Name: Kevin Boon
Date of birth: 10 March 1940
Place of birth: Wellington
Now living in: Wellington
What is your favourite food?
Fish or roast lamb.
Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
Kboona
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Quietly sitting at the back of a crowded hall and having the seat break down.
How do you relax?
Playing golf, listening to music, reading.
Who inspired you when you were little?
My parents.
What were you like at school?
Quiet - keen on sports and drama.
What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
Favourite: Social Studies, History and Geography
Most Hated: French
What was the book you most loved as a child?
Call of the Wild by Jack London.
Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
James Cook.
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite children’s author: Margaret Mahy, opens a new window
Why did you want to be a writer?
To share adventures and ideas.
Do you have a special place where you write your books?
In my head and at my computer.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
Best: Thinking up the ideas and setting them down for the first time.
Worst: Re-writing and proof-reading.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
Test cricketer
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
1. You really can write
2. There are skills, but they can be learnt.
3. You have plenty of ideas for fiction from your own experience.
4. There is plenty of research material for non-fiction.
5. Start small.
6. Sadly you will have to review your work several times and then get the advice of someone else.
More information about Kevin Boon
Read posts featuring Kevin Boon from the Christchurch Kids Blog.
This interview is from 2002.
