Tag Archives: interview

Nonfiction writers on writing!

On November 29, 2020, we hosted a panel of nonfiction writers to talk about the nuances of writing and publishing nonfiction.

It was fun talking with Beth Beamish about her book on Dyslexia and some of the things that she learnt while publishing that book.

Sean Welsh and his real world story of AI terminators (the stoat killer) had me a little in awe... and freaked out.

And our own Judy L Mohr has a diverse nonfiction background, from her blogging through to her book on building platforms, and her contribution to Putting the Science in Fiction.

You can find out more about their various projects on their websites.

In the meantime, enjoy our interview with Beth, Sean, and Judy.

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Writing Children’s Fiction with Robinne Weiss

On November 21, 2020, Robinne Weiss joined Judy L Mohr to talk writing children's fiction and what makes it different to other age categories. It was interesting to learn that Young Adult is still classified as children's fiction.

You can find out more about Robinne's stories (and the Oreo cookie recipe) on her website.

Robinne is also one of the coordinators for the Tamariki Book Festival, which is in Christchurch, New Zealand on 22 November, 2020. You can find more information on the Tamariki Book Festival at tamarikibookfestival.co.nz

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Writing LGBT+ Fiction with Gillian St. Kevern

On November 14, 2020, Gillian St. Kevern joined Judy L Mohr to talk about what it really means to write LGBT+ fiction and why it’s so important. It’s not just having a gay character, but giving meaningful representation and casting to those characters of difference. Get some awesome insight and suggestions on how to approach LGBT+ fiction.

You can find out more about this series and Gillian's other stories on her website. If you have any questions about writing LGBT+ fiction, she is happy to talk to you about her experiences.

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Romance Writers on Writing!

On November 7, 2020, Alexa Rivers, Amy Blythe, and Stephanie Ruth joined Judy L Mohr to discuss romance, women's fiction, and what it means to be a writer. From the difference between romance and women's fiction through to writing habits and why these talented women chose their particular publishing paths. Get some awesome insight into what it's like to be a romance writer.

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Publishing is a very unique industry. (Interview with Soraya Lane)

Writing takes a community, sharing ideas and supporting one another. In Christchurch, we are blessed to be surrounded by so many talented writers willing to share their experiences with others.

In today's interview, Soraya Lane talks about how she too has those moments of self-doubt, even though she has been a successfully published author for over 10 years. It's a tough road, and Soyara has advice for aspirings authors based on her experience within this industry.

Interview with Soraya Lane

CanterburyWriters: Hi Soraya, Thank you so much for agreeing to talk with us. There are so many questions that one might think of to ask you about your writing and your writing career so far, but why don't we focus on the questions that shows that you're exactly like every other writer out there.
When did you first start writing?

Soraya: To be honest, I’ve always been writing. I recently found old exercise books from when I was maybe 10 yrs old, full of scribbled stories, and then an old folder full of very dark poetry and partial chapters from when I was in high school. But I started to write seriously when I was about 19yrs old, in my final year of studying law. It took me two years to write that first manuscript (historical romance, circa 100k words) and after that I was hooked on writing romance.

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Don’t treat writing as a hobby if you want to make it a career. (Interview with Michelle Vernal)

An Interview with Michelle Vernal

Local author Michelle Vernal grew up in Auckland. These days though, she lives in the Christchurch and has to date written eleven novels. When she’s not writing, she spends an awful lot of time daydreaming about exotic locations she wants to visit with her family.

We asked her about her writing journey.

CANTERBURYWRITERS: Hi Michelle. Why did you start writing?

MV: I’ve always written and I can’t imagine not using writing as a way of expressing myself. I wrote short stories when I was at primary school, kept journals and wrote angst ridden poetry in my teens. When I reached my twenties, I kept travel journals and was a prolific letter writer when I lived overseas (before e-mail). In my thirties when my first son was born, I did a part time creative writing course at Canterbury University. From there I began to write opinion style articles for parenting magazines and I got paid! Then when my second son was born, I wrote my first novel. That was back in 2006.

CANTERBURYWRITERS: What does your normal writing schedule look like?

MV: I am fortunate in that I write full time. I take my boys to school of a morning and when I get home, I go over the last couple of pages I wrote the day before on my WIP and that acts as a warm up to moving the story forward.

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Sometimes the best writing moment is when it finally makes sense. (Interview with Alexa Rivers)

An Interview with Alexa Rivers

We talked to Kiwi author Alexa Rivers about her writing journey. Here, she offers some insights into her writing habits and offers advice for aspiring authors.

CANTERBURYWRITERS: Hi Alexa, can we ask why you started writing?

AR: I’ve always written. My parents still have a copy of a story I wrote about my cat when I first started school, which I drew a cover for and bound with a folded piece of A3 paper. I’ve just always had stories and characters in my head and wanted to share them.

CANTERBURYWRITERS: So, what does your normal writing schedule look like?

AR: These days I’m far more consistent and organised than I used to be. I write first thing in the morning every day, then edit a different manuscript in the evening. I can happily edit more than one thing at a time, but I can only ever have one writing project on the go. Rewind a couple of years and I’d binge write an entire story in a month, then not write again for six months or a year.

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