about me

Thank you to all those wonderful Authonomites who've given me feedback on "Sentence of Marriage" while it's been on the site. Reader response has been hugely useful in shaping the book into its current form.

I've taken the book off Authonomy so that I can concentrate on my work-in-progress. "Sentence of Marriage" is available as a free e-book in various formats at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1105
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I write historical novels set in New Zealand, starting in the 1880s. I've self-published four so far, and am working on a fifth, this one covering the years from 1912 to 1918. I'm fascinated by social history, particularly that of my own country.

I live in a state of barely-controlled chaos; fortunately I share my life with an invariably calm and endlessly optimistic husband. I divide my time between an apartment in the city, in reach of good espresso, and a few acres in the country, where the rank grass in the orchard is kept under control by a small mob of sheep (and where we have our own espresso machine).

When I'm not writing, reading, or engaged in mundane activities, I play the piano rather badly.

WorkingGirlReviews said of my work:
"one of the best historical novels I’ve had the pleasure to read in years.... I heartily recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and even those who don’t usually." http://bit.ly/rI4YR
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Sorry, but I'm not able to spend much time on Authonomy these days, so it's unlikely that I'll be able to read your manuscript.

favourite books

"Persuasion", "Pride and Prejudice", "Till We Have Faces", "The Lord of the Rings", "Possession", "Villette", "Vanity Fair", the Chronicles of Narnia... and many more.

my websites

http://sites.google.com/site/shayneparkinson/     http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/shaynep