My stories have been brought to life with the assistance of Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
News!
Here's where I'll post other interesting information or events not covered on other pages... Please also follow my Facebook profile for more regular updates.
Another Endorsement for Whisper (Book One)
January 2026
More 2026 Awards!
Lots of Competition Results in January...
Receiving Another Award!
January 2026
The Official Results Are Out!
January 2026
Winning a Bronze Medal!
October 2025
Sneak Preview of The Horses of Saddlers Ranch: Black Knight
'Coral Johnson grumpily rolled over and risked a quick glance at the clock on her bedside cabinet. Then she blinked her eyes several times and tried again. She hadn’t been imagining it – 2:30 am blared back at her, the bright green lights forcing the seventeen-year-old girl to look the other way rather abruptly. It was still in the middle of the night, so what had woken her up? Some moonlight filtered into her bedroom through the curtains, but most of the room was still shrouded in darkness.
Coral lay wide awake for several minutes, just staring toward the ceiling, wondering why she felt so uneasy all of a sudden. She usually preferred being at Saddlers Ranch; it was much better than living in town like her two best friends did. She’d had sleepovers at both Tilly Carpenter’s and Lexie Howard’s, but nothing was quite like being at home on her family’s ranch, with the fresh open air and rugged landscape just outside her window.
The horses! Coral bolted upright, no longer able to relax. That’s what that noise was!'
Pictured is 'That Wanaka Tree' in New Zealand.
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Favorite pony, favorite book...
Similar works...
As of 6 December 2025, reviewers have likened my books to the following titles.
The Bronson Escapades: The Famous Five, The Brady Bunch, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Secret Garden, and The Chronicles of Narnia
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The Wolf Cub: Charlotte’s Web and The Fox and the Hound
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Lucas (Book One): Little House on the Prairie
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Escape (Book Three): Big Little Lies and Safe Haven
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The Horses of Saddlers Ranch: Cloud: Heartland, Canterwood Crest, and Chestnut Hill
13 October 2025
Why Middle Grade Stories about Friendship and Responsibility Still Matter!
I am so thrilled that one of my books, The Horses of Saddlers Ranch: Cloud, was featured in this blog, a post outlining several key examples of why some of the core issues highlighted in this particular book are still relevant in today's world!
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Please give it a read and then share the link so that others can too - let's keep the momentum going and hopefully lend some inspiration to the next person while we're at it... https://bookviralreviews.com/.../middle-grade-ranch.../
Thanks go to Bookviral Reviews for including multiple references to my book in the relevant sections.
Sneak Preview of The Horses of Saddlers Ranch: Golden Haze
'"I can’t believe you’re boarding Tammy’s palomino for a whole month!” Lexie Howard exclaimed to her friend, rather breathlessly.
“Neither can I,” Coral Johnson laughed in response to her eager enthusiasm. “But my cousin is going away for a while, and unfortunately, she couldn’t take Golden Haze with her on holiday.”
“Unfortunate for who?” Lexie grinned. “I thought you’d be delighted to have such a pretty horse staying at your ranch…"'
Pictured is a New Zealand Fantail.
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No matter how many times I've read the proof while editing, I always get settled in and read a copy of my new book right away!
Finally being able to hold the finished product in my hands after the huge amount of time and effort that goes into getting the story ready for printing is always so rewarding!
Sneak Preview of The Horses of Saddlers Ranch: Cloud
'"I can't believe Lexie is missing this!" Tilly Carpenter exclaimed from where she had perched excitedly on the end of her friend's bed. She was leaning forward slightly, as if that would help her listen to the cassette player better or something.
"Don't worry. We can rewind the tape once she gets here." Coral Johnson giggled back. "It's just like her to be late, but she should be getting here any minute now!"'
Pictured are the ranges at Mt Cook, New Zealand.
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Starting a new series...
If you love horse or pony stories, you'll probably love these ones too!!
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I met the cover star in real-life and isn't the design beautiful! There's something about how relaxed she looks and the depth of color in the water that makes this scene just that extra bit more special.
