Meet Lani Wendt Young, a finalist for The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
Lani Wendt Young is an author shortlisted for the Young Adult Fiction Award in The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. We speak to her about writing Fire’s Caress.
Did you always want to be an author?
Yes. I also wanted to be a vet (to help all the stray dogs), lawyer (to fight injustice), supermodel-actor(to wow impress all the people who were mean to me at school), masked vigilante superhero (to fight injustice) and Prime Minister of Samoa (to be the boss of everything and fix any and every injustice). I spent a lot of my childhood imagining and writing stories about all these possibilities. Then I grew up and got very busy being a school teacher and raising five children. Kids are exhausting! Writing stories remained my constant though and I finally authored my first book when I was 37. It’s never too late…
How did you go about becoming one?
I wrote a lot. Kept a journal, wrote letters to the newspaper, started a blog, wrote articles and a column for the paper, and entered short story competitions. When the 2009 tsunami devastated parts of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, I was commissioned to research and write a book about the disaster. It had to be ready to publish on the one year anniversary. That project taught me a great deal, including the discipline and focus required to start and finish a book. My first novel - YA fantasy Telesā - was rejected by many industry gatekeepers and so I published it myself on Amazon. I’m thankful my book was rejected because it pushed me into indie publishing which made it possible for a story from Samoa to reach many thousands of readers worldwide.
Can you share some advice, a tip or hint that someone gave you that you’ve found helpful or inspiring?
When I’m writing a book, I can often see it as ‘my baby’ and feel fiercely invested and protective of it, anxious about how it will be received. That can lead to my getting blocked as I delay finishing it, stress about making it PERFECT before putting it out into the world! I once asked Albert Wendt how he dealt with criticism of his writing. He said that when he’s working on a book, it’s his. But once it’s published and sent out into the world, it no longer belongs to him and he’s not responsible for what people get out of it. That readers will bring their own perspectives and experiences to their reading and make that story ‘theirs’. It’s helpful for me to remember that whether a person’s reading experience of my book is positive or negative, it’s not about me. Reviews/criticism/feedback are not personal. Now when one of my books is published, I just #LetItGo. And move on to writing my next book.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Samoa continues to be my greatest source of inspiration. The beauty of our islands, richness of our culture, diversity of our mythology, razor sharp wit and abundant humor of our people, our gift for telling stories (or just straightup faikala!), the love (and often messy dynamics) in our extended families, the luscious food – all of it nurtures my creativity.
What was your favourite book as a child and why did you like it?
The Narnia series by C.S Lewis. I was enthralled by the idea that one could step into something as ordinary as a wardrobe, and enter a fantastical realm of magic and talking animals. Fantasy was entwined so closely with reality. We didn’t own a wardrobe when I was a kid in Samoa and whenever we visited a home that did have one, I would sneak a look inside. Just to check.
What kind of books do you like to read now and why?
Fantasy is still my first choice. I look forward to taking that break from the everyday normality of a pandemic world. My favourites are contemporary novels by other indigenous authors who are drawing on their own mythology and cultures (Rebecca Roanhorse is amazing at this.) And urban fantasy with unforgettable female characters (Ilona Andrews and Faith Hunter rule.)
What do you do when you’re not reading or writing?
I bake a lot of cookies and cake. I also try to be a triathlete. It’s scary. I have a deep fear of the ocean and only recently learned how to swim. Cycling in Samoa is risky because there’s no bike lanes and dogs chase you. I’m very slow and come last in every triathlon, but I’m still quite proud of myself for doing it anyway. Every time I cross that finish line, it’s a huge feeling of achievement because I’m doing something that scares me, that I always thought was impossible for me.
Buy Fire’s Caress published by OneTree House.
View the other category finalists:
