Palmy Proud is described as “a brag book” highlighting “the best of Palmerston North” with new issues of the magazine coming out twice a year and being distributed around town and other major centres.

But wow, the photo they selected was a choice… Perhaps not the choice I might have made. I can’t say that it’s not arresting though, in a manic kind of way. It is certainly eye-catching and readers won’t be flipping past in a hurry. So, I guess it’s doing what it’s supposed to do even if it is rather unhinged?

Prepare for a jump scare

Read the article

It’s an excellent article! There are a few options if you’re keen to read it for yourself:

1. Get your magnifying glass out and try reading the text in the image above (not recommended).
2. Download the free Palmy Proud Issue 22 PDF from the council website and check out all the other great stuff while you’re at it!
3. Read the full article below, interspersed with a few other photos from the same photoshoot.

Novel inspiration

Palmy novelist keeps it Kiwi by drawing from Manawatū’s cosy lifestyle.

Welcome to the fictional town of Milverton, which sits cosily on the banks of the Manawatū River, opposite Ashhurst. It’s the setting for the Milverton Mysteries series, imagined by the Palmerston North author who writes as G.B. Ralph. There are four novels in the series, with a fifth coming in 2026.

Gavin wanted a Kiwi setting for his books, without being tied to details of an actual place. In his mysteries, Ashhurst doesn’t exist! He apologises for “removing it from the map, but it wouldn’t make sense to have two similarly-sized towns across the river from each other.”

“The town itself, I think of it as the ‘greatest hits’ of small-town Manawatū and Wairarapa. I created a fictional town so I could make up any street, institution, building, whatever I liked, without upsetting any existing towns.”

Cosy mysteries happen in cosy places. It’s a “stunning and dramatic setting, with many ways for people to die,” Gavin says mischievously.

The formula

If you haven’t yet read a cosy mystery, here’s what to expect. There’s a mystery you can try to solve, and there must be a satisfying ending. The author isn’t allowed to pull the rug out from under you. The story should be light – any violence occurs off the page.

The main character is generally an amateur sleuth. In the Milverton Mysteries, that’s Addison, who has recently relocated from Wellington. Oh, and there’s often a cat – enter Keith, Addison’s furry sidekick. There’s sometimes a romantic interest too, as Addison can attest.

Start with a bit of romance

Gavin lived in various places before coming to Palmy. “I grew up on a dairy farm in the Waikato, studied engineering at university in Auckland, and worked for 10 years in Auckland and London.”

“I started writing on my commute to and from work when living in London, which was an hour each way – plenty of writing time! I was reading books and listening to podcasts, but then I’d always had this vague notion that I wanted to write a book. And I thought, well, I’ve got two hours of clear space in a day.”

After writing three romance novellas, Gavin looked at longer-form work. “I wanted to write fun characters, but I needed to give them something to do.” The answer? Have them solve a murder.

“Over pints and chips at Brew Union with my partner, we brainstormed the first novel. I had written it with the intention that it could be a series if it wanted to be, but it’s all very self-contained because the murder has to be solved by the end of the book, which is the long-established rule. As long as I’m enjoying writing it and readers are enjoying reading it, I will keep the series going.”

Mysteries go international

The Milverton Mysteries are available in print at Palmy’s Bruce McKenzie Booksellers, at the City Library in both physical and e-audiobook format, and worldwide via Amazon.com. “The majority of my readers are American, British, German, Canadian, in that order.” Readers in Aotearoa are starting to catch on, now that Gavin has appeared at various events like the Mystery in the Library panels as part of the Ngaio Marsh Awards.

An audiobook publisher approached him and has so far produced the first three audiobooks. “That’s been fantastic to be introduced to a whole new range of readers who either prefer audiobooks or they just love this narrator, because he’s fantastic and they will read everything he’s narrated, so I’ve picked up readers that way as well.”

Gavin’s favourite place to write? “I’m very comfortable writing in the library because it’s a good balance of quiet and busy.

As in, it’s quiet enough to do my own thing, but enough people are moving around so it doesn’t feel eerie. Or at home, where it’s just absolute silence and there are so many chores to do!”

Authors are always asked how they come up with their stories. Gavin says he is “inspired by things you might expect like other books, but also movies, TV shows, theatre, comedy, museums, art galleries, cafés and conversations, random interactions on the street, overheard conversations on public transport, dinner party chat, banter among friends.”

You have been warned! Anything can be story fodder for this author, although any sentences you utter will only be used as inspiration, not taken down to be used against you in a court of law – unless you’ve just confessed to an actual crime, perhaps.

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What did you think?

The article is great, isn’t it? If you’re keen to hear more from me, I would reiterate that final call to jump on my mailing list to get my email newsletters – it’s the best, most reliable way for me to keep in touch with readers, and I’d love to have you on board! Otherwise, you can also find me on the various socials – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, etc.

Or, if you want to get straight into the books, you can find out more (including where to grab copies!) on my website: gbralph.com

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