Name: Vince Ford
Date of birth: 12 April 1970
Place of birth: Eltham, Taranaki
Now living in: Makarori Beach, Gisborne - previously Karapiro, Raetihi and Papamoa.
What is your favourite food?
Passionfruit crème brulee - sweet custard with a crispy crust. Next is oatmeal pancakes with maple syrup, banana and bacon.
Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
Yes - it’s V. My name kept getting shortened. Now that’s all that’s left.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Leaning on an electric fence during a field day at a farm. I got such a shock that I yelped and the whole audience laughed at me.
How do you relax?
I play sport - I love touch rugby and kayaking, I’m learning to surf. I also dive for crayfish and kina.
Who inspired you when you were little?
My father.
What were you like at school?
Fairly quiet. I was a goody good at primary school but became more laid back as I got older. I was always a bit of an individual.
What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
Favourite: Geography - it suited the way I thought.
Most hated: Accounting - it bored me.
What was the book you most loved as a child?
I can’t remember the title - it was about a hippopotamus race.
(Possibly The Twenty-seventh annual African hippopotamus race by Morris Lurie - Ed.)
Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
Someone from the Clovis culture. They lived in the late ice age in America, they made magnificent stone spear points and hunted mammoth. I’m researching a book set in that period.
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
Roald Dahl for children or Tolkien. Pat Conroy for adults.
Why did you want to be a writer?
I had this feeling that it was the right thing for me to do. It was an urge that I couldn’t ignore.
Do you have a special place where you write your books?
My office looks out over Makarori Beach. It’s beautiful.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
Best - no boss telling you what to do.
Worst - self-doubt. Am I any good?
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
An organic vegetable grower.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write as much as you can as often as you can and write the truth - from your heart.
Read some books by Vince Ford
More information about Vince Ford
Read posts featuring Vince Ford from the Christchurch Kids Blog.
This interview is from 2002.
