Today I’m sharing Goldie Alexander’s answers to my questions with you. Enjoy reading them!
Goldie was born in Melbourne just before the 2nd World War. Her parents had migrated fromPolandin the late 1920's, and when she was small, she hardly spoke any English. Her earliest memories are of a time when young children were allowed to wander the streets without anyone worrying too much about them getting into trouble.
Her first four Young Adult books were “Dolly Fiction” novels published under the pseudonym of Gerri Lapin. Her first book under her own name, Mavis Road Medley, is a time travel fiction exploring the world of Princes Hill and her parents' struggles to survive the Depression. Since then Goldie has written more than 60 books, and many prize winning short stories and articles.These days Goldie works full time as a writer, teaches creative writing and takes workshops in Universities, TAFE colleges, clubs and schools.She’s known for her historical, science fiction and mystery novels, plus her short stories and non-fiction such as Mentoring Your Memoir.When Goldie isn't writing and revising, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, watching movies and DVD's, knitting and walking. She says these are her ways of coming up with ideas.
What or who inspires you to write?
I mostly write for a young audience, but I also write for adults ( gentle chicklit crime & how to write texts) and I am totally eclectic in my tastes. I love European and English writers, find some good stuff locally and in the US, and am presently having a problem with the Japanese. I can’t seem to get onto their wavelength. Because I write for kids where every sentence counts, I find many ‘adult’ writers are unbelievably long winded and need a good prune. Interestingly, authors who write for kids can usually manage to write reasonably successfully for adults, but it rarely works the other way round.
When did you first know you wanted to write more than postcards and letters?
Always, but I didn’t get stuck in until I reached my forties. Then I went gung-ho. Since then I have produced some 67 fictions and non-fictions, and lots of short stories and articles.
Who, living or dead, fictional or real, would you like to meet and pick their brains for ideas?
Gosh, that’s a hard one. Not so much for their ideas but style; Tolstoy, Austen, Dickens. It always works to go back to those whose work has remained with us.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A lot of advice is on my blog as I have been mentoring aspiring writers for nearly 20 years. But my major piece of advice is PERSEVERANCE.
What are you working on now?
A number of books. I am usually working on a 1st draft, and the 2nd and 3rd etc of several other books. My major effort at the moment is marketing. I see writing a book as;
1. The actual writing.2. Finding an appropriate publisher.3. Marketing. This is my least favorite activity, but these days majorly important and taking up a lot of my time.
To find out more about Goldie Alexander go to - http://www.goldiealexander.com/