Sneak Preview of Footprints in the Snow
'"What did I tell you about using that track on your own, Mack? It's dangerous in that part of the forest!" Mrs Owens scolded as she wrapped a bandage around her son's arm, after giving the unsightly graze a most thorough washing up first. "You're lucky it was just your arm that got hurt! It could have been so much worse than that."
"But I wasn't alone..." Mack countered, choosing to respond only to her earliest assumption that he had been out walking by himself in a place that had already been banned to him. "Katrina was with me too."'
Pictured is a colorful sunset looking toward Kapiti Island, taken from Foxton Beach, New Zealand.
Sneak Preview of Escape (Book Three)
'I was nearing the end of my endurance by the time I made it to the right village. It should have looked remarkably familiar from such a close distance, but I was so weary (and it had all changed so much) that I did not. I stumbled and fell to my knees, unable to get up, and unaware of the fact that I had been to this village before - it had been my childhood home for years! But nothing about it registered. I felt faint. Someone called out, but my mind was so foggy I could not comprehend any of the words. Not until I felt strong, slender arms pulling me out of the grogginess did I lift up my face to mutely lock eyes with a beautiful child. A girl. With discerning bright blue eyes. Britney!'
Pictured is Perfume Point in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
Sneak Preview of Lucas (Book Two)
'"We've just got to do something about that boy!" bellowed the deep, strong voice of a man. "Lucas can't stay here with us forever."
"I agree," a second voice added. It was a woman speaking now, and her voice was much lighter. "We can hardly keep pace with the constant upkeep of our own children, without having an extra mouth to feed all the time. But what should we do with him? We promised his ma that we would make sure he was properly cared for..."'
Pictured is a New Zealand North Island Robin, seen at Bushy Park near Whanganui.
Sneak Preview of Whisper (Book One)
'The door closed with a startling bang, announcing the abrupt arrival of Pa. I scurried under the kitchen table quicker than you could say 'Bob's your uncle'. Shivers crawled up my arm when I heard his booming voice. Pa was inevitably in one of two moods: either he would sit moodily in the corner of the kitchen, paying no heed to anything and being utterly harmless, or he would come in completely drunk and be fuming mad about nothing at all. Certainly nothing of great consequence - at least, not anything I could understand at the time. If it was the latter option, which was by far the more common of the two, then absolutely anything could set him off. He would shout at Ma while banging his fist on the table, then he'd throw whatever he could find near to hand across the small room. He often hit Ma if she didn't do exactly what he wanted the minute he wanted it; she always had to anticipate his wishes, but there were still times when she got it wrong and paid painfully for the mistake.'
Pictured is a stunning sunset at Tangimoana Beach, New Zealand.
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What will Mack and Katrina find at the end of the footprint trail?
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And will this animal be friend or foe...
Sneak Preview of The Wolf Cub
'Leaves and twigs crunched and snapped noisily underfoot as the small boy treaded lightly along the path, which led ever deeper into the forest.
The cottage where Lewis and his mother lived was located on the outskirts of a nearby village, right at the very edge of the dark woodland canopy. The small building actually backed directly onto it and Lewis merely had to step out the door, and he was practically already on the forest track.
Mrs Cartlow was a seamstress and was always kept busy with work from the tailor shop. While she was there, Lewis generally had to entertain himself. Usually, it was only for a couple of hours at a time until she paused to make his lunch or dinner, but occasionally she had so much to do that sometimes Lewis was left on his own for the whole day. The youngster was still too little for joining school, so the four-year-old simply roamed about (wherever his toddling feet happened to take him).'
Pictured is the Pohangina Valley Wetlands, New Zealand.
Sneak Preview of The Bronson Escapades
'Mrs Bronson called all five of her children into the living room and told them to sit down in front of her, because she urgently needed to speak to all of them at once.
