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Back to Featured Interviews >> MEET ANDREA NAKAYA(9/2011)
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| Andrea Nakaya |
I loved to make up stories, and I had no problem coming up with my own toys for my games. My playtime frequently had a running narrative, for example I would gather a handful of rocks at the beach, make them into a family, and create a detailed story about them.
What books influenced you most when you were growing up?
I was fascinated by books about living off the land or surviving in case of some kind of disaster. ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS was one of my favorite books, about a girl who is left alone on an island and has to make her own house, find food, and even make her own clothes. I used to play that game a lot myself. Even know, I enjoying trying to feed myself from my vegetable garden, and I have a well-stocked earthquake supply kit.
Did you write stories when you were growing up?
Ever since I could write I have been writing stories. When I was a child I used to do the production on my stories too, constructing little books with covers, title pages, and illustrations.
When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?
I have always like writing more than anything else so that’s what I have pursued. I went to university not knowing what I wanted to do except that I liked writing, so I got an English degree. After that I had the opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree. Still not sure exactly what career I was interested in, I just knew that it would involve writing so I got my MA in Communication.
How did your life change when you got married? and had children? Did it make it easier or harder to find time to write?
I have two children—3 and 5—so it is definitely harder to find time to write now. But more than ever before, my writing is an important intellectual stimulus.
What other jobs have you had before you became a writer?
Before I started writing books, I worked in proofreading, then in book production, not because I was excited about doing that, but because it was a way into the writing industry. The company I was working for—Greenhaven Press—finally let me do some writing of my own; my first book was an anthology about air pollution.
Is there anything about yourself that you’d like to share - hobbies, where you were born, special talents other than writing/illustrating?
I was born in New Zealand and lived there until I was fifteen years old. I think the fact that I have lived both there and here—and travelled a little bit in between—gives me a unique perspective in my research and writing.