Conrad Murrihy’s mother is dying and she has one final wish: to see her eldest son Francis who has not contacted home in two years.
In a race to find him and return home to his mother, Conrad travels far from his native Nova Scotia, Canada and through the heart of rural North Island, New Zealand following leads to Taumarunui, Auckland, Whanganui, Ratana and, finally, on an epic journey up the Whanganui River.
Along the way, Conrad discovers his brother has been living multiple lives – as a Catholic brother, a spoken-word poet, a suspected criminal and a new kind of poropiti for iwi Maori.
Conrad’s search forces him to confront issues in his own life – issues of commitment, family loyalties, reconciliation with the past and openness to future possibilities – brought on by his encounters with the people, places and spirits of New Zealand.
In this, his first novel, Antony Millen explores the complex spiritual fabric of New Zealand while still telling a simple story of a man trying to mend his family.
Targeted Age Group:
16+
What Advice Would You Give Aspiring Writers?
John Steinbeck’s 6 writing tips – http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/6-writing-tips-from-john-steinbeck/254351/ especially number 3:
“Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.”
I wrote with my brother in mind and this extended out from there to Nova Scotians, Canadians, North Americans and of course New Zealanders.
Author Bio:
Antony Millen is a Canadian living and writing in New Zealand.
He is an avid reader who spends far too much energy on less important things. He has won no awards for his unpublished short stories and poetry.
Antony’s healthy addictions include watching ice hockey on the internet and writing. He has seven bad habits: three are mundane misdemeanors, two exasperate his wife and one should be against the law but thankfully isn’t. His seventh is forgetting items in a list.
In his spare time, Antony leads a High School English department and bumbles his way through family life.
Redeeming Brother Murrihy is his first novel – a labour of love for almost 15 years.
For More Information:
Website & Blog: antonymillen.wordpress.com
Twitter: @antony_millen
Facebook: Antony Millen author page
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?So many things – my life experience in New Zealand over the past 17 years, literary influences.
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