An Interview with
Heather...
When did you
first begin writing ?
Well, I've always loved books and writing kind of followed on
from there. I
first began to write my own stories when I was eight years old. My
favourite
book at the time was an Australian classic called
"Seven
Little Australians". When I finished reading it I was very disappointed
that the story was over and wished there was more, so I went ahead and
wrote a few extra chapters for my own entertainment.
So after that, you
kept on writing.
Yes, I enjoyed being able to make my favourite characters in "Seven
Little Australians" have more adventures, so my writing kind of took
off from there. After school and during holiday times,
I wrote lots of little stories and also, convinced my friends to help
me
record "plays" on an old cassette recorder. We added sound effects and
stuff, too.We had a ball and invented
all sorts of spooky tales to scare ourselves and our younger brothers
and
sisters with. Then in high school, I took creative writing as an
elective
when everyone else was taking sports and even had some bad poetry
published
in the school newsletter, which was very exciting for me.
As you got
older, did you keep on writing?
When I grew up, I became a veterinary
nurse, as I've always loved animals and they've always been a huge part
of my life. I worked as a vet nurse for many years, but I still
regularly wrote short
stories for my family and friends to read, including some small pieces
for my own daughter and other children I knew.
So
when did you start to take your writing more seriously?
In
1995 I decided it was time to take my writing a little more seriously.
I wondered if I might be able to actually sell some of my stories, so I
studied writing at a local college and wrote and wrote and
wrote,
trying hard to improve my work. I hoped that maybe at some time in the
future I might even have a book published, but it seemed an impossible
dream.
How
did your 'impossible dream' come true?
Well,
it was very exciting! One day I read an advertisement in a writers'
magazine. An educational
publisher was looking for a particular kind of book and I just happened
to have something I thought might interest them. I sent my work in and
waited, trying not to think about it too much. It turned out that the
publisher liked what I sent them! I got a phone call and then I was on
my way. I kept working hard and soon, I had a few books published. I
was asked to work on other series of educational books and before you
know it, I was very busy indeed! I had to decide whether I wanted to
continue to work as a vet nurse or devote myself to full-time writing.
Full-time writing won.
Tell us about
your writing career today.
Nowadays
I make my living as a full-time author for the most part but have lots
of 'sidelines' editing other people's work and giving advice to other
people about their books, running 'workshops' where I help people learn
how to write, as well as branching out into DVDs and also dog training.
I am very busy - and lucky indeed to be able to work doing the things I
love. I have more
than two hundred published, and many more
'in the works'
that will be published in the next year or two. My books are published
in several countries around the world.
What
are your other interests, outside of writing and reading?
Oh, I have LOTS of interests! I have my pets, including my gorgeous
German Shepherds who need plenty of walks and training. In fact I spend
just about as
much time training my own dogs as I do anything else. I also
enjoy teaching my
cat Miska tricks too. She is a bit slower than the dogs but she is
quite
sure that she is smarter! I also enjoy swimming and running, gardening,
astronomy, reading, spending as much time outdoors as possible,
watching movies and
spending lots of time with my friends.
Do
you have any words of advice for those thinking of writing their own
stories?
Yes, see my writing tips page - there is a link to it from the kids'
page. Also, if anyone reading this is thinking of
having a try at writing your own
stories, my advice is to go for it! Whether you want to be a published
author, or just want to write stories for your own pleasure, it's a
very rewarding thing to do.
Copyright 2009: Heather
Hammonds.
This interview may be downloaded
and
used by individuals for the purposes of study, criticism or review, as
permitted under Part VB of the Copyright Act. No part of this
interview may
be otherwise reproduced. Enquiries should be directed to the author's
e-mail
address.