Name: Janet Marshall
Date of birth: 8 February 1947
Place of birth: Essex, England
Now living in: Nelson Bays, New Zealand
- What is your favourite food?
- Almost anything savoury.
- Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
- I used to be called Boody when I was a child. I don’t get called that now though.
- What was your most embarrassing moment?
- At an exhibition opening of my paintings and bird models. I was talking to some visitors when my daughter, then aged 8, pointed out that the legs on one of the models were painted different colours. I could have shrunk through the floor in embarrassment.
- How do you relax?
- Reading, walking and playing classical guitar.
- Who inspired you when you were little?
- No person inspired me. I was inspired by nature and its endless fascinating properties.
- What were you like at school?
- Very very shy.
- What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
- Favourite: Art. Most disliked: Sport and PT (Physical Training)
- What was the book you most loved as a child?
- A set of four nature books bought for me by my father. I still have them.
- Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
- Mahatma Gandhi.
- Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
- There are so many, I can’t lay claim to one.
- Why did you want to be a writer?
- I write to complement my paintings and to try to say in poems and script how I feel about the wonderful universe of which I am a part.
- Do you have a special place where you write your books?
- No. When my muse visits me I try to find a quiet place with no distractions.
- What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
- The best thing is fulfilling one’s desire to write, the worst is the lack of money it makes.
- If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
- An artist, which I am, or musician.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?- Attend writing classes etc. to become proficient in using words, but also be true to yourself and write as you feel.