May Newsletter

On the 20th of April, when my book was published, I could legitimately call myself an author for the first time. I have had many job titles over the years but never... an author. It feels pretty special but more importantly the book is receiving nothing but positive comments and that's incredibly satisfying. As the dust settles I have made a start the next book, Being a Distance Son or Daughter - a Book for ALL Generations. I can't tell you when it will be published. The first one took a year which is pretty good. Let's see how long this one takes!
Kind regards
​Helen Ellis

It's here...

​Every author waits for THIS moment. It's the first and only copy in New Zealand and really chuffed with it. The global printers will crank up their machines next week.

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Trans Tasman Bubble

Love this. Whānau is Maori for extended family.
The skies have opened between New Zealand and Australia. Distance Families can now reunite with no compulsory quarantine.
​A Red Letter Day for many Distance Families.

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Important Delivery

​My book stock has arrived and copies are heading off to the NZ media - pretty exciting. A media launch will commence in New Zealand on 1 July 2021.
To order your copy from anywhere click here.

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"Say it with flowers"

In my book, I write about the power of the written word and how precious letters and cards are to their recipient.

This week I received some congratulatory flowers from an overseas friend. What a joy. Flowers are too fragile to send around the world – but here they were, delivered with a press of the doorbell.
It reminded me of my youth when my father managed the advertising account for Interflora. As a teenager, I thought Interflora was incredibly glamorous. How amazing it would be to receive flowers from the other side of the world? This was of course! well before the internet. Important messages including flower orders were sent by telegram.
These thoughts led me to delve into the history of Interflora which still operates today. If you’re interested, have a look at this YouTube link.
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But back to this post – flowers, like the written word, have power. These days we can use Interflora or email a florist in the same suburb as our distance family and pay no more to have flowers delivered, than if they lived down the road. Good to remember.

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