New Releases by Stephanie Johnson

A brilliant novel about history, the forgetting and rewriting of it, and a satire on a society that has lost compassion in the process. Smooch is a ''Whistler'', a genetically altered lapdog with special talents, including the ability to remember his previous incarnations and to communicate directly from his brain by electronically downloading his thoughts onto disc. Smooch has been reincarnated many times, and has lived on many of the great laps of history, past and future. He can recall many of history''s key moments, such as the birth of Jesus and the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots. The Whistler is a virtuosic feat: wise, funny and intelligent. Smooch''s current reincarnation is in Sydney in the year 2318. The world has gone to hell: democratic government worldwide has given way to a society run by corporations, pollution is everywhere, and society is heavily stratified between the haves and have nots.

This unique novel is both a compelling love story and an insightful writing manual. ''Writers take what we learn of human nature and, fuelled by our longings for other existences and other times, forge new identities that can be as real as she is, sitting with her dog on the weathered step of the old house, stories that move us to tears or laughter.'' Merle Carbury, an author in her own right, also teaches Creative Writing. Amid the tension of the final semester of the year, her many and varied students prepare to submit their manuscripts. As Merle mentors their assorted ambitions, observes the romantic entanglements of her colleague, worries about her husband and is intrigued by their mysterious German lodger, she both imparts and embodies how to write a novel. Written by a prize-winning author, who is also an experienced teacher, the overarching intelligence, compassion and wicked humour in this inventive book make it a joy to read.

Wry and insightful, this short story is told by a young American girl, who is all too knowing about her own world, but ignorant about the Kiwi strangers she meets. When Ruthie''s father needs a drink, he takes his young daughter with him. She sits in the bar, with her pink panther, watching the drinkers and fending off unwanted approaches. One day there are strangers at the bar, with an unusual accent, saying they are from ''Nyu Zillun''. They give Ruthie a ''little green monster'' they call a ''tuckie'' and ask her about herself . . .

A moving novel about a blind son with a love for music that surpassed sight and gave him a vision uniquely his own. A fortnight after jazz pianist Carl Tyler''s funeral, his lover Tamara has one week to go before she leaves New Zealand to return to her native Chicago. His mother Nola wants to solve the mystery of her son''s death, to know everything Tamara might be able tell her, so she begins an account of Carl''s early life, in the hope that Tamara will remember a clue to what happened at its end. Nola was a dental nurse in the 1960s. Her life revolved around her spotless dental clinic at the local school, the ''murder house'' the kids called it. She didn''t know it, but by taking an interest in young Brett''s bruises, and meeting his father Bernie, her life would be changed for ever.

Returning to the biting and hilarious satire of contemporary New Zealand conveyed so well in the prize-winning The Shag Incident, this is a daring, astute and rollicking novel. John Tomb saw more of the world than most Englishmen of the early nineteenth century. From England to Australia to New Zealand, he led a life of adventure and romance. Two hundred years after his death, his tattooed head is discovered in an American museum. His spirit reawakened, John Tomb wryly observes those who would lay claim to his relic. Among others, there''s the New Zealand delegation headed by the Prime Minister and including Tomb''s Maori descendants, a leading historian, a prominent carver, the Diplomatic Protection Squad and the Prime Minister''s fifteen-year-old daughter. From England come Tomb''s English descendants and supporters, eager to take the head back to the land of his birth and their family museum. There is also a wealthy private collector and his clever wife ...

An epic novel of love and religion that sweeps across New Zealand and America at the turn of the nineteenth century. In 1899 William McQuiggan leaves his young Australian wife and new-born twins in New Zealand and travels to America in search of God. Belief is the story of his journey and of his marriage to Myra, who follows him from Auckland to Salt Lake City, Utah, and to Zion City, Illinois. With each leg of the journey the family grows until William is the reluctant father of six, and Myra''s understanding of her husband deepens and matures. Belief is a vivid evocation of a way of life that has passed, a tale told on a grand scale: the story spans seventeen years, three countries and three religions. More than that, it is the story of how love and patience may triumph over violence and despair.

