Not many writers hit the jackpot with their first novel. But 30 years ago, after a decade of writing other work, Taranaki author David Hill did just that with See Ya, Simon, about a 14-year-old boy dying of muscular dystrophy. Published in 1992, the story of Simon's year-long friendship with his narrator, Nathan, has sold 200,000 copies worldwide, received numerous awards and been translated into Estonian, French, Dutch, German, Slovenian and Mandarin. It remains in print.
Long before diversity became a popular issue, or what the late John McIntyre called "sick lit" became fashionable, See Ya, Simon was an unlikely candidate for publication. The first publisher to whom Hill submitted it kept it for three months then rejected it. So he sent it to independent Wellington publishing house Mallinson Rendel, best known for its long association with Lynley Dodd and Hairy Maclary.
"I posted it off, glad to be rid of it," he says. When he got Ann Mallinson's acceptance call, he remembers standing at the phone shaking his fist in the air. He is hugely grateful to the publisher. "I was tremendously lucky to have her - she was everything a writer could want." When he heard she was retiring, back in 2010, he thought: "Ann, how dare you!"
Napier-born Hill, MNZM, has written more than 50 titles for children and young adults in recent decades. Many of them were shortlisted for, or won annual children's book awards, including Children's Choice, and the Storylines Notable Book Lists, with some accolades from further afield.
Denne historien er fra March 4-10 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra March 4-10 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.