Odyssey Books

21/09/2023

It's mental health awareness week here in New Zealand and to honour the message, we are sharing a collection of video's that highlight some of our authors work.

Today is Rāpare / Thursday and the theme is Connect.

From the MHAW website:
"Connect refers to making social connections, or whakawhanaungatanga. A sense of feeling connected, loved or belonging with others is strongly associated with better wellbeing and other health outcomes by providing a sense of meaning, safety, support and purpose."

Kylie's collection of poetry is a journey of learning how to re-connect with herself and others, after being abandoned by her mother. It's a raw and powerful collection by a young poet.

We hope this poem allows anyone else struggling with self-love to feel supported by feeling seen, to know they are not alone and that there is always hope. If you feel affected by the themes in this book, please reach out to your local support services, there is always someone to listen a text or phone call away.

With aroha/love, from the team at Odyssey Books.

visit the MHAW website for more tools to support wellbeing: mhaw.nz

19/09/2023

It's mental health awareness week here in Aotearoa, and todays post in honor of the movement is very special because author, J Victoria Michael, is NZ born (now living in Melbourne) and has just completed her GriffinSong Trilogy.
In this video we introduce to you her main character, Irenya.

Rātū / Tuesday theme is Give:

From the MHWA website:
"Take a moment to stop and kōrero {talk} with your neighbour, bus driver or the checkout assistant at the supermarket. Ask ‘how are you/kei te pēhea koe?’ and really listen. It might make all the difference to their day."

Irenya battles with Anxiety and PTSD, throughout the books she encounters many characters who she is able to connect with in profoundly impactful ways. By sharing her experiences with others, she is able to gain insights to herself and they are often able to understand more about themselves too. Connecting with people is a powerful tool towards well being.

We hope you can give some of your time today to meet Irenya and celebrate diverse representation in fiction that simultaneously invites us to gain insights about our own world, broadening our perspectives and empowering others to feel seen.

Remember to give yourself and other time and compassion.
You are never alone,
With aroha (love) from the Odyssey Books team.

check out the mental health awareness week website for more tools to promote wellbeing: https://mhaw.nz/

18/09/2023

It's Mental Health Awareness Week here in NZ and in honour of the movement, we have put together a series of video's highlighting some of our author's whose work promotes well-being.

Today is Monday/Rāhina and the focus is:
Take Notice.

The MHAW website says:
"Developing the ability to be fully present and conscious without being overly reactive or overwhelmed is no easy feat, it takes practice to achieve the delicate balance of awareness. When we take notice or practice mindfulness, we’re creating space for ourselves—space to think, space to breathe, space between ourselves and our reactions."

Linathi Makanda's poems we are sharing with you today are a great example of poetry that encourages taking time to be in your present moment, with acceptance, love and empowering vulnerability. Throughout both her collections, Linathi invites the reader to take pause, take a moment to breathe and sit with their own feelings as they are invited to journey through the healing process and reclaiming of self.

We invite you to take pause and watch the video, pausing when you need more time to read, breathe out with self compassion and kindness for others.

Remember, you are never alone
Aroha/love from the Odyssey Books team.

Check out https://mhaw.nz for more information about supporting mental health and wellbeing.

16/09/2023

Irenya O’Neil may be able to summon light from the stars, but is it enough to light the way through her darkest moment yet?

As a MageVoice seer, Irenya’s visions will make the people of Dar Orien question all their beliefs. If they refuse to adapt, the realm can never be secure.

And how long can she ignore the ache that Mikey still believes he is her brother?

Can Irenya help to save her home, Dar Orien, and all whom she loves once and for all? Find out in this epic conclusion to the GriffinSong Trilogy!

Get your copy today!
www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781922311832/

13/09/2023

J Victoria Michael (Judith) was Born and raised in New Zealand. The pristine beaches and richly-greened landscapes are firmly etched in her imagination, coupled with living among the flamenco gypsies of Andalusia and communing with mediaeval spirits in France, these places have inspired her rich world building.

Now living in Melbourne, Australia with a bossy ginger cat, Judith is a lover of music and dance and a storyteller with an insatiable curiosity for other dimensions.

Holding a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing, she enjoys the involvement and enthusiasm of writing groups and workshops in person, and online.

Her short stories have won various awards and have appeared online and in print.

Within a few weeks of finishing the manuscript of her first fantasy novel, she began the re-write, retaining only the protagonist and the original premise. The story of one woman’s compelling need to redefine herself could have been confined to contemporary Australia, but Judith wanted to add the archetypal element of an imagined world.

