Amanda Giorgis - Fast-Paced, Well-Researched Historical Fiction

Amanda emigrated from England to New Zealand's beautiful Mackenzie Basin in 2008. Here, where the scenery inspires and legends abound, she found, by chance, the inspiration to reimagine the story of the infamous sheep rustler, James Mackenzie. From this first book, The Applecross Saga was born. Eight books on, she now lives on a lifestyle block in North Canterbury with Terry, her long-suffering husband, two rescue dogs, a few sheep and some chickens, Amanda continues to create characters and stories based around the true historical facts of 19th century New Zealand. When not writing Amanda finds time for gardening, photography and an occasional lazy day of knitting.  As our Author of the Day, Amanda tells us all about her book, The Wideawake Hat.

Please give us a short introduction to what The Wideawake Hat is about.

The Wideawake Hat is a re-imagining of the life story of James Mackenzie, a legendary character in New Zealand, who supposedly stole some sheep, was put in prison and later pardoned. There is no doubt he existed and was greatly skilled as a shepherd, along with his dog Friday, but nobody knows what became of him when he was released from prison. I like to think he stayed in the area and lived happily ever after with a wife and family around him, so a big part of The Wideawake Hat is Sophia's journey from Scotland to New Zealand, where she meets James.

The view from Mackenzie's monument which is exactly the view Sophia would see from Applecross

The Wideawake Hat blends fiction with real historical figures like James Mackenzie. What inspired you to write about this specific time period and these historical characters?

New Zealand is rightly proud of its relatively short history and there's no doubt that the mid to late 19th century was a period of huge growth and change. It is hard not to be inspired by the many stories of early settlers from Britain, as well as the first Māori folk who brought their rich culture with them when they arrived in Aotearoa. Add to that the vast landscapes of lakes and mountains, which provide the perfect backdrop to my books.

But it was a friend who visited from England who provided the spark for James' story to be written. It was Heather who became fascinated with James Mackenzie and who found an old ruined farmhouse near the Mackenzie memorial that could so easily be Applecross. The rest, as they say, is history!

The journey from the Scottish Highlands to New Zealand is a central part of the book. How did you research the experiences of early pioneers, and what challenges did they face that you found most compelling?

Apart from a wide range of online documents like passenger lists and our excellent Te Ara online encyclopaedia, much of my research was done at the wonderful Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin. There you can find a reconstruction of a steerage cabin and see how people travelled and what they brought with them. You may also recognise Sophia's first home there, and in the portrait gallery, see the stories of many of the early settlers to Dunedin and Otago.

Me taking some of my books to visit James' memorial in the Mackenzie Pass.

Sophia's character undergoes significant growth throughout the novel. How did you develop her character, and what themes were you aiming to explore through her story?

It would have been all too easy to make James Mackenzie the main protagonist of The Wideawake Hat, but I was keen to explore the female influence on those early settlers. Strong women who endured a good deal of hardship, left their families behind in order to support their husbands and bore large families alone in a strange land. Imagine setting up a home in rough terrain while wearing corsets and hooped petticoats! I knew from the start that Sophia would be the strong pillar on which everything else hung, and you will see that theme developing throughout the series of books. In this first book, she is, in many ways, so young and innocent, but with the help of Nancy Lawton, the old Māori woman Atewhai, and the other settlers in Marytown, she is able to endure the hardship of losing her first husband and bearing a child while James is in prison.

The depiction of New Zealand’s landscape plays a vital role in your narrative. How important was it for you to accurately portray the environment, and how does it influence the lives of your characters?

Even now, the South Island of New Zealand is rugged and wild with extremes of weather, and it would have been even more so in the 19th century. It would have influenced the early settlers' methods of transport, the way homes were built and the food that they ate. I wanted to reflect that and, having lived in the Mackenzie Basin, I found it easy to write about high winds, deep snow, flooded rivers and hot, dry summers. In such a place, one becomes much more aware of the environment than you would be in a city. I have to admit to a certain amount of geographical licence in the distances between places, though. Otherwise, my stories would consist entirely of the sheer act of walking or riding from one place to another!

Besides writing, what other "secret" skills do you have?

It isn't really a secret, but my other passion in life is church bellringing which I have been doing since I was a teenager, coincidently meeting the man who would become my husband at my first practice session. We used to ring at Christchurch Cathedral, but the tower fell down in the earthquake in 2011, so I have to make do with the small set of bells we have in our garage for now.

James Mackenzie is a figure shrouded in legend. How did you approach weaving his mysterious history into the fabric of your fictional narrative?

