Name: Liz van der Laarse
Date of birth: 24 October, 1952
Place of birth: Palmerston North
Now living in: Cable Bay, Northland
- What is your favourite food?
- Paella – a spicy Spanish dish of seafood and rice.
- Do you have a nickname and if so what is it?
- Miss!
- What was your most embarrassing moment?
- Every time I talk to a large audience. It’s all those pairs of eyes looking at me!
- How do you relax?
- By going to the beach – to walk, swim, read, write, or just think.
- Who inspired you when you were little?
- Authors of children’s books.
- What were you like at school?
- I loved learning – especially reading history books when I was young.
- What was your favourite/most hated subject at school?
- My favourite subjects were English and History.
The subject I liked the least was Physics. - What was the book you most loved as a child?
- The Silver Sword, by Ian Serraillier
- Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
- My pioneering ancestors.
- Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
- Kate Flannery (De Goldi); Joy Cowley
- Why did you want to be a writer?
- Initially to provide books for reluctant readers and because it had always been a dream of mine to write books for children.
- Do you have a special place where you write your books?
- At the end of a day’s tramping in the bush or the mountains I find myself a quiet place to write. When I’m on my own at the beach.
- What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
- The best thing is creating characters and situations and making them seem real. The worst thing about being a writer is never having enough time to do it.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?- A painter.
- What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
- Observe people closely, especially their body language.
Take care to choose the word which most precisely conveys the meaning of what you want to say.