Name: Melinda Szymanik
Date of birth: 26 December 1963
Place of birth: Auckland
Now living in: Mt Eden, Auckland
- What is your favourite food?
- Chocolate. Good steak
- Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
- Mel
- What was your most embarrassing moment?
- I’m too embarrassed to say
- How do you relax?
- Watching movies, reading books, doing Sudoku, hanging out with family and friends and eating chocolate
- Who inspired you when you were little?
- My Mum and Dad
- What were you like at school?
- A keen student
- What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
- Most loved subject was maths because for a while there I was actually quite good at it , but I pretty much enjoyed most of my subjects. Most hated was P.E.
- What was the book you most loved as a child?
- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the Moon in the Cloud by Rosemary Harris
- Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
- Jane Austen
- Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
- Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula le Guin, Susan Cooper, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowling, Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley, Lauren Child, S.E. Hinton, Sharon Creech, C.S.Lewis.
- Why did you want to be a writer?
- There is nothing more satisfying then the magic of words; both in writing and reading them. And so far it is the job I am best at.
- Do you have a special place where you write and illustrate your books?
- In the office at the front of my house that looks over our wonderful front garden and up towards Mt Eden
- What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer or illustrator?
- The best thing about being a writer is being told how much someone has enjoyed reading one of my stories. The worst thing about being a writer is that some of my favourite things I’ve written didn’t get picked to be books.
- If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
- A time-traveller
- What advice would you give to aspiring writers or illustrators?
- Get to know other writers and illustrators. Some of the most important things I’ve learned, I’ve learned from other writers.
- Write lots. The more I’ve written the better I’ve got. Don’t give up. I’m really glad I didn’t.