Dione Jones
Dione Jones attempted to write her first book at aged 10. She was born in England and grew up in the countryside surrounded by National Trust common land. She achieved a B.A. at Trinity College, Dublin and then worked for an aeroplane salesman and learnt to fly, before venturing to New Zealand to help set up a laboratory to collect animal blood. In 2014 Dione was awarded a Master of Creative Writing from the Auckland University of Technology.
Married to Chris, she followed his involvement in farming, horses and property. They have two adult children and three grandchildren and live in south Auckland. Apart from her family, dogs and horses, she is interested in the environment we live in, historical changes in society – and, of course, good books and writing.
The Alexandrite is her debut novel.
Media & Reviews
"Jones' fast-paced, engrossing novel shuttles back and forth between England during WW1, the 1940s and then 2013 and New Zealand in the 1930s, 80s and 2013. The plot contains several threads that come together to form a complex story about the various ways that one family both knowingly and unknowingly affected change in many lives."
"A gripping narrative, spanning several generations of English and New Zealand families, lent tension by the iniquities of the British class system and the differing values of its colourful cast."
Graeme Lay
"Dione Jones writes with flawless precision and I am keen to see what she might have waiting in the wings for us next."
Theresa Smith / Book blog: Theresa Smith Writes