In many ways, anything goes as far as James is concerned. Nobody knows what happened after he was pardoned, and, a bit like Robin Hood, many other versions of his story exist. The details of his trial, conviction and pardon are well documented, so I was able to include real people and events, but later in life we only know that he is an enigmatic character, imposing, red headed and a talented shepherd and drover. The final twist of him using an alternative name adds a bit of mystery to the story too. It is a name he is said to have used on occasion in real life.

The role of animals, particularly James' collie dog Friday, is highlighted in the book. Why did you choose to include animal characters, and how do they contribute to the overall story?

Those who know me will know I was always going to include dogs in my stories! I have owned many working breed dogs in my time, and I consider them to be intelligent in ways we cannot understand, aware of the consequences of their actions like no other breeds. James' dog, Friday is as much a legend as her master, appearing beside him in almost all depictions of the man, so it was a pleasure for me to include her in the story. Not only that, but the working dogs of the Mackenzie Basin are much celebrated for their role in helping to open up that part of the world to sheep farming, there's even a famous statue at Tekapo to commemorate them.

My writing companion, Nemo the huntaway

The title, The Wideawake Hat, is intriguing. Can you explain its significance within the context of the story?

When James escaped from prison a substantial reward of £50 was offered for his recapture. His 'wanted' poster contains a description of the man and the clothing he wore, including a brown wideawake hat. It is the kind of hat most of the settlers would wear, wide and soft brimmed, much like the cowboy hats of the American west. To me, it symbolises the times, comfortable but utilitarian, protecting from the sun, the rain and the wind. You will find that Sophia's first husband George's wideawake hat makes a further appearance later in the series too.

How did your own experiences of emigrating to New Zealand influence the themes and setting of this novel?

I was lucky enough to travel to New Zealand in a Business class seat, far more luxurious than Sophia's berth! I suppose, when we got here, we wanted to understand New Zealand's place in the world and that meant finding out about the European settlers and their history, as well as learning a little about the Māori way of life. We moved to live in the Mackenzie after the Christchurch earthquakes, and while it may look barren and uninteresting, we soon became fascinated by the rich history of the place.

The book is the first in The Applecross Saga. How did you plan the series, and what can readers expect in the subsequent books?

When this first book was published, I grandly told everyone I would write 12 books in the series and go into the 20th century, perhaps up to World War II. I found out very quickly that time can't pass as quickly in the narrative as you might think, so I chose instead to look for significant events of the late 19th century to mark each book. While historical in nature, the Applecross Saga is the story of a family of settlers building a community alongside friends and neighbours. There is joy and tragedy along the way, of course, and people come and go, but Applecross sheep station forms the strong roots of the Mackenzie family tree. As in real life, improved transport and communication means our story has spread outside of the Mackenzie Basin, so you will find our characters in other parts of the South Island and as far away as Switzerland and Scotland.

There are seven published books, so far, and the 8th is due for publication in November 2024.

You’ve mentioned that you weave well-researched historical facts into your stories. What was the most surprising or interesting piece of history you discovered while writing this book?

A small thing, but it came as a complete surprise to me that Friday was a female dog! We only have an old black and white photo to go on, and no real evidence that the dog portrayed in it is really Friday, so I had just assumed the dog was male. I quickly altered things for Friday to have the pups, rather than be the father!

How do you strike a balance between historical accuracy and creative storytelling?

I think the key to writing creatively about real events is to put oneself in the shoes of the characters who are involved in the events. For example, how would Sophia feel about her journey from Scotland? Who might she meet along the way, how might she occupy herself to while away the long voyage? In this way, storylines form themselves as historical events occur. A good example of this is at the start of the 2nd book, 'Shepherd's Delight' in 1859. At this time a massive display of the Aurora Australis occurred, the facts recorded widely. That story is retold in part through the eyes of Atewhai, the old Māori woman, which gives it a romantic angle, based on the legends of her people. I also think that you need to build believable characters for the historical setting in which they exist, appropriate to the times, especially in the narrative they use.

What are you working on right now?

I have almost completed the first draft of the 8th book in the series, 'Echoes of Change'. It is due for publication in November and will be the last in this series. But, there's more to come. We return to the same location and pick up the story through the eyes of James and Sophia's' descendants in 'Applecross - a New Era'. The first book in this series, set in 1901, will be published in 2025.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you

Find out more on my website www.amandagiorgis.com

or go to https://linktr.ee/amandagiorgis for other ways to keep in touch