As a Welsh-born, Cornish raised immigrant who married a fourth-generation Kiwi bloke with Irish, Scottish and English ancestors, Vicky developed a passion for family history – and a love of old photos, antiques, and treasures from the past.
The further she dug into the past the more she wanted to record the lives of the people who were the foundations of her new country. Not just her ancestors but all those who braved the oceans and became pioneers in a raw new land.
Vicky combined her skills to write sometimes heart-warming, sometimes tragic novels about early immigrants to New Zealand. Although the history remains true to the times, she fictionalised the characters to better explore themes of family, loyalty, home and belonging, while weaving mysteries, both past and present, into family life with love, laughter, and tears.
Through these stories, readers can choose to journey alongside those immigrants as they created a new life in The New Zealand Immigrant Collection, six stand-alone yet interconnected stories which uncover the mysteries, the lies and the challenges of the past.
Or follow their descendants as they delve into The Art of Secrets series to uncover the long lost secrets of bygone days while searching for their roots.
Through Vicky’s stories, readers can journey alongside the immigrants as they create a new life in New Zealand.
As a side-step to her New Zealand based stories, a new series called “The Ancestors’ will explore the lives of 19th century British women with tales of enduring love, bearing loss, and weathering life’s storms inspired by her research.
Vicky holds a MA(Hons) in English, is a lover of art, antiques, gardens, good food and red wine. She and her husband travel throughout New Zealand in their caravan and travel the world when they can. She hopes readers enjoy learning about the past through her stories as much as she had in writing them.
Coming Soon
The story behind thirty years of genealogy research and ten published novels. It explores the hows and whys of a writing life — the constant desire to write, to share a story, to make sure it is never lost.
Behind every family tree is a story.
Behind every story is a voice that brought it to light.
From the shores of New Zealand, Vicky Adin pens her most personal story yet. Part memoir, part craft narrative, part family history, she shares her journey from a curious young amateur genealogist to an author inspired to bring the past to life.
She explores how life events changed her path, why family connection became so ingrained, and what she learnt along the way. To her surprise, delving into the lives of people of the past — women especially – resulted in ten published novels. The deeper she searched, the more she wanted to write, to share a story, to make sure it is never lost.
“The relationships of ordinary people, experiencing real joy and heartache, of loss and personal growth, satisfied me most. That is what inspires me.”
This is not an instruction book, but one that provides hints and tips in an extensive RESOURCES section, packed with practical information. From genealogy methodology and research, to writing, editing and publishing tips, online searching, promotion, marketing and much more. It will serve as an invaluable toolkit for any budding author, offering essential guidance far beyond the field of family history.
Book 1 of “The Ancestor”s series
A heart-rending tale of enduring love.
Young Sarah Daniels is the heart, soul, and future of The White Hart Inn on the Welsh Back. Alongside the quay and wharves on Bristol’s floating harbour, she dreams of finding love, and a destiny where she escapes the drudgery and tragedy that life usually delivers Victorian women. But dreams are free, and few share her ideals. When reality strikes, and Sarah learns the hard way that life is unkind, one man offers her hope.
Through many decades of heart aching loss, false promises, and broken dreams, the young widow clings to that one hope. With six children to care for, she takes risks few others would consider. She breaks conventions and makes sacrifices to keep that hope alive.
Will her wishes come true, or is she destined to be another unfortunate in the sea of many?
Book 1 of The Ancestors series.
The six titles in the “New Zealand Immigrants Collection”
“The Art of Secrets” series
Vicky’s books are available to purchase through her website