A collection of short stories to dip into and devour, by a prize-winning writer. These 23 stories show the breadth of Stephanie Johnson''s fine writing. It features poignant insights as well as her sharp wit, with characters as diverse as a woman arranging a second wife for her husband, a criminal returning to the care of his mother, and a widow who hears an octopus call her name.

Darkly satirical and wickedly funny, this prize-winning novel takes a tilt at a wide range of contemporary matters. What happened that connects a diverse group of characters, along with an ex-All Black and an elephant? The people who committed the act of revenge in 1985 thought it was perfectly executed. Twenty years on, the truth is revealed, the truth about the deception that started it all. From sexual stereotyping to militant feminism, the machismo of the All Blacks to new age beliefs, psychiatry to womb burial and naming ceremonies, nothing is safe from the razor-sharp wit of this superb writer. This novel won the Deutz Medal for Fiction in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

A fascinating novel about secrets, finding a home and early colonial New Zealand. ''I miss my smiling son more than any other man before or since.'' London 1866. Elizabeth Smith is struggling to survive when she hears that her former New Zealand employers, Judge and Lady Martin, are returning to England. Accompanied by her dear friend, the lunatic Reverend Cotton, she makes a pilgrimage to settle old scores. Elizabeth is also accompanied by liberal doses of opiates and two small ghosts, walking by her side, whispering, murmuring, calling her. Award-winning writer Stephanie Johnson lovingly peoples a landscape of the past. Mid-century New Zealand, London and the spa town of Buxton are vividly evoked in a novel about motherhood, earliest colonial days, pharmacology and poreirewa - the yearning for absent loved ones.

Beulah, a dedicated nurse, wife and mother is forced to choose between the survival of her family or her sanity. All she''s ever known was to take care of her husband Teddy and children Shelly and Wallace. Sacrificing both her physical and mental health, she diligently strived to make sure they didn''t lack or want for anything. It wasn''t until a stream of unfortunate events unraveled that Beulah realized her family didn''t need her and was forced to make a choice on whether to stick it out and save her family or throw caution to the wind and save herself. After being humiliated at work by a patient who tries to sexually assault her at the bequest of a few security guards, finding out her husband Teddy lives a double life as a gay man and cross dresser, the promiscuous behavior her daughter Shelly strives to perfect, being assaulted and arrested on drug charges because of her son Wallace''s affiliation with gangs, Beulah''s life was its lowest of lows. Once released from jail, she walks out of the police station and keeps going, never to return to her home or family. Shortly on her journey, she is picked up by Jose a passerby, who is able to convince Beulah to allow him to take her to a nearby homeless shelter. Once there, Beulah experiences unadulterated mental despair and becomes borderline psychotic. Jose, who remains close to her, soon becomes the key to Beulah''s recovery and leads her down a road that not only allows Beulah to learn her self worth, but gives her the strength to live again. Dying for Life is the story of a woman who lost herself in her family. What she thought was rock bottom was a self revelation and golden second chance at life, love and internal peace. No longer dying for life, Beulah is able to take the broken pieces of her past and create a collage of new beginnings; beginnings of internal acceptance, unconditional love and acceptance of a new relationship with her estrange family.

A powerful novel about friendship, guilt and sex and our changing notions of loyalty and culpability. Friends since childhood, Norman and Lyn grow up as next-door neighbours at the turn of the twentieth century. When Lyn is sent to manage a central North Island timber mill at the tender age of fourteen, Norman goes to visit him. There he is forced to confront a mysterious adult truth. Later, in their twenties, the two men commit an act so appalling that it ruptures their friendship for many years. In 1972 the elderly Norman meets a young woman in a pub. Burdened by the memory he must at long last assuage, he presses Bronwyn into becoming his unwilling confessor.

Five miniature dolls come to life in Great Britain during the Second World War. Explores ideas of history, storytelling, and imagination. Suggested level: primary.

