Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have spent the last 7 years as a volunteer teacher in a migrant school in Thailand; very close to the border with Myanmar. Most of the students are refugees. Now I am back in New Zealand, trying my hand at writing and living in a house with 6 children between 3 and 13!
Since COVID has been around, teaching has been an interesting ride. When we started in 2020, we had very little knowledge or experience of what we were doing, for things like making videos and online quizzes. By the end of the year, the standard of the study material was so much better. When I look back on it now, the early stuff makes me cringe; it’s so bad.
A lot of this material is my personal copyright and my plan is to tidy it up, change the local names and place names, and publish it for the homeschooling market.
Wow! Looks like I’ve just made a plan for the next few months!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book, Baby Virus, started life for my students where English is their 2nd or 3rd language. They are looking for something where the English is easy to read but the subject matter is a bit older than frog princes and fairy godmothers. I was also trying for something light-hearted with a bit of humour. The result is a book that will meet those needs but also be satisfying for girls who are native English speakers and want to read for themselves instead of having someone read to them
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I admit that writing is not hard for me. Once I get going it’s hard to stop. My problem is that, when I write like that, it’s not very good. I will take 20 words to say what I should have said in 5. Trying to write for people who are learning English has been very good for me. It forces me to take out all those long, complicated clauses and write shorter sentences.
The real hard bit is figuring out which categories the book should be in and which keywords to choose so that customers can easily find it and buy it. That’s too much like hard work!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Cynthia Voigt is one of my all-time favourites. I love the way she doesn’t shy away from difficult situations, as if teenagers didn’t experience or think about these things.
I admit I am completely confused by the teenage book market. If you write a book about 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds, or 70-year-olds, no one assumes that it will only be read by people of the same age. But for some reason, if you write about 13, 15, or 17-year-olds, everyone assumes that only teenagers should read them. Go figure? Cynthia Voight is certainly one author that deserves to be read by a wider audience and there are many others.
What are you working on now?
The short answer is “I’m working on at least 6 projects and not getting any of them over the finishing line.”
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I sell all my books through Amazon because there are no upfront costs and the free software they provide makes the whole thing very straightforward.
Then comes the hard bit of trying to improve its visibility.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself. Don’t listen to criticisms about you, by people whose opinions you don’t respect on other subjects.
What are you reading now?
Most of my reading over the last 2 years has been for work with only a little bit of reading for pleasure. I love the classics that “no one” reads now – like George Elliot. Some people say that our problems today are different than previous generations. What a load of!
I also love drama movies, so I often read a book after watching the movie.
What’s next for you as a writer?
No plan. Who wants to follow a railway track for the rest of their lives? It’s much more interesting if you make it up as you go along and listen to people you meet along the way.
Who can seriously believe that having a plan for your life is worthwhile after experiencing Covid for the last 2 years?
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
George Elliot – Silas Marner.
Persig – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Cynthia Voigt – Homecoming.
Something about how to grow veggies in your garden.