Blog - NZ Book Festival

NZ Book Festival writer’s competition

Writing a book? New writing competition for NZ authors The NZ Book Festival has launched a new writing competition for NZ authors who are writing a book and wish to publish it independently. The core sponsor for the competition is independent publishing business...

Kids Zone activities

Arrrr Me Hearties! Tis I, Pirate Jane travelling o’er many an ocean to take anchor in this beauty land of KidsZone. Ok, I cannot tell a lie I’m actually just pretending to be a pirate!! ‘What ho!’ you may ask, ‘then who are you?’… Well actually my real name is Fairy...

NZBF GALA NIGHT – Friday 10 November 6.30pm

Horse & Trap. 3 Enfield Street, Mt Eden http://www.horseandtrap.co.nz/ Get ready for a great night out everyone. In 2017 the exclusive member only GALA NIGHT will be special. Apart from all the usual advantages of getting together the night before a big festival -...

KIRSTEN MCKENZIE – BLAME THE PARENTS

Blame the Parents – My response to being successful I’ve just returned from exhibiting at the 3rd Annual New Zealand Book Festival, which was held in Auckland on the 5th November. It is a showcase for independently published authors (formerly known as self published...

AN INTERVIEW WITH KIRSTEN MCKENZIE

For fans of Shortland Street or antiques, Kirsten might well look familiar. You’ll often see her as a nurse in a scene on the popular series, taking someone’s blood pressure, laying out surgical instruments or generally looking efficient and professional. In her other...

AN INTERVIEW WITH HELEN TAU-AU FILISI

Indie-published under her own label, Pacific Hibiscus Ltd, Helen has several collections of works including picture books, performance plays and a collection of poetry Helen decided back in high school that she wanted to be a writer. Her chance came in 1990 when,...

THE FIRST 12 WEEKS AS AN INDIE AUTHOR

Katherine Dewar with Niki Harre for the Auckland launch of Ruby and the Blue Sky at Titirangi Library Katherine Dewar with fellow KickArts radio panelists Katie Rudd from The NZ Dance Company and actors Paul and Mark of Theatrewhack. Carole Beu of The Womens’ Bookshop...

SHIREE SCHUMACHER – WORDS ARE FOR SHARING

Each of us has stories to tell and I wonder how many amazing stories haven’t made it into books because the authors never wrote down the words swirling in their heads. I have friends bubbling with hilarious novel ideas, a couple with fascinating or scandalous family...

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ELLIE BAKER

When did you decide to become a writer? I realised how much I enjoyed playing with words. Before children I enjoyed writing journals, letters and reports for my job. When I had three pre-schoolers writing short stories and poems was a creative outlet and escape. Once...

VICKY ADIN – THE LILT OF IRISH LAUGHTER

Ireland – the land of song, of sadness and joy: the land where people have survived the worst and can still laugh at themselves. There is something about the Irish spirit that is infectious. We have just left Cobh (pronounced Cove) in the south of Ireland. It was the...

PAUL CORRIGAN – I WROTE A NOVEL WITHOUT PLANNING OR PLOTTING

I was unemployed and on a course, 63, an ex-journalist, an ex-solo parent, ex … After 14 weeks I tackled Microsoft Access. On Friday, May 17, 2013, I had nothing more on my mind when I set off for ‘school’ than how to sort out an Access problem that had defeated me...

KEITHA SMITH – WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

Someone recently asked me, “What inspires you to want to write?” It’s an interesting question, given that I’ve written twelve full length books including six unpublished novels, four published novels, one published non-fiction book and one further novel in the...