‘Ia ora na - Welcome!


Manuia Heinrich

Author of SALT WATER BLOOD,
a speculative thriller about a girl who hears the sea's prophetic thoughts and must race against time to clear her brother's name before he's blamed for his girlfriend's disappearance.
Out in summer 2026
Simon & Schuster (US)
Allen & Unwin (ANZ)



about me


Manuia Heinrich is a Tahitian writer based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Raised in the francophone Pacific in a large and loving family, she's a researcher and educator with a PhD in Pacific Studies from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (something she’s eternally recovering from), and Master’s degrees in Pacific literature and education.An advocate for Indigenous Pacific Islander voices, she co-founded the pitch event APIpit and the non-profit organization Pacific Islanders in Publishing.


Publications

Fiction | Poetry | Non-fiction

  • "ode to a colonizer" (poem), We the Gathered Heat anthology edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, Noʻu Revilla, & Terisa Siagatonu, Haymarket Books (September 2024).

  • "The Talent That Hid Away" (middle-grade fantasy short story), Fua anthology edited by Laini Wendt Young & Sisilia Eteuati, Tatou Publishing (May 2024).

  • “Rava” (fantasy short story), Letter to My Father edited by Stephanie Wynne, The Samoa Observer (2020).

Reviews | Translations

  • Review Indigenous Pacific Islander Eco-Literatures, Honolulu Magazine (2024).

  • Translation contributions, bilingual anthology Room to Write edited by Linda Burgess & Maggie Rainey-Smith, Cuba Press (2022).



books

SALT WATER BLOOD is an Indigenous Polynesian thriller perfect for fans of FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER & Disney's MOANA.When her brother is accused of murder, Moemoana's gift—hearing the sea's prophetic thoughts—may be the only way to catch the killer.Releasing spring/summer with Simon & Schuster (US), Allen & Unwin (ANZ).

a collage of four pictures: someone attempting to rescue another person in the sea; a boy on a surfboard in the water; a Polynesian girl with a flower in her hair, holding a large leaf; and a picture of a lush island taken from the sea (cred k. baldassari,
Add to Goodreads
Publishers Marketplace deal report (December 4, 2024). SALT WATER BLOOD by Manuia Heinrich. Imprint: Sarah Barley Books, Allen & Unwin. [Text Body] We Need Diverse Books mentee and Pacific Islanders in Publishing cofounder Manuia Heinrich's SALT WATER BLOO


contact

For any publishing inquiries, please reach out to my agent Marin Takikawa at The Friedrich Agency. For Inquiries about Pacific Islanders in Publishing, email us at pacificislanderbooks[at]gmail.com.If you have any questions or simply want to say hi, drop me a line below!