Peter Durney

I am Peter Durney, an ancient New Zealander with a compulsion to tell stories.

I started my working life as a mechanical fitter, completing my apprenticeship on the Matahina Hydro-Electric Power Project. I became an engineering teacher and studied extra-murally at Massey University to gain a Humanities Degree. I have also gained a diploma in Theology (L.TH.).

I married and now have three children and three grandchildren. For much of my life my interests were aviation, small acreage farming and hobby engineering. Now I like to spend my spare time on my computer.

After a considerable period of teaching in New Zealand, I moved to South Korea as a teacher of English. I spent several years in that country until, nearing retirement age, I moved to England with my wife. I gained a position as harbourmaster on an inland waterways marina. My wife and I spent the next four years living on a tiny narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal. We are now back in New Zealand.

I have always liked novel writing. Occasionally I’m asked if I’ve found my ‘voice’ as a novelist. I’m not sure what that means. Certainly I am not a fan of the current suspense-type plots which keep the reader trembling on the edge of his or her seat. I like to provide relaxing reads. A story should be plausible, even if it ventures into the realm of fantasy or science fiction. I envisage my reader as sitting down by the fire, a cup of cocoa, or something stronger, to hand, the book on the knee, occasionally emitting a chuckle as he delves into an interesting yarn. I like to think that my stories are comfortable, entertaining, and thought provoking.