Name: Susan Brocker
Date of birth: 4 August 1961
Place of birth: Hamilton, N.Z
Now living in: Tauranga
- What is your favourite food?
- Hot Thai and Indian food, yummy.
- Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
- When I was little I was called Suzie Wong, and now my family and friends just call me Suzie.
- What was your most embarrassing moment?
- When my bikini top fell off when I was swimming and I couldn’t find it. A kind boy dived to the bottom of the pool to get it for me!
- How do you relax?
- I ride my lovely big horse called Barney. I love trekking along the beach and through the bush. I also play fetch and walk with my dog Yogi.
- Who inspired you when you were little?
- Walt Disney. I loved the films he made and the show Disneyland that was on telly when I was little.
- What were you like at school?
- I was very naughty! I always talked too much and asked too many questions.
- What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
- My favourite subject was English, especially writing stories. My most hated subject was maths because I could never learn the times table off by heart.
- What was the book you most loved as a child?
- That’s difficult as I loved so many. But I think if I had to choose it would be The Snow Goose, by Paul Gallico.
- Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
- Gandhi. He loved peace and brought about good changes through his peaceful actions. He also inspired other wonderful people like Dr Martin Luther King.
- Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
- Again that’s tricky as I enjoy so many, but I guess I’d say Jack London.
- Why did you want to be a writer?
- I’ve always loved writing, even when I was little. I think it was an escape for me. I could go anywhere and do anything in my stories.
- Do you have a special place where you write your books?
- I live in a lovely old villa on a farm and I write in my study which looks out over the hills to the sea.
- What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer or illustrator?
- The best thing about writing is that I can let my imagination run wild. The worst thing is that it can be lonely sometimes.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?- I would like to be a vet and work with animals, especially wild animals.
- What advice would you give to aspiring writers or illustrators?
- To all writers I would say write, write, write! And also read - read everything you can get your hands on, and enjoy!