Name: Kim Westerskov
Date of birth: 26 July 1947
Place of birth: Columbus, Ohio, USA
Now living in: Tauranga
What is your favourite food?
Mangoes. Thai food. Vegetarian.
Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
Kimbo, Westy.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I hate being embarrassed, so I try not to be. Can’t really think of anything. Some scary times though diving under Antarctic ice, stuck inside sunken shipwrecks.
How do you relax?
Spend time with my kids. Meditation (TM).
Who inspired you when you were little?
Explorers, especially in jungles like the Amazon. And Nature inspired me I loved and still love being out in Nature: in the forest, under water, in Antarctica…
What were you like at school?
Worked hard. Good at sports and art and enjoyed both. Pretty quiet.
What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
Favourite: Art, Physical Education, English
Hated: Calculus and Physics never really liked me.
What was the book you most loved as a child?
The Call of the Wild by Jack London. I liked many different books.
Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
Nobody especially
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings
Margaret Mahy The Lion in the Meadow
Why did you want to be a writer?
From the age of three or four I wanted to be a writer, to write books. Not sure why.
Do you have a special place where you write your books?
No. Just sitting at my computer.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
Best: when it’s finished (the book) and I see the first copies.
Worst: Writing it just seems such hard work (many writers say this).
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
Nature photographer, which I am as well.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write, write, write. Write about the things you know best.
Read some books by Kim Westerskov
This interview is from 2002.
