SIX MINUTES WITH BRIAN FALKNER:

Joining LitPick on Six Minutes with an Author is Brian Falkner! Brian grew up on the North Shore of New Zealand. He studied computer science at Auckland University and later gained a diploma of journalism.

Brian has had an unusual variety of jobs: motorcycle courier, ditch digger, dish washer, radio journalist, copywriter (he won the 1988 award for Best Radio Copywriter in New Zealand), radio announcer, graphic designer and internet developer. Brian now resides on the Gold Coast, Australia. He enjoys talking to kids in schools and watching rugby league, especially the Warriors!

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How did you start writing?

I have been writing since I was ten. I was always a voracious reader and was always writing my own stories. Throughout my life I have always been writing, trying different genres, but it wasn’t until I tried children’s fiction that something really clicked and my novel was accepted for publication. 

Who influenced you?

I was strongly influenced by the books I read when I was young. My favourite books when I was a child was the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. I was also a huge fan of the Adventure books by Willard Price.

Do you have a favorite book?

One of my favourites of my books is called The Project. It is set in Iowa City, where I lived for three months in 2008. I love the city, and was really happy to be able to use it in my novel. The story is a crazy adventure about two kids who find a long-lost, very rare, very boring book.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Read, read, read. You learn by reading. And write, write, write. That’s how you improve your writing and storytelling skills. Also read books about writing. There is a lot of really good advice out there if you look for it.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I don’t really have one. I will write anywhere. On a plane, on a train. At the beach, at a café. A lot of writing is actually done when I am not even sitting in front of a computer. Characters, situations, dialogue, all come together in my head when I am driving, or gardening, or even taking a shower.

What else would you like to tell us?

I think my latest book, Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo, is the best book I have written. It took the longest time to write, and was quite a challenge, but I love the way the story came together in the end. And I also really love the fantastic cover.

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Thanks for sharing your story with us, Brian! Battlesaurus does have a really cool cover, and we’re sure that the story is amazing, too. :) The exciting novel will be coming to www.litpick.com soon.