Behind many writers and projects there are colleagues and friends who advise, support and help. In my Hall of Fame I pay tribute to those who have lent their expertise, advice and friendship to my writing projects.
My Writer's Group
I have been part of my writers' group for many years and cannot begin to
say how valuable their support, expertise and friendship has been to me. Pictured here (L to R) are my writing colleagues and good friends Anne, Deborah, Jocelyn and Fredrika. We met back in the 1980s at a University of Auckland Continuing Education Summer School writing course. All participants formed groups afterwards. I was not in this one initially but gravitated in some years later. These four writers have been together since that workshop all those years ago so it is indeed an honour for me to be part of their group.
Fredrika is a poet and PhD scholar. Anne enjoys writing short, wonderfully quirky pieces about life. Deborah is a published author of two books (non-fiction/biography) and will publish her third this year. Jocelyn's work has been seen in numerous publications and she has self-published too (Jocelyn is featured in my Hall of Fame).
Over the years we have been there for each other throughout our writing projects, sharing the trials, tribulations and the successes too.
With The Pink Party I had a very difficult time trying to decide where to start - or even how to start - the writing of it. The group listened as I told them of my torment and indecision and collectively they gave me one of the best pieces of advice I have ever had.
'Just start writing,' they said. 'Don't think about where to start - whether it should be the beginning of the book - or the end. Just start anywhere. Give yourself permission to do that.'
Paul and Marge Smith - Good Friends
I was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in the suburb of Burien, south 
of downtown. The Smiths lived in Burien too, not far from our house. Two of the Smith kids were close in age to my sister and I, so we'd all play together.
My Mom was great friends with Marge Smith and their friendship has lasted to this day. When we moved to New Zealand in 1963, Mom and Marge began corresponding faithfully, by 'aerogram', and they still keep in touch via post or internet. Marge and Paul have visited New Zealand on several occasions so this has truly been a lifelong friendship.
In 1978, I went back to the US to live and travel and stayed with the Smiths. They welcomed me into their home and helped me get organised for my new life there. I was often homesick and was frequently overwhelmed by entire aisles in the grocery stores devoted to breakfast cereals, had romantic but vague aspirations to be a writer and finally got a job working for Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone in the repair services department - and that's another story!
During that time, Marge and I became very good friends and we'd share wonderful walks, a love of books and writing. She introduced me to many new writers and we'd take our walks and talk about their work.
I would often spend time with Paul in his workshop. Even now, if I'm over for a visit, we'll hang out in there. He shows me his woodworking projects (he produces the most amazing furniture - he can make most anything) and we talk about stuff in amongst the sawdust and the tools, machines and wood. Above is a picture of Paul in his shop and he says, 'Here's what it looks like in my garage/shop. Only two people can get in at one time. Trivets, desk organisers and handles can be seen on the table.'
Paul and I would talk about working in wood, selecting just the right materials to create the feel and look he was after and he'd show me what he was working on.
Paul and Marge and their family were kind, supportive friends at a time when I was a bit lost, far from home and needed guidance and advice. If it hadn't been for them, I doubt I would have lasted in America - and that time there was richly important in my development as a writer.
Zenith Publishing Group - The Printers 
Behind every good-looking book there is a good-looking team of printers and when I was shopping around to find a company for The Pink Party, one of the best-looking names kept popping up - Zenith Publishing in New Plymouth.
The Pink Party was my first venture into self publishing so I wanted a printer that was not too expensive and would do short book runs and 'print-on-demand.'
I contacted Ocean Reeve at Zenith Publishing Group and he gave me a quote to print the book which was very competitive and reasonable. The Pink Party was produced and delivered right on time too.
PublishMe has developed from the Zenith Publishing Group Ltd. It is an online service offering writers the opportunity to ‘self publish’ their own books. Every step in the process 
is covered, from planning the writing to selling the finished product.
On my recent visit to New Plymouth I stopped in to the offices at Zenith Publishing and spent a very happy hour with the team who had produced The Pink Party. It was a real treat to meet the Print Manager Hayley who remembered the book because of its bright pink cover. I also met (pictured L to R) Marketing Coordinator Karen Watt, Client Manager Julie Bromfield and Ocean Reeves, the PublishMe Client Manager who worked with my designers to produce the book.
I can certainly recommend both Zenith Print for the excellent quality of their work and PublishMe as a comprehensive and supportive way to go for those interested in self publishing.
"www.publishme.co.nz . . . PublishMe is New Zealand’s unique online publishing community – offering personal, skilled assistance which empowers authors and supports the development of creative works to reach receptive markets."
