Melinda Szymanik. Photo / Niki Hill
I can't imagine being a writer without being a reader. I read as much as I can to see what's going on in the categories I write – picture books, junior and young adult fiction. I read to unpick and learn, but most of all I read to escape and
then to find my way back.
I'm rather partial to a well-written crime novel and whenever a new Rebus novel from Ian Rankin, such as A Song for the Dark Times, turns up it goes on my to-be-read pile. I love puzzles and crimes are puzzles to solve. Unlike real crime though, novels have the advantage of almost always having a solution. I'd like to write detective fiction for a younger audience, so I also consider this research.
I'm always keen to get my hands on the latest New Zealand penned picture books and This is Where I Stand by Philippa Werry and Kieran Rynhart is terrific - a fresh twist on the Anzac story, which is not an easy thing to do these days. I love a picture book that lures you in with its elegant simplicity before revealing its many clever layers of meaning. It's something I strive for in my own writing. The illustrations are pitch-perfect - we have fantastic illustrators in this country.
I checked out the Ockham NZ Book Awards poetry sampler when it came out and the short-listed book National Anthem, by Mohamed Hassan, felt like it was speaking directly to me. I had to buy it. I always feel like reading poetry has a very good influence on my writing. This book is wonderful.
I belong to a YA Book Club and The Girls I've Been, by Tess Sharpe was the selected read for our last meeting. It's a pacey psychological thriller. It's intense and vivid (and a little bit too clever) and, unsurprisingly, being made into a movie.
