Featured Interview With Rae McGregor
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Auckland New Zealand and brought up on a farm in a small town north of Auckland called Helensville. I now live in a lovely suburb or Auckland . I attended the University of Auckland as a ‘mature student’ which just means you have a few wrinkles and some grey hair. My daughter always maintained she was ‘mature’ and I would agree. I completed an MA in English and had some marvellous years at University getting to know Shakespeare intimately.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I could read almost when I could walk so I was always mad about books. I tried writing but nothing seemed to be any good – I really wanted to write like Enid Blyton when I was young. At university I was encouraged to write some more and the first thing I ever sent out to a magazine was picked up. Not everything has been accepted since but I have had some success with my books. I love the whole process of writing and I think there is nothing more exciting than seeing the final work complete and in a book form.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
When I don’t know what else to read Jane Austen is the writer for me. She is so clever and her writing is so concise and often so mean. I love it. Many writers inspire me in my own writing. I read constantly and I also review books for the radio so I always have a book ‘on the go’. I like biography and non fiction but also I like a good crime novel and I think Louise Penney a Canadian writer is one of the best.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called RadarMan and is set during the end of World War II. Young Bob Marshall joins the New Zealand Navy as a Signals rating and then is seconded to a British ship Nigeria and serves in the war around the Andaman Islands. All the ships in the story did exist but for Bob a young man of 19 it is a rite of passage. When the ship enters the theatre of war Bob finds it frightening, dangerous and boring. In the opening chapter Bob is an old man facing death. With only a few months to live he sorts his collection of memorabilia and begins to write a book of his experiences.
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