The Glass Islands

When Australian Mark Heyward decides to build a home and raise a family on the island of Lombok, east of Bali, he has little idea of what is to come. Riots and battles, mythical princesses, magical voyages, birth and death, love and loss – the story takes us into the heart of Indonesia, a country where Mark has lived on and off for twenty years, but never on an island like this. The call to prayer echoes in the valleys as the sun drops behind the island. The oceans answer to the tug of the moon, the seasons turn, the rains come and go. Some things never change. The love of a man for his wife, for his children; his desire to build, to create, to leave a mark on this good earth; his struggle to survive, his love of life, his fear of death. This is the heart-warming story of one family's attempt to build a new life in paradise.

Born in Tasmania, Australia, in 1957, Mark Heyward has spent the last twenty years living, travelling and working in Indonesia. He now lives with his wife and two children in Lombok. Mark currently works as an international education consultant. In his spare time he writes, makes music, and takes long walks in the hills. Mark's first book, Crazy Little Heaven: An Indonesian Journey, was widely praised in the media in Indonesia and Australia.