Angie Belcher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Belcher, Angie (1956 - ) is a writer and drama teacher. She describes herself as a self-confessed adrenaline addict who feels the fear but does it anyway. An ex-skydiver, 'mad keen scuba diver, cave crawler and general try-anything-oncer', she draws on these spine tingling, hair raising experiences to enrich her literary career, which involves writing for both New Zealand and overseas magazines, as well as children's books. Her New Zealand adventure pursuits are frequently a theme in her books.

Angie rates her scariest moments as hanging upside down 3000 ft above the earth when her parachute harness got caught in the doorway of a plane, being eyed as a tasty shis-ka-bob by a marlin in Papua New Guinea, or more recently running from the September 2009 Samoa Tsunami.

Participating in an Outward Bound course in 2001 became the inspiration for her first illustrated children's book, The Woven Flax Kete published by Reed Publishing. It was followed by two more: To Our Shores and The Girls in the Kapahaka.

An extensive traveller, Angie has written more than 200 travel articles for national and international magazines, and in 2007 was commissioned to write the Berlitz Guide - Fiji. In the same year she received an AFS/Asia New Zealand Educators Scholarship which took her to Thailand for three weeks, during which time she taught in Thai schools and collected material for further writing.

In 2008 she took sabbatical leave from her job as drama teacher at Te Puke Intermediate to concentrate on writing. In a seemingly predestined experience she found herself living in the house of her great aunt who emigrated from Stromboli, Italy in 1913. Angie found herself guardian of this historical homestead and while cleaning and documenting many of its belongings she discovered not only the hidden personal belongings of her great aunt but also gained fascinating insight into her Italian ancestry. The inspiration from this experience has manifest in a memoir 39 Brighton St.

After three years living in Vanuatu, in 2017 Angie published Helping Harmony – There’s More Than One Way to Save a Whale, a children’s book for 7 to 10-year-olds. For years the original manuscript ‘sat in a bottom drawer’ until Angie met Pauline August, whose dream was to illustrate a children’s book. The collaboration led to a story which tells of a young girl fascinated by orca, and the drama that follows a stranding of whales on a coastal spit.

Collaborating with Debbie Tipuna for a ‘Read and Colour Collection’, The Farmyard Idol was published in 2017.

The two paired up again in 2019 to re-release The Girls in the Kapa Haka, published by Penguin. This was followed by The Boys in the Waka Ama in 2020.

Angie has two children, Ben and Ocean.

PUBLICATIONS:

Little Red Hen Community Press
2017, Helping Harmony: There’s More Than One Way to Save a Whale

Bay of Plenty Regional Council
2013, that Band of Sand

Penguin / Raupo (formally Reed Publications):
2006, Girls in the Kapahaka
2005, To Our Shores (Anthology)
2004, The Woven Flax Kete
2004, Te Kete Harakeke (Shortlisted for the LIANZA Pounamu Awards)

Harper Collins:
2006, Oceans Alive
2006, Rally Challenge
2006, Baby Turtle
2005, Spikes Stings and Teeth
2005, Swimming with Dolphins
2005, Pacific Scrapbook

Orbit/Skyrider Series: Publisher: Learning Media
2003, Walk Tall
2001, Diver’s Dream-NF
2000, Wreck Trek-NF
2000, Creatures of the Reef-NF
2000, Our Changing Earth-NF
1999, River Rats-NF
1999, Skyrider-NF
1999, Bungy 70528-NF
1999, The Sky’s the Limit-NF
1999, Wild Bird and Other Stories-NF

Shortland Publications Ltd (McGraw Hill)
2001, Survival in Cyberspace
2001, Samantha’s Sea-NF
1999, Mountain Bike Mania
1998, The Hole in the Hill
1997, River Runners

Rainbow Readers Ltd Pty
2002, Dragon Flop
1997, Marine Encounters

School Journal Story Library: Publisher-Learning Media
1996, The Pink Gumboot Adventure (Tape and book)
1997, White Knuckle Territory
1997, Skyrider
1998, Mirror Image (Tape and book)
1999, Beach Watch (Maori Translation: Tutei Tiro Moana)
2001, BreakOut-Breakdancing

Journal Stories published by Learning Media
(All Non-Fiction)
Mr Trask’s Trash Pt4.No2.98
Operation Skatebowl Pt4.No1.98
Stefan Merriman Trial Rider Pt4. No3.98
Scott McKenzie Skydiver- Maori Translation: Nga Korero 27
Ride on Rastus Pt1.No1.98
Wild Bird Pt3.No1.98
The Mantis Munchers of Munda Pt3. No1.98
Sub Pilot Pt3.No3.96
Underground adventure Pt2.No3.96
Goat Girl Pt2.No2.99
Breakdancing Te Tautoko 42 (photos)

Individual stories as part of anthologies:
1999, Explorers of the Underworld (Shortland Publications)-NF
1999, Fast Forward FM Dash for Cash (Shortland Publications)-F
2000 A change of Face (Shortland Publications)-NF
2001 High Riser (On the Job- Learning Media)
2001 Ingrid and the Orca (Against the Odds- Learning Media)
2001 A Change of Face (Wear your Art- Shortland Publications)
2001 My White Water Rafting Trip (River Wild- Shortland Publications) Photos Only
2001 Mystery at Hayden’s Peak (Animal Mysteries- Shortland Publications) Photos only

New Holland Publishers:
Dive Sites of the World- (Melanesian Section)2005
World’s Best Reef Dives (Melanesian Section)2006
World’s Best Wreck Dives (Melanesia Section) 2007

Work In Progress:

2017, The Farmyard Idol

MEDIA LINKS

• Visit Angie's website
• Interview with Angie Belcher