The Nine Lives of Kitty K.: The Unsung Heroine of the Goldfields

(Paperback)

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Description

Set in a turbulent period of goldfields' history, "The Nine Lives of Kitty K." paints a vivid picture of pioneer life as told by the sons and daughters of those who lived it and survived the terrible Depression of the 1890s. Kitty Kirk (1855-1930), arguably the toughest woman in Otago history, endured those times, supporting herself as a woman alone. Happiness was followed by tragedy, fame by infamy, and the circle was repeated more than once. Some locals called her a heroine, others called her a harlot. Whichever she was, she became a legend in her own lifetime for her daring deeds that are still remembered and talked about ninety years after her death.

Author Bio

I left school at 18 determined to publish a novel. Why did I wait until I was 91 Because I've been too busy. At 21 I decided that I needed adventure in my life, an OE, so I went to the South Island because it was sort of overseas and all I could afford. I ended up in Queenstown, got married and had four children. I heard about Kitty K, and tucked the story away. At 48, marriage over, kids all left home I decided to go back up north to find adventure. This time I succeeded. I joined a Peace March and rode my horse from Cape Reinga to Taupo, then I joined Greenpeace, for more adventures, including being shipwrecked before I had even been to sea. Luckily when I was 60 I met the love of my life, another Greenpeace adventurer and we sort of settled down, apart from adventure tours to the Antarctic, the High Arctic, Galapagos and NZ's sub-Antarctic islands. We live on Waiheke Island and among other things, I have finally written my novel.