She enjoys summoning characters to her study for a discussion to help influence her writing, although sometimes they have been known to summon her to the fictional world of Dar Orien too.

27/08/2023

Monday 21 August 6 – 9 pm

25/08/2023

Dont forget to save the date for our special celebration of GriffinSinger trilogy becoming complete!

Fleetwalker, the much anticipated final book is OUT NOW.

02/08/2023

If you are in Australia, Songbird - Book one of the GiffinSong series is currently on special for 99c.

With vol. 3 - Fleetwalker - about to be released, if you haven't started the GiffinSong series yet, now is the perfect time!

A twentieth century woman is lost in a fantasy world with nothing but the clothes on her back and her innate humanity. This is the story of her compelling need to redefine herself. When Irenya O’Neil suffers a panic attack and falls into the realm of Dar Orien, a world with a failed MageGa...

20/06/2023

We're having an EOFY sale to make room for exciting new releases coming out this year! Check out which titles are on sale - get up to 80% off.



➡️ https://www.odysseybooks.com.au/?s=&product_cat=sale&book_author=0&post_type=product

23/05/2023

With the frequency of unpredictable weather events across the globe and the rise of Artificial Intelligence rapidly changing how we think about our world, you may be wondering what our not too distant future could look like.

In the thought provoking novel Court of the Grandchildren, authors Greg Finlayson and Michael Muntisov examine exactly that by asking the question: who can be held accountable for climate change?

Last year, in one of our Book Club - Meet the Author specials, we had the privilege to get to know a little more about the authors and host a discussion addressing some of the Big Think questions the novel raises, including chatting about the process of co-writing a novel.

You can check out this Book Club special as well as many others on our YouTube channel: Odyssey Books Club Posse.

If you haven't got your copy of this increasingly poignant novel, visit www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781922311146/ or download the digital version wherever you get your e-books!

https://youtu.be/QmHUymEBpxM

In this wonderful discussion with authors Michael Muntisov and Greg Finlayson, Court of the Grandchildren is taken under the microscope and the BIG QUESTIONS...

16/05/2023

A Lover-Letter to Academia!

Author Laura E. Goodin, shares her thoughts on University that inspired part of her highly intelligent, quirky and darn right fun adventure novel 'Mud and Glass'.

You can see the full video on our YouTube channel!

Order your copy at: www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781922200860/

Author Laura E Goodin shares her thoughts on University that inspired part of her highly intelligent, quirky and darn right fun adventure novel Mud and Glass...

27/04/2023

Enjoyed our sample poems from recent posts?

Now you can hear Kylie, Loic and Linathi talk poetry together, for the first time, on the full length recording of the virtual Oddies Poetry Posse event!
There is even an open mic at the end.

In celebration of international poetry month, Odyssey Books held a virtual Poets Corner Book-Club special.We invited our poets and the public to join us in a...

20/04/2023

To continue our poetry samplers - here is the charming Loic Ekinga sharing his selected poem for the Oddies Poetry Corner.

Hear South African poet, Loic Ekinga read a heartfelt poem from his collection 'How To Wake a Butterfly' from the Oddies Poetry Posse global virtual event!Yo...

19/04/2023

Sharing some poetry to enrich your day!

Hear young poet Kylie Gifis read a visually powerful poem adapted from her debut collection 'The Universe Made the Stars and then She Made You'.
An excerpt from The Oddies Poetry Posse live global virtual event.

You can purchase her collection in e-book or print at: www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781922311320

Hear young poet Kylie Gifis read a visually powerful poem adapted from her debut collection 'The Universe Made the Stars and then She Made You'.An excerpt fr...

23/03/2023

A great article introducing one of our most recently signed Australian authors David Schembri - Author/Artist.
Great to have you join the Oddies David! :)

Wesburn horror author and comic creator David Schembri has been picked up again by a publisher, with a new novella [...]

23/03/2023

We had scheduled some posts to share some exciting news leading up to World Poetry day on the 21st of March, but it seems something went awry - the course of social media never did run smooth!

However, we think poetry is always worth the wait and always better late than never so despite the delay, we will start our poetry special posts today!

Announcement!
We now have a YouTube account for all things Book-Club related.

We will be uploading videos over the next few months.
To start us off, here is an excerpt from our live Poetry Posse event 2022.

Linathi Makanda

An except from our live virtual Poetry Posse event! Hear South African poet, Linanthi Makanda, share her poem - The Dinner Table - from her empowering collec...