A book for everyone, including; therapists, social workers, psychologists and allied health professionals.This exciting new book by Stephanie Johnson promises to be a breath of fresh air in the brief family therapy arena. Solution focused counselling....Keeping it Real, discusses the philosophy of solution focused framework with step by step examples of the techniques and principles of solution focused. This is a great book for those who are interested in using solution focus in their work and want to know more. It gives a concise guide to the steps in solution focused by using case studies, examples, interventions and clearly demonstrates a brilliant first session outline. For those who want a ¿one-stop¿ shop of the techniques of solution focused discussed in a clear and practical way, this book is for you!www.solutionfocusedcounselling.com

When their husbands stop paying attention to them, three best friends take matters into their own hands as they engage in anonymous sexual encounters and passionate one-night stands. Reprint.

When Lakeda, a sensual beauty who is gifted with the power to seduce any man she meets - and make them bend to her will, sets her sights on Brian, a sexy restauranteur, she soon discovers that his sexual addictions could push her over the edge. Original.

This dissertation explored the phenomenon of Online Infidelity. Two hundred thirty seven heterosexual men and women completed an online survey about their experiences online and opinions of online behaviors as infidelity, possible precursors to seeking Online Infidelity, and about their response to vignettes presented about hypothetical Online Infidelity scenarios. The results of the study were compared to information available about Face to Face Infidelity. Reactions to and opinions about Online Infidelity were expected to mirror the research about Face to Face Infidelity. The results of this study indicated that while respondents did react similarly to sexual and combined Online Infidelity as predicted in the literature about FTFI. However, respondents did not respond to emotional Online Infidelity in a way that is similar to the research available about Face to Face Infidelity, indicating that a sexual component needs to be present to induce a strong reaction to Online Infidelity.

For Morgana, Francesca and Iceis, life in the Five Lands had always been peaceful. Now an evil force has shattered their peace and that of their world. As Queen Aeola sends her armies to march on the peaceful Lands, the three women are brought together by destiny. Led by the spirit shade Lothian, and Meadowstar the unicorn, they and their friends must embark on a dangerous quest to stop the queen. As their journey unfolds, the three must face hardships and heartache as they find out their true identities and attempt to defeat the evil that has poisoned their world.

A woman who was severely abuse by her father as a child does not realise she has a rebellious altyernative personality, which emerges and threatens to take over her life. It''s alive!

When she marries Kyle Evans, a captain at the local police department, Pier finds her new husband''s controlling ways comforting, until he tries to take over her life. Original.

Sinclair has issues: after discovering that her husband is having an affair with not one, but two women, she divorces him. She thinks she is finally over the heartbreak until she meets Aliette, one of the two women who wrecked her marriage. Now she wants revenge, or she thinks she does. She falsely befriends Aliette with plans to destroy her life, but something unexpected happens. Now she must decide if revenge is more important than this unlikely friendship. Will Aliette be made to pay for her past, or will these two women form a bond and become a force to be reckoned with?

Human-induced climate change is an important environmental issue worldwide, as scientific studies increasingly demonstrate that human activities are changing the Earth''s climate. Even if dramatic reductions in emissions were made today, some human-induced changes are likely to persist beyond the 21st century. The Kyoto Protocol calls for emissions reporting that separates out management-induced changes in greenhouse gases from those changes caused by indirect human effects (e.g., carbon dioxide fertilization, nitrogen deposition, or precipitation changes), natural effects, and past practices on forested agricultural lands. This book summarizes a September 2003 workshop where leaders from academia, government and industry came together to discuss the current state of scientific understanding on quantifying direct human-induced change in terrestrial carbon stocks and related changes in greenhouse gas emissions and distinguishing these changes from those caused by indirect and natural effects.

It is 1918 and Spanish Flu is epidemic in Suva, the capital of Fiji. Twelve year old Olive is sent with her brothers and grandmother to Taveuni to stay with her childless aunt and uncle on their sugar plantation to escape the disease as her mother lies dying of the flu in their family home. The months that follow hold magic and sorrow for Olive, as she uncovers well kept family secrets and grieves for her dying mother. The Sailmaker''s Daughter is dedicated to the memory of Stephanie Johnson''s grandmother, who was born in Fiji in 1905. Like Olive in the book, her grandmother was one of a large family; her father was the sailmaker in Suva and her mother died of the Spanish Flu at the end of the Great War. The Sailmaker''s Daughter is both a tribute to Stephanie Johnson''s grandmother and a powerful evocation of a mystical paradise lived and lost.