MANUIA HEINRICH
PhD & Author
SALT WATER BLOOD
An Indigenous teen fights to clear her brother of a murder charge by embracing her gift of hearing the sea’s prophetic thoughts in this debut young adult speculative thriller that’s Firekeeper’s Daughter meets Moana.
Out November 17, 2026.
“A riveting and original page-turner centering on beautifully realized characters.”
—KIRKUS Reviews (starred review) ✪
“This is a marvel.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) ✪
“A gripping Polynesian mystery laced with Indigenous cultural knowledge.”
—School Library Journal (starred review) ✪
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About
Manuia Heinrich is a Tahitian Chinese writer based in Aotearoa New Zealand. She holds a PhD in Pacific Studies from Victoria University of Wellington. A We Need Diverse Books mentorship alumna, she cofounded Pacific Islanders in Publishing. Salt Water Blood is her debut novel.
Selected for Write Mentor UK, We Need Diverse Books with New York Times best-selling authors Dhonielle Clayton and Varsha Bajaj, & the New Zealand Society of Authors with crime author Vanda Symon.
Recipient of a Highlights Foundation Scholarship for Emerging Writers of Pacific Island descent (2023).
Selected for the Doctoral Dean’s List of Excellence, for theses of exceptional quality that make an outstanding contribution to their field of research, Victoria University of Wellington (2022).
Contact
For publishing inquiries, please reach out to my agent Marin Takikawa at The Friedrich Agency.For media inquiries, please contact my publicists:
- Anna Elling (US/CA) anna.elling [at] simonandschuster.com
- Hollie Wilkinson (NZ) HollieW [at] allenandunwin.com
- Reem Galal (AUS) reemg [at] allenandunwin.com