which will go a long way to help New Zealanders dip a little deeper into the social and spiritual wells of this land and learn what it means to be People of the Land – Tangata Whenua.”

Cindy lives in Sydney with her husband and teenage son. She is working on her second novel and writes a nutrition blog – www.nutritionchic.com.

Pounamu Prophecy is available in all good bookstores or online at rhizapress.com.au.

ENDS

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