Who is John McAneney?

Born in New Zealand, John began working with the Royal New Zealand Navy before following a career in science. After gaining a PhD in the US, he has lived in France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. In 1992, he and a friend walked some 1000 km following the Camino de Compostela from the French side of the Pyrenees. Their adventures are chronicled in Where Wine Flows like Water: A Gastronomic Pilgrimage through Spain. 

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For some years John was based at a small research station in the Far North of New Zealand, drawn to the region by its climate, coastal scenery and sailing opportunities. For some of this period, John and his family lived at a remote beach on Māori tribal lands. His Latitude 35° S series of novels -- Shifting Sands, Dead Reckoning and A Holy Misconception -- grew out of this experience. Each shares some of the same characters and graphically portrays life in the Far North's remote settlements. The stories are set against the pervasive background of the sea and a rich colonial history, which continues to resonate today. 

In And Being of Sound Mind . . ., John tackles the complex issue of elder abuse as a woman condemned to a dementia ward finds imaginative ways to regain her independence and exact revenge on a jealous sibling and crooked aged-care facility. 

John is now back home living again in the Bay of Islands dividing his time between his chief passions of writing and sailing.