Aleata wants readers to use their imagination about all aspects of the world and characters contained in Feb, even when it comes to the pronunciation of words and names in the book.
“When people ask me how to pronounce my name, I always say -’a bit more than a pint - a litre’ but for the names of the characters in Feb, I want the reader to take control, while I know how I say them in my head, other people may say them differently, and that is ok.”
Books shouldn’t feel like hard work to read, says Aleata, and having spent all of her working life with teenagers, she is passionate about young adults being able to access books they can enjoy and relate to.
“Books and stories are a way to explore emotions, feelings and issues in a safe environment. I think a lot of young adult readers will find something to connect with in Feb, as will older adults too in fact. Feb himself is a young man who feels overlooked or sidelined in a way by his peers. He acts out in a way that sets off a chain of events, sending him and the others on an adventure as they try to fix things.”
Before Aleata retired, she was a teacher at Te Rangimārie at Stratford High School, and previously taught art and home economics at Taranaki Diocesan School for Girls.
“I have always enjoyed working with young people, especially teenagers, they have strong ideas and opinions and a real sense of right and wrong. Feb is the same, he has a strong sense of being unfairly treated, he feels disenfranchised and takes action to fix that.”
Having taught teenagers for over 40 years, Aleata has seen just how powerful a good book can be in the hands of a reader.
“Over the years I have seen various books become really popular with a specific group or age range. Things like the Harry Potter series grab people’s attention and give them an entire world to imagine and explore. Feb will take readers on a real adventure and I look forward to hearing from readers and their thoughts on Feb and his friends (and enemies) and the world they live in.
“As a form teacher, I would always ask the students what they were reading, and it really gave insight into their personalities. Listening to them talk about books was always interesting, young people interpret things very differently to us older folk, and I think different age readers will find different things and different characters to relate to in Feb.”
Feb first “popped into” Aleata’s imagination about 20 years ago, she says.
“Feb and his friends have been tramping around in my mind for 20-plus years now, they’ve become old friends over the years and I’ve learned a lot about their characters and personalities over that time.”
As the characters became clearer in her mind, Aleata started writing down the beginnings of what would become her first published novel.
“More and more ideas started building from those first ideas. I was often surprised by how the story seemed to tell itself. When I first described the Quaan, these mysterious creatures who appear in the book, the way I imagined them and described them turned out to be an important part of the overall story. I feel the characters knew things before I did at times.”
When Aleata sent the finished manuscript to Olympia Publishers last year, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
“While I had always dreamt of being a published author, I hadn’t necessarily imagined it would actually happen. So when they contacted me to say they would publish it, I was over the moon. It really is a dream come true.”
With the book in print just in time for Christmas, Aleata is holding a book launch and author signing at Stratford Paper Plus.
“I’m really grateful to Margie and the team at Paper Plus for letting me have the signing there. It’s a good day for it as the Christmas market is happening in Prospero Place that morning as well, so people can get all their Christmas shopping done that day.”
The summer holidays are the perfect time to relax with a new book and Aleata’s plans are similar, only the book she has in mind isn’t to be read but rather written.
“I am already working on my next book, Saurak is a darker fantasy-style novel that takes a fresh look at that old battle between good and evil and a fight against discrimination.”
The Details:
What: Feb by Aleata Fullerton, book launch and author signing
When: Saturday, December 17 at 10 am
Where: Paper Plus Stratford
More information: Cash sales only
WIN: Aleata has kindly given the Stratford Press a copy of her book for one lucky reader to win this Christmas. To be in to win, simply email editor@stratfordpress.co.nz with your name and phone number. Please put the word Feb in the subject line. The competition closes noon, Thursday, December 22 and the winner will be contacted that afternoon.