The children marched into the room in single file, instantly distracted from their individual pursuits of the afternoon. Kennedy, Chloe, and Bridget all squashed together on the sofa, and the boys (Edwin and Al) perched themselves rather precariously beside their sisters, one on each of the nearby armrests. When they were all conveniently lined up, and the Bronson children had eventually ceased their fidgeting and quieted down, Mrs Bronson addressed them again. She stood in the middle of the room, flapping her arms up and down in sheer distress (almost like what a duck would do in order to stretch its wings. Or maybe even a bit like when they can't quite manage to take off and simply flutter about wildly in a state of utter frenzy). And you know what that looks like, don't you? Like Mrs Bronson...'
Pictured is a New Zealand Falcon flying around the Nugget Point Lighthouse.
Sneak Preview of Surprise at the Beach
'I found a box which I layered with newspapers and an old blanket for the kitten to use during the night. Buddy and I both watched the little kitten check it out thoroughly before I picked up the box and carried it through to the laundry. Once he seemed settled, I turned to leave, but when I got to the door, I made the mistake of looking back. And there he sat, still as a statue, with his bright green eyes fixed on me.
"What?" I asked.​
He didn't move, but those sharp eyes continued to stare, almost as though he had been insulted.
"It's only for one night," I said, attempting to leave the room quickly, but Buddy was in the way, trying to keep an eye on everything. As I walked upstairs, I strained my ears, expecting to hear the kitten cry out, but there was no sound.'
Pictured is one incredible sunset at Himatangi Beach, New Zealand.
Sneak Preview of My Dog, Moss
'Moss glanced up at me, head slightly tilted, with absolute trust. There was nothing but adoration pouring out from his intelligent brown eyes. The depth of his gaze was truly startling; it was almost as if he were trying to show me the full extent of his devotion through his eyes alone.'
Pictured is my own adoring dog, Smoky, who has since passed on at almost 13 years of age. She was a very active Labrador Retriever x Huntaway who loved chasing seagulls and rabbits but never caught either... Smoky was a picture perfect model in front of the camera and also a fantastic companion on so many walks, so she will be greatly missed!
2 November 2024
I really enjoyed setting up the table display for another small-scale author talk
- naturally, everything had to be organized just right or else I'd have been completely put off...
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Incidentally, most people actually call me by my nickname, Ali, but being published under 'Alison Bellringer' makes the length of the words look far more symmetrical to use for the book covers...
Keeping my energy levels up...
That's important, right??
A Growing Collection!
All my published books so far.
The stack just keeps going up and up...
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This book finishes off my new trilogy.
I can't wait to share what's coming out next!
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I'm absolutely loving one-word book titles at the moment!
They seem very eye-catching (and get straight to the point).
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Perhaps I will use this concept many more times in the future - I'm already thinking up new ideas...
Another hobby...
When I'm not busy writing, I like exploring some of the local parks and capturing the incredible landscapes or other natural wonders of New Zealand. I also enjoy looking out for the birdlife; my skills are slowly getting better, but it is hard to be patient when they keep moving around all the time...
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I have a growing portfolio on the Shutterstock website and share lots of my favorite images on a separate Facebook page especially dedicated to my freelance photography.
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In case you're not already aware, most of my books showcase a really cool dog!
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One of my favorite covers so far!
Each of my books comes with a range of themed promotional material, such as bookmarks, posters, and postcards, all carefully styled to match the unique cover design.
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Do you think this farm looks like a place where a family of muddle-headed children cause absolute mayhem? Unintentionally, of course!
I do, but I'll let you be the judge...
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What could the surprise be, I wonder...
Does this picture make you want to visit your closest beach too??
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I love getting these parcels in the mail - it's always so exciting to see one of my stories in print for the first time!
28 September 2024
So grateful for the kind invitation to speak at this 'Readers and Writers Festival' happening in a community nearby. The scones with jam and cream for afternoon tea were delicious!
15 June 2024
Setting up for my first author talk. Not many people came, but it was a good chance to practice my public speaking skills (or lack thereof!).
