Michelle Kelly
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly, Michelle (1965- ) is a children’s book author. Kelly was born in Invercargill and she attended local schools before heading to Southland Girls’ High School. She has worked variously as a personal assistant, company director, administrator and salesperson.
Her first book Payback was published by Scholastic in 2008 and is aimed at teenagers and young adults. Payback was a finalist for the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The work was also listed as a 2009 Storylines Notable Junior Fiction Book. In her writing, Kelly draws on her personal experience raising her children, and she says that it is the funny things they do that she wants to share with readers.
Payback follows main character Riley Mitchell as he discovers he has a problem with bone development, while also dealing with the bully who seems to be spending time with Riley’s ex-girlfriend. A review on the Tauranga City Library website goes on to say, ‘Set in New Zealand, this is a good story for younger teens. It could be read by either boys or girls.’
Kelly writes, ‘I am very proud of my main character Riley Mitchell, he’s a small gutsy individual who is big on the inside.’
Michelle Kelly lives on the North Shore.
WRITERS IN SCHOOLS INFORMATION
KAPAI Kids' Authors Pictures and Information
Where do you live?
North Shore, Auckland.
What books do you read?
I actually haven’t read a lot of Young Adult books so plan to read more. I have just finished Twilight and thought it was great. The book was much better than the movie.
Who is your favourite writer and why?
In young adult I guess I’d have to say JK Rowling. I love the way she plotted and tied up all the loose ends in the final novel, and very cleverly made it so no one could write a sequel. In picture books I’d have to day, I’m a fan of Hairy Maclary, Dr Seuss books, Berenstain Bears, Just Me books by Mercer Meyer, and I like Mr Men books.
How do you think up your ideas?
Some of them I didn’t have to think up, some ideas are truth with a bit of fib mixed in to make it interesting.
What is the best think about being a writer?
The best think about being a writer is not getting into trouble for making up stories. No, really, the best thing is other people getting enjoyment out of something you have written, that’s the best.
Primary School students
What sort of pets do you have?
I had a dog named Otis who sadly is no longer with me, he got too old and was sick but he was a ratbag and used to do very naughty things like chase the neighbour's cats through the cat door and across the dining table inside the cat’s house. One day I’m going to write a book about Otis as he deserves his story to be told.
What is your favourite colour?
Pink
What is your favourite food – why?
Asparagus rolls – no idea why. And for dessert – I’m very partial to Brandy snaps.
What is your favourite game?
Last Card. I like to win. I’m not good to play with, I sulk when I lose and skite when I win.
How do you make books?
Good question. I wrote Payback because my sons make me laugh, so many funny things happened to them I thought they needed to be written down and shared. I think everyone needs a good laugh.
Where do you go for your holidays?
Queenstown is my favourite place. I love the mountains and the lake and all the fun things you can do there – it’s hard to get bored.
What was the naughtiest thing you ever did at school?
Hmm, I used to like to play practical jokes on people and some people still don’t know that was me so I’d rather not tell. But I can tell you this one. Once we were on a school camp and I had a squeaky toy mouse I snuck around the cabin squeaking until the occupants demanded the teacher put a mouse trap in their cabin and guess what they caught – a teacher.
Secondary School students
How did you get started?
I have always wanted to be a writer, since I was five I wanted to be a writer. I married young and had my children young so I didn’t get much chance to write until they were at school, then I had a job where the family I worked for would go away for months on end and I’d have nothing to do so I completed a writing course through correspondence while working for them.
Who inspired you when you were getting started?
My sons are my inspiration. They were playing Roller Hockey for a local club in Glenfield and I really enjoyed the game and this time in their lives so I wrote a book that has yet to be published to capture a part of their childhood.
What advice would you give an aspiring young writer?
Never, ever give up. I wrote Payback 6 years ago, I submitted it to the Tom Fittzgibbon award for unpublished authors and was shortlisted but not published, I rewrote the novel many times. So many, in fact, I was sick of the sight of it, but I kept trying and eventually it paid off. Perseverance is the key.
Is it difficult to make a living writing in New Zealand?
Yes, people buy the book for say $19 and the author gets about $2, the rest goes to the publisher and the booksellers, so it’s hard to make a living unless you are a disciplined author who can churn out a couple a books a year and even then you probably need a bit of extra support financially.
What were you like as a teenager? Tell us a story!
As a teenager, well, I like to think of myself as relatively well behaved but that would be lying. My brother was 9 years older than me and he had a car that wasn’t warranted or in good working condition and it sat in the car pad at my parent’s house idle. Well, it would have been idle if my friend Sue and I had left it alone. When everyone was out we used to drive it back and forth across the concrete, always making sure it ended up where it started from. But one day I was reversing and my friend Sue was behind the car, my foot slipped and I reversed wildly towards the house. Sue leapt in front of the house as if to use her body as a human shield, fortunately, just in the nick of time, I found the brake and missed her and the house by centimetres. We got such a fright we pushed the car back into place and never touched it again.
