Our Team

Michelle Lovi, Publisher

Michelle is the founder and publisher at Odyssey Books, and new imprints Publisher Obscura and Ensorcellia. With qualifications in Communication & Media and Art History, she spent many years juggling a public service career with her roles as Managing Editor and Creative Director at lip magazine. Handing the torch on to other enterprising young women keen to work in magazine publishing, Michelle turned her hand to freelancing as a web designer, editor, and publishing consultant, before ultimately falling in love with book publishing. Then in 2009, Odyssey Books was born.

With a move from Canberra, Australia to New Zealand in 2018, Michelle enjoys a sea-change lifestyle, reading and editing on the beach in beautiful Kapiti, and hanging out in Wellington – the “coolest little city in the world” according to Lonely Planet. Michelle agrees wholeheartedly with this statement.


Cerid Jones, Publishing Assistant

Cerid can’t walk past a second-hand bookshop without giving up her day to the enchanting vellichor of the yet to be discovered adventures living between pages. She is a lover of folk tales and will read almost anything that transports her to elsewhere or delves her deep into the psyche of human nature.

With a life-long passion for the arts, she holds speech and drama qualifications, an Honors Diploma in Art and Creativity (The Learning Connexion), and has pursued academic achievements over various studies at Victoria and Massey Universities. The latter landed her an A grade average for a double BA in Cultural Anthropology and English Literature (Including creative writing, of course). She’s even taken some business papers at The Open Polytechnic and is currently working on a Duty Manager’s qualification.

As well as having a history in amateur theatre, managing her own art collective, being a curator, and working in radio, creative promotion, marketing, and events, Cerid has interned with various small publishing houses across the globe, volunteered for Takahe magazine, and is currently on the committee for SpecFicNZ and is a permanent editor for the American literary journal The Metaworker. Her diverse experiences and interests culminate perfectly for a career in publishing, with a special interest in developmental editing.

Living in Kapiti, she spends her days teaching axe-throwing and cramming in as much arting, reading, and writing as she can in her spare time, when she isn’t being hounded by her bi-eyed boofhead doggo or exploring nature, that is!