Who is Vicky Adin?
Vicky Adin is a New Zealand author of ten genealogy-inspired historical fiction novels and family sagas. Holding a Master of Arts with First Class Honours, she has spent decades researching family histories and immigrant stories, transforming real genealogical discoveries into compelling fiction. She is currently writing her memoir, Where Stories Lie Buried — A Memoir of a Genealogist Turned Author.
What is genealogy-inspired historical fiction?
Genealogy-inspired historical fiction is storytelling rooted in real family history research. Rather than inventing characters from scratch, the author begins with genuine genealogical records — census data, birth certificates, newspaper archives, and immigration records — and builds fictional stories around real historical people and events. The characters are fictionalised to protect real families, but the history is authentic.
What is a family saga novel?
A family saga follows characters across generations, tracing how choices, secrets, and circumstances ripple through a family over time. Family sagas are ideal for readers who love rich characters, emotional depth, and stories that span decades or centuries. Vicky Adin’s novels often follow women across two or more timelines, connecting past and present through shared secrets and family mysteries.
What is a dual-timeline historical fiction novel?
A dual-timeline novel tells two stories set in different time periods — usually one in the past and one in the present — that gradually reveal how they connect. Many of Vicky Adin’s novels use this structure, weaving together a historical story and a modern storyline that illuminate each other as the novel progresses.
What order should I read The Art of Secrets series?
The Art of Secrets series follows genealogist Emma across three books and should be read in order:
- Book 1: The Art of Secrets
- Book 2: Elinor the Matriarch
- Book 3: Lucy the Suffragist
Each book works as a standalone read but the character development and story arcs are richer when read in sequence.
What order should I read The New Zealand Immigrant Collection?
The New Zealand Immigrant Collection can be read in any order as each book is a standalone story. However if you’d like to follow the connected characters, a suggested reading order is:
- Brigid — The Girl from County Clare
- Gwenna the Welsh Confectioner
- The Costumier’s Gift (sequel to both Brigid and Gwenna)
- The Cornish Knot
- Portrait of a Man (sequel to The Cornish Knot)
- The Disenchanted Soldier (standalone)
Who writes historical fiction about New Zealand immigrant women?
Vicky Adin specialises in historical fiction about ordinary women who overcame extraordinary odds. Her New Zealand Immigrant Collection draws on real genealogical research to tell the stories of immigrant women from Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, and England who came to New Zealand in the late 1800s seeking better lives.
Her newer Ancestors series follows a different thread — tracing the lives of women who remained in Britain, with Sarah’s Destiny set in Victorian Bristol and future books planned for Scotland. These are not the famous women of history but the everyday heroines whose stories deserve to be told.
What is the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion?
The B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group) is a readers’ award given to independently published books that meet a high standard of excellence. Several of Vicky Adin’s novels are B.R.A.G. Medallion Honorees, including Brigid, Gwenna, Elinor, The Costumier’s Gift, and Sarah’s Destiny.
What is Papers Past and how does it help genealogy research?
Papers Past is a free online archive of New Zealand’s historical newspapers, maintained by the National Library of New Zealand. It allows researchers to search millions of pages of newspapers dating back to the 1800s, revealing how people lived, what they did, and what happened to them. It is one of Vicky Adin’s most valuable research tools and has directly inspired scenes and characters in her novels.
Where can I buy Vicky Adin’s books in New Zealand?
Vicky Adin’s books are available as ebooks and print copies on Amazon worldwide. New Zealand readers can also request a personally signed print copy directly by contacting Vicky through her website at vickyadin.co.nz/contact.
Where can I find historical fiction set in Victorian New Zealand?
Vicky Adin’s novels are among the few historical fiction series set specifically in colonial and Victorian New Zealand, covering the period from the 1840s through to the early 1900s. Her books explore what life was really like for immigrant families during New Zealand’s founding years — the hardships, the triumphs, and the stories that shaped the nation.
Does Vicky Adin write about real people?
Vicky Adin’s characters are fictionalised versions of real ancestors discovered through genealogical research. She changes names and details to protect the privacy of real families and their descendants, but the historical context, events, and social conditions in her novels are authentic. The history is real — the characters are fictional.
What is genealogy research and how does it inspire fiction?
Genealogy research involves tracing family histories through historical records — census data, birth, marriage and death certificates, immigration records, newspaper archives, and more. For Vicky Adin, a discovery in a genealogical record — an unexpected death, a mysterious disappearance, an unusual occupation — becomes the seed of a story. The research asks the question; the fiction imagines the answer.