Name: Michelanne Forster
Date of birth: 26 April 1953
Place of birth: California
Now living in: Christchurch
Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
Mickey
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I've had so many I can’t tell you… but when I was at Kindy I forgot to wear my knickers one day and one of the boys saw me and screamed out, "Mickey’s got no undies!"
How do you relax?
Yoga
Who inspired you when you were little?
My drama teacher, Mrs Luke, who was enormously tall and enormously capable.
What were you like at school?
Smart and a bit of a smart-aleck. A bit on the bossy side, or so my brothers tell me.
What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
Favourites: Drama/English/Science/History
Yuck: Math (but that was really because I didn’t understand it. I gave up too easily - so if you’re reading this, be more sensible!)
What was the book you most loved as a child?
Tales from the Arabian Nights. When I got a bit older I sobbed my way through Gone with the Wind, opens a new window by Margaret Mitchell.
Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
Abraham Lincoln.
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
Margaret Mahy, opens a new window - and I’m lucky enough to actually know her.
Why did you want to be a writer?
So I could tell the stories I had locked up inside my head.
Do you have a special place where you write your books?
Hanging upside-down off the chandelier. Just kidding. No place special.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
Best thing - when it works.
Worst thing - not much money for all the hard work.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
Well, actually I’m a Mum and a teacher at the New Zealand School of Broadcasting so I've never just been a writer.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Keep at it.
Read a short play by Michelanne Forster
Read some books by Michelanne Forster
More information about Michelanne Forster
This interview is from 2002.
