Today an author named Ella west visited Hornby high school inside of the auditorium to tell us about her life as an author and her books that she has written.
Here are her books:
https://www.google.com/search?sa=X&rlz=1CABJUN_enNZ843&q=ella+west+books&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLRT9c3NMqrMDcqtCxQQuFpSWUnW-kn5edn6yeWlmTkF1mB2MUK-Xk5lYtY-VNzchIVylOLSxTAwjtYGQGGUaNlTwAAAA&ved=2ahUKEwj-7bqun8LkAhWx4nMBHU4JB1sQzTooATAVegQIDBAC&biw=1366&bih=665&safe=active&ssui=on
This is her life facts:
Ella West was born in Invercargill. When she had read her way through the children’s library she used her older brother’s card and began on the adult section.
She intended to study science like her brothers at the University of Otago but a drama camp she went to when she was fifteen made up her mind to persuade her parents to let her study English literature instead. She completed a BA at Victoria University.
A university holiday job, reporting at the Southland Times, taught her an understanding of the craft of writing and led her to the West Coast after a stint at the Evening Post in Wellington. In Westport, the journalist married a shearer and together they went dairy farming on the banks of the Buller River. It was there, between getting the cows in for milking, teaching drama and raising two sons, she wrote her first novel, Thieves, which was shortlisted in the New Zealand Post Book Awards the following year.
Anywhere But Here and Real Life quickly followed to complete the Thieves Trilogy and her many fans are wanting a fourth book.
She and her family now live on a rural property at Janefield near Dunedin, where Ella writes full time when she isn’t chasing sheep and cattle on the farm.
Her book Night Vision won the 2015 Young Adult section of the LIANZA Awards and was the Young Adult Children’s Choice winner in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
This is what she taught us today:
She told us that her books have made a copy of 5,000 books and all of them have sold...The books go out to New Zealand and Australia but her book called Night vision nearly made it to the united states also.
Right now she earns 15,000 each book because if she was in a bigger country she would earn way more money.
She told us it takes a while to come up with a book because she puts alot of effort into her work.
Here are her writing tips / in her own words:
First or all, write because you love doing it. Don’t write to become famous or wealthy or to have lots of friends who admire you. All of that stuff may happen but don’t write because of it. Write because you enjoy telling a story.
I have heard of people writing a 100,000 word book in two weeks which instantly becomes a best seller but I have never met them. Don’t expect this to be you. Most writers feel pretty good to crack out 2000 words a day and getting a publishing contract can take a year or more and then it can be another year or even longer before it actually gets published and appears on bookshop shelves. Of course, self-publishing an ebook is a lot quicker but you have to really know what you are doing. Be careful.
Write what you want to write. Don’t write books for kids say, about World War One because they seem to be popular at the moment, or crime books because everyone else is doing it. Write what you love and the way to find that out is probably to have a look at what you read. If you love romance stories and you read a lot of romance then write a romance. Don’t worry about people judging you – they’ll do that whatever you write.
Believe in yourself. If you want to write, if you love writing then just do it. And if you can’t handle people saying you will probably fail then don’t tell them what you are doing. No one knew I was writing Thieves except my husband until I had a publishing contract. And even then very few of my friends knew. Most people I deal with every day still have no idea. And it’s okay to keep it that way. They don’t get it and that’s just fine. My mum was the best when Thieves came out: “Hi Mum, my book is getting published.” “That’s nice, where will I be able to find it.” “It will be on bookshop shelves, Mum.” “It’s a real book?” “Yes, Mum, but I’ll send you a copy, you don’t need to buy it.” She’s now one of my biggest supporters. Thanks Mum.
Whatever you do write a great book. Not just a good book, but a great book, a mind blowing, amazing, incredible book. You sell more books this way, win awards, get to do stuff. Don’t complain if your book doesn’t sell, if it doesn’t make it into awards. Just go write a better book.
Saying that, there is a lot of luck in this business. Even with winning awards, just because your book is amazing, that doesn’t mean it will win. I once had a white pony which a friend used to enter into competitions. These competitions were simply about how the pony looked. She used to either win everything on the day, or nothing. She said it was because some judges liked white ponies and some didn’t. If the judges didn’t like white ponies, then she wouldn’t win anything, however much work she had done brushing it and plaiting its tail. When luck isn’t going your way, don’t let it get you down. When it is going your way, when everyone loves white ponies, then enjoy the roller coaster ride.
My questions for Ella west:
How long do you take to make one book:
What is your most popular book:
If you could improve one book what one would you improve:
What is her favorite sport:
Ella west's Photos:
Ella west's best book / in my opinion:
Night Vision
Viola was born with a genetic condition that makes
sunlight deadly. In the dark of night, when most
teenagers are tucked up in bed, Viola has the run of
her parents' farm and the surrounding forest. She is
used to seeing hidden things through her night-vision
goggles, but one night she sees something that could
get her into a whole lot of trouble...
Viola has always believed she would be dead before
she was twenty, but now she must decide just how far
she's willing to go to help her parents keep their beloved
farm. Is it okay to steal from a thief? What if the thief
might be a killer? And what if the killer threatens to come
after her and her family?
A heart-thumping thriller that will leave you breathless.
