Interview with James Norcliffe

Name: James Norcliffe

Date of birth: 3 March 1946

Place of birth: McBreerty Annexe, Grey Main Hospital, Greymouth

Now living in: Christchurch

What is your favourite food?

Prawns in sweet chilli sauce or smoked chicken salad or anything - I’m an omnivore.

Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?

Jim.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

Covering the ceiling and walls of my flat with chocolate instant pudding in a failed experiment in centrifugal force.

How do you relax?

In a hot bath with a soggy cryptic crossword.

Who inspired you when you were little?

My primary school principal at Mt Pleasant School - Cliff Wright.

What were you like at school?

Good with words. They kept me out of serious trouble.

What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?

My favourite was English. I didn’t hate any subject but I wasn’t fond of woodwork as I could never get dovetail joints right.

What was the book you most loved as a child?

The Island in the Pines by Elleston Trevor.

Which person from the past would you most like to meet?

Merlin.

Who is your favourite author/children’s author?

Changes all the time. Adult: Jane Austen. Children’s: Alan Garner, Leon Garfield and Sid Fleischman.

Why did you want to be a writer?

Because I really enjoyed writing - the making of things.

Do you have a special place where you write your books?

Not really. I write them in my head then I put them down in my study.

What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?

Best thing: Thinking up a wonderful poem/story/line that works beautifully.

Worst thing: Being unable to remember it in the morning.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?

1. Another writer.

2. A musician.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

1. Read and write and write and read.

2. When it’s ready - show people your writing.

This interview is from 2002.

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