Her mother is a psychic artist, driven near to breaking point by a husband bent on conformity and control. The ugly childhood scenes have burrowed into Tess's mind and festered there. Buried, too, are Tess's own fledgling artistic and psychic abilities - unwanted 'proof' of the same inherent evil that has destroyed her family and stalked her dreams into adulthood. Tess flees into the safety of a teenage marriage, not realizing that the price of safety is her sense of self. When her husband, Alan, is tragically killed, the anger and dissatisfaction boil over and threaten to consume her. Sent upon a reluctant journey into the world of full moon rituals, witchcraft and unexpected violence, Tess is finally forced to confront the 'wolf' of her nightmares. She must learn anew to trust - her mother, her psychic instincts, and also Jeff, an unheralded admirer from her past.
Author Biography
Mandy Hager lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with her husband and two teenage children. She trained as a primary school teacher and later specialised in teaching adults and children with learning disabilities. She also has an Advanced Diploma in Applied Arts (Writing) from Whitireia Community Polytechnic. In 2001 she worked as a tutor and mentor for the Writing Programme at the polytechnic, and now works as a mentor on a part-time basis. She is involved in the NZ Book Council's Writer In Schools scheme, and has run workshops for the Nestle Write Around New Zealand competition. Mandy's first book, "Toms Story" (pub. Mallinson Rendel Ltd) is a picture book dealing with the topic of grief, and won an Honour Award in the 1996 New Zealand Aim Children's Book Awards. It has also been produced for radio. Since then she has published three novels for the 11+ age group. The fast-paced, high action thriller/adventure, "Run For The Trees" 1999 (Steele Roberts Ltd) was adapted for audiotape in 2000, and short-listed for CanRead 2000. "Double Danger" and "Stumpy's Secret" 2000 (Learning Media) are currently released through schools in USA, Singapore, Canada and Australia. Mandy has also had short stories and poems published in New Zealand. Juno Lucina is her first novel for adults.
