Fiction Friday | Getting to know Cecily Paterson

Cecily Paterson is out guest for Fiction Friday. Please welcome Cecily as we get to know her better.  Cecily Paterson’s new book is How Not To Be Popular.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up in Pakistan as the children of missionaries and went to boarding school in the Himalayan mountains from age 11 to 16. Our school was in the ‘foothills’ of the mountains but our elevation was higher than Australia’s highest mountain. I’ve been married for nearly 24 years and have four children aged 8 to 19. We currently live in beautiful Kangaroo Valley in NSW, where several of my middle grade novels are set.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

Only several million, depending on the day. I read early, from the age of 3, when I particularly enjoyed a ‘fuzzy donkey book’. My faves when I was seven were the Narnia books and the life story of Corrie Ten Boom. My life goal when I was 9 was to read every Enid Blyton title out there. I don’t think I ever succeeded… there are over 400 of them. I loved Rumer Godden and the Little House on the Prairie series too. When I was 12 I was introduced to Jane Austen via an abridged version of Pride and Prejudice, I was smitten, and later, devastated to find she had died young and had only finished six works (all of which, of course, are entirely perfect in every way).

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and to write?

I write young YA and middle-grade fiction for girls mostly, which I enjoy very much, although I’m involved in a collaborative project in an entirely different genre at the moment, which is turning out to be a lot of fun. (Sshhh… can’t say anything yet.) I love to read tension-filled thrillers that are very well written, or general fiction with a strong, unique voice.

4. Did you have any favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

Rumer Godden had a voice and style which spoke to me greatly, but so many have been influential, if just to remind me that kids love to read, and they love books that speak deeply to their hearts.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I was eight, in year 3, and won a school-wide writing competition against year 4 and 5 children. I had enjoyed creating my story so much (it was about two of my favourite things… chocolate frogs and dollshouses) that I couldn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t do it as a grown up.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

Having known from the age of 8 that I would do it, it was mortifying to find out that my early attempts at writing were ridiculously twee. I decided I needed to have more life experience, particularly emotional maturity, before I could satisfactorily attempt fiction. I wrote and edited for a job after university, and did some non-fiction in my 30s, so I was always writing, just not quite as an ‘author’ making up stories. It wasn’t until my fourth baby was born that I thought, ‘If you’re going to be an author, Cecily, you’d better get on and do it.’ I did some self-education about plotting and writing craft, and pulled my first novel, Invisible, together, mostly while the kids were at school and the baby was napping. That baby is now 8 and I’m the proud author of 7 novels for girls with another in the pipeline.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

Nothing really. Apart from the total lack of income, this is actually my dream job. Also, I get to nap when I want (see answer to question 8), without having to ask anyone permission. Sometimes it can be a little lonely, but I have people I can chat to if that happens, and I liked knowing that my publisher (Wombat Books) had my back for the last two novels. I sometimes get to do collaborative jobs and I enjoy that.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

I decided to learn the cello as an adult and consider my lessons a weekly lesson in humility. So much to learn! So much to master! It gives me a sense of achievement, but perhaps not as much enjoyment as I anticipated. However, I also like to head out on walks with my hubby and go to the beach. I’m fond of napping – very, very fond, actually. I’m in favour of the idea of exercise, and I enjoy its effects, but I don’t love the doing of it.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

I’d love to go back to Pakistan and visit the places I lived as a child, and I’d love to do a tour of Europe too. In Australia, it would be fun to spend some more time in Tassie—it’s very beautiful.

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

Probably my old friends from uni days whom I love, but I don’t get to see that often. It’s fun to catch up with friends and see how they are going. Alternatively, any of my childhood friends from Pakistan days. I haven’t seen any of them in 35 years.

Finally can you tell us about your latest release. Where can buy the book and where can we find you on the web?

How Not To Be Popular is for 10-12 year old girls and features Maddie who desperately wants to be popular. Unfortunately, as she finds out, being with the ‘in crowd’ can come at a cost, and popularity doesn’t necessarily mean having true friends. It’s a fun story with plenty of ups and downs for Maddie and chicken-loving Tahlia, with quite a few mentions of undies and unicorn hair. It’s set at Kangaroo Valley Public School and is a nice reflection of life in a small Aussie town.

You can get the book on Amazon and Booktopia online. Order it from Wombat Books or ask your local bookstore to get it in. Keep up with me at www.cecilypaterson.com. (There’s a free book on offer at my website too.)

You can read a review of How Not To Be Popular by Cecily Paterson here.