Donna Goodacre, NZ Author - Historical Fiction Books

Donna Goodacre

Historical Fiction Author

After a 40-year career as an English and Foreign Languages teacher, I am now a passionate author, drawing inspiration for my stories from my family history and heritage.

'Finding Miriama' was my first novel, having started it in 2018 and the sequel, 'Of Greenstone and Violins', was released in March 2025.

Stay tuned for a potential third novel!

My Books

Finding Miriama - NZ Historical Fiction - Donna Goodacre

Of Greenstone and Violins

Finding Miriama

What started as a family tree for my children evolved into a gripping historical novel, based on my ancestors in New Zealand and England and some of their journeys and experiences.

Explore the powerful journey of identity and chasing dreams in my debut novel, Finding Miriama. A compelling story set against the backdrop of Afghanistan's war and the historical tensions of Māori-Pakeha relations in colonial New Zealand, this captivating tale of self-determination will leave you inspired.

Victorian New Zealand sets the stage for an extraordinary story of two brothers bound by blood but divided by empire. Now, in 2010, Ngaroma's discovery in that London cemetery will bridge the generations, revealing how love, sacrifice, and forgiveness shaped her family's legacy across oceans and decades.

Based on the author's own family history, this richly woven narrative continues the story begun in 'Finding Miriama', exploring how the choices of our ancestors echo through time.

The Spirit Remains

In Colonial New Zealand and Victorian London, Lucy knows both love and survival in equal measure. Mother of fifteen children across three relationships, she is a woman shaped by joy, heartbreak, and extraordinary resilience. Her years with Hōhepa leave her with children to raise and a place in two worlds to navigate, guided by his steadfast Uncle Wiremu.

Meanwhile, in 2015, Ngaroma continues her quest to discover her ancestry

This final chapter in the saga is a story of love, loss, and the family threads that bind us.

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The

About Donna

Born in New Zealand and of Tainui Maori descent, my passion for storytelling was ignited in 2018 when a family member encouraged me to write my ancestors' story. After five years of meticulous historical research and some creative imagination, I brought my debut novel, Finding Miriama, to life. Of Greenstone and Violins followed a year later.

Whether I'm on a beach or enjoying live jazz in an intimate setting, I continue to draw inspiration for my writing. Through my novels, I aim to inspire both writers and readers to explore their own stories and histories.

Brilliant Article about Donna Goodacre NZ author

Latest News

Read about my journey, encounters, inspirations and writing

Hello Book 4

Despite promising myself I'd take a break after Book 3, while waiting for 'The Spirit Remains' to come out, I couldn't help myself—I started another book. It's a prequel this time, called 'Voices of Leather Lane (Before the Curtain)' . It starts in 1750 and leads up to the Joseph Greenwood story one hundred years later. More about that next month, perhaps. Working cover Meanwhile, the final interior and cover has been done for Book 3, and the remastered covers of Books 1 an

Goodbye Writing, Hello Promotion

I'm back in New Zealand, adjusting to working around house renovations. They'll be good when they're finished. Meanwhile, I'm in one room with a fridge, a bed and my laptop. What more could I need? I received my manuscript back from my editor and spent a weekend fixing a few things up before sending it back and then getting the final stamp of approval. Yay. So now it's onto promotion while I wait for the publisher to do his thing. He'll format it, organise the new covers and

Signed, Sealed and (nearly) Delivered

This isn't January, but I was a bit busy finishing my book. My editor found a spot for me a couple of months ahead of schedule, and I took it. Then I realised what I'd done! Anyway, I pushed the date out a week or two, after discovering that it's almost impossible to type in the back of a motorhome whilst travelling at 100kph on a back road, and I got there. So this blog post has one main theme and a couple of other minor bits of news. At the beginning of January I discovered

Happy New Year!

from Good Acre Books It's actually 3pm on December 31st, 2025, but since this is the December newsletter, I'm running out of time. It's a balmy 31 degrees today, so I'm sitting outside on the balcony watching pelicans chase the fishing boats on the Brisbane River. The last few weeks in New Zealand were fairly hectic, not with writing, but with organising a new bathroom and kitchen to go in while I'm away. Who'dathought there were so many decisions to be made? I just want hand

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas

One week into December, but I'm pretending it's the end of November. I'm a bit late with this one, my main excuse being I took on the ProWritingAid NovNov Challenge, where you write 50k words during the month of November. I didn't quite make that, but I did achieve 25k, which is a record for me. That brings me to nearly half way through Our Unbroken Spirits. Wow. I could probably slow down now. In November I attended the Escape Festival in Tauranga, where I saw two of my fav

Road Trips and Other Things

When I do these monthly blog posts I always look back on my iphone calendar and photos to jog my memory, and October has been no exception. In fact, it has probably been the busiest month I've had for a while. I'm not complaining though (well, maybe a little bit). To start at the beginning then, on the 8th I headed off to Gisborne, or I should say Tairāwhiti, the first day of my 8 day adventure. I stayed in a motel close to the Poho-O-Rāwiri marae, where most of the events of