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Before crowns or prophecies or ancient agreements, there was a girl who loved the water.
Lilibeth has always felt the ocean calling. With her surfboard, a pod of dolphins, and a mysterious blue pearl around her neck, she moves through the waves like she belongs to something bigger than herself.
When she dreams of the Emerald Castle beneath the sea, she discovers that joy is not just something to enjoy, it's something to protect. As tensions rise between the dolphin realm and the Shark King's domain, Lilibeth must decide: stay in the world she knows, or answer a calling that could change the sea forever.
Surfing with the Dolphins: Lilibeth - The Royal Court is a heartfelt story about family, legacy, and the quiet power of listening.
The magic of nature begins with believing all things are possible. All you need to do is listen.
Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, director and author. His first book, a non-fiction work telling the true story of New Zealand’s worst miscarriage of justice, In Dark Places, won Best Non-Fiction Book at the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Awards. Michael's second book, Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, is a time-travel graphic novel co-authored with Ant Sang.
Better the Blood, the first Hana Westerman thriller, was shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction/Ockham New Zealand Book Award, as well as for the Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards and Best First Mystery Novel at the Barry Awards. It was also longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and was a finalist for Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards, where it won the award for Best First Novel. Return to Blood, the second novel in the acclaimed series, won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel in 2025.
Michael's short and feature films have won awards internationally and have screened at numerous festivals, including Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Locarno, New York, London and Melbourne. Michael is the 2020 recipient of the Te Aupounamu Māori Screen Excellence Award, in recognition of members of the Māori filmmaking community who have made high-level contributions to screen storytelling.
He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner Jane, and children Tīhema, Māhina and Matariki.
More by Michael Bennett
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