OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH 12 NOVEMBER 2026
“A wonderfully honest, unflinching yet loving, portrait of a very demanding mother/daughter relationship.”
GREG MCGEE | AUTHOR
The Willing Horse
NZ DEBUT NOVEL BY HEATHER FORSMAN
Eleven children, a fierce mother – a story of survival, of insight, understanding and healing across generations.
Pre-order The Willing Horse book now and be among the first to receive a copy. All pre-orders are scheduled to be dispatched on 12 November 2026, the official book launch day.
ABOUT THE BOOK
'A willing horse' was how Norma Ashton-Warner often described herself; who worked hard for others and without complaint.
She married in Depression-era New Zealand, and her brood eventually grew to eleven, raised on farms from Manawatū to the shadows of Mt Taranaki and then on to the isolated northern West Coast of Omamari. Like the pioneering women before her, she found herself caught in a spiral of necessary self-sacrifice.
Widowhood brought out Norma’s grit, but also a ruthlessness in trying to cast off the shackles of motherhood. Heather, her last born, describes a vivacious, demanding and at times reckless woman whose deep frustration at getting less from life than she felt she deserved caused brutal emotional fallout for those around her.
The Willing Horse is a daughter’s search for a fuller picture of her mother, a way to understand her, appreciate her, and eventually forgive her. It is a story of insight and healing across generations, for anyone who has loved a complicated parent and wondered who they really were.
Heather Forsman grew up the youngest of eleven in a blended family, her childhood spent on the move between farms, small towns and numerous schools, from Manawatū, Taranaki to Northland. Her father died when she was just five, and as the youngest, she later became the one to care for her mother, fulfilling a prophecy made by her grandmother at her birth.
Heather married John, her teenage sweetheart, and together they raised three children, now grown with families of their own. Her working life took her from the primary classroom to lecturing in child development, and in her forties she and John established a vineyard, produced their own wine, and created a five-star lodge in Matakana, north of Auckland. They still live in Matakana today.
The Willing Horse is her first book.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Heather Forsman
Heather Forsman grew up the youngest of eleven in a blended family, her childhood spent on the move between farms, small towns and numerous schools, from Manawatū, Taranaki to Northland. Her father died when she was just five, and as the youngest, she later became the one to care for her mother, fulfilling a prophecy made by her grandmother at her birth.
Heather married John, her teenage sweetheart, and together they raised three children, now grown with families of their own. Her working life took her from the primary classroom to lecturing in child development, and in her forties she and John established a vineyard, produced their own wine, and created a five-star lodge in Matakana, north of Auckland. They still live in Matakana today.
The Willing Horse is her first book.
– From the opening page –
‘What if your greatest fear is also one of your deepest insights, waiting to be explored.’
– Matt Kahn
I loved our cosy conversations on the phone. Mother and daughter, settled in for a lengthy session, and as we couldn’t see each other there was a freeness to speak without being distracted by the other’s reaction.
THE WILLING HORSE
Pre-order your signed copy today.
Pre-order The Willing Horse book now and be among the first to receive a signed copy directly from Heather. All pre-orders are scheduled to be dispatched on 12 November 2026, the official book launch day. Available for readers in New Zealand and Australia only.
- Price: NZ$38
- Tracked New Zealand Delivery: NZ$10
- Tracked Australia Delivery: NZ$17.28
- Secure payment through Stripe
eBook
available on Amazon Kindle
FROM 12 NOVEMBER 2026
READER REVIEWS
“A wonderfully honest, unflinching yet loving, portrait of a very demanding mother/daughter relationship.”
GREG MCGEE | AUTHOR
“An amazing story. Loved reading it.”
GET IN TOUCH
For media, publicity and marketing enquiries, please contact Natalie Vivian.
The Willing Horse is published in New Zealand by Mary Egan Publishing.
Website content, photography and materials may not be reproduced without prior written permission.
© 2026 Heather Forsman. All rights reserved.
FOLLOW HEATHER
INFORMATION
The Willing Horse is published in New Zealand by Mary Egan Publishing.
Website content, photography and materials may not be reproduced without prior written permission.
© 2026 Heather Forsman. All rights reserved.