Betty Bissell - My Mom
My mom, Betty Jane, has always been my staunch supporter. She was the first person
to read the initial drafts of my two books and is not 'backwards about coming forwards', as we say, when it comes to offering constructive feedback. She majored in English literature at college and has a good eye for grammatical slip ups and things that don't make sense. She points these out to me from a list of notes that she makes as she reads.
Mom will be 81 this year and she has always loved books, instilling that love of reading in me and my two siblings. She will read whodunnits, real life mysteries, loves stories about earthquakes, storms and natural disasters. She enjoys poetry. One of her favourite writers is Alice Walker. She is especially fond of Zora Neale Thurston's book 'Their Eyes were Watching God' and also has a well-thumbed copy of 'Black Elk Speaks'.
Mom introduced me to books very early on. She read Dr Seuss books to me and I was particularly fond of 'One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish.' We progressed to Agatha Christie books and even now we both enjoy a good murder mystery by Mo Hayder or Ruth Rendall.
My mom also introduced me to black coffee and single malt whiskey, two indispensable items on any writer's list.
Jocelyn Watkin - Business Advisor 
It helps a writer to have some business savvy these days and when you're not too flash at it - like me - it's always valuable to have someone on your side who is. I'd like to introduce you to my good friend and writing colleague Jocelyn Watkin.
I've known Jocelyn for many years now - we met at a summer writing workshop in 1980-something and have belonged to the same writing group for almost as long.
It was Jocelyn who said ,'Of course you can!' when I was wondering if I could ever summon the confidence to send the manuscript of Welcome to the Amazon Club off to a publisher and it was Jocelyn who sat down with me to develop a plan for doing just that. We shortlisted publishers, wrote the introductory letter and synopsis and produced a template for a 'pitch' kit which I use to this day. When I decided to self-publish The Pink Party, once again Jocelyn lent her expertise to the project, advising on the process, how to market the book, how to approach potential sponsors and how to always ensure that I was not putting myself on the back foot - something I quite like to do ...
With co-author Kim Gabites, Jocelyn has just self-published Keeping the Faith - Travel the World, which is both a travel and financial planning book on how to be footloose, fancy-free and how to pay for it.
Jocelyn and I frequently get together to share experiences as we go down the self-publishing and promotion road - it is so reassuring to have a fellow-traveler!
"Mrs . M" - My Mentor
My oldest friend is Katherine and her Mum passed away in 2003. Whenever I write anything, I think of Katherine's Mum, Mrs. M. She was very fond of my cat Betsy 
and would often send me little cartoon drawings of Betsy in the garden, chasing butterflies, smelling flowers, lying under her favourite tree in the shade, or just commenting on the state of the world ....
I saw Mrs. M. a few days before she passed away and I'd like to quote some lines from my latest book, The Pink Party about Mrs. M.
"I didn't tell Mrs. M. everything I wanted to and I feel sad about that. Mrs. M. was my writing mentor. She took my childhood scribblings seriously. In my teenage years I would walk up to the house with proud little stories tucked under my arm. Mrs. M. and I sat at 
the dining table with glasses of orange cordial, slices of apple and a plate of Super Wine biscuits, and she would take to my creations with a red pen, slashing and burning. If it had been a particularly damaging session for my creative ego, Mrs. M. brewed us some real coffee, an exotic treat in the age of instant. She would then send me home with a bag of silver beet from the garden, a wad of newspaper and magazine clippings about writing, and revisions to do for next time.
" But I learned how to write. That was what I wanted to say to her and I left it too late... The last time I saw her she was very ill. We managed a short conversation... She grasped my arm with a strength that was so surprising, looked at me and the last thing she said was, 'Write lots of books.'
"I told her I would. I didn't say that I wouldn't know how to write them if it hadn't been for her. She passed away two days later."
Martine and Carolina - The Designers
I would like to tell you about th
e two wonderful designers who took on The Pink Party with such care and enthusiasm. Martine le Coultre and Carolina de Armas work in Remuera, Auckland and together they designed the cover of The Pink Party and formatted the text for printing.
The Pink Party is my first self-published book so I knew I would need help to ensure the end result was as good as it could be. I approached Martine and Carolina to design the cover and book - and they did a wonderful job.
Both Martine and Carolina had so much empathy for the subject and I think the cover is a true reflection of just how well they understood the theme of the book, 'a celebration of life.' It is bright, pink and joyous.
Finding professionals who share your vision and commitment is so important. Not only did I learn from them about the design process but I have made two new friends - they are pictured here at the book launch with their families (Carolina with her husband and daughter on the left, Martine and partner Peter on right).