TOP SELLING STORY-TELLER

‘BEN’S MOTHER IS DEAD, HIS FATHER IS IN JAIL, AND HIS OLDER
BROTHER IS HEADING OFF THE RAILS AT A MILLION KILOMETRES AN HOUR’.

Story: Charles Martin

SUSAN BROCKER lives with her husband on a small farm near Tauranga. While she has written many books for children, these have been mainly for the American market. Restless Spirit, a horse story but also an exciting adventure yarn, was her first novel for Kiwi kids. Saving Sam is her second. It’s a moving story about Ben, a troubled young boy struggling to find his place in the world and the damaged dog he befriends. Both have to find their way in a world of broken promises and mistrust. While Saving Sam touches the very real problem of P- abuse in this country, it is most importantly a tale that affirms the enduring values of loyalty and love - an adventure story of friendship and family, of hope and courage.
The book is dedicated to a much loved family dog: ‘In memory of Layla, my loyal and lovely girl’. Who was Layla, why is this best seller only the second book written for kiwi kids by a prolific international writer, and how did she get into the business in the first place? These were questions I put to Susan Brocker when I caught up with her at home in the hills on the outskirts of Tauranga. She is a very youthful-looking 47-year-old who grew up in the district but spent som years with her trade commissioner husband representing New Zealand interests in Europe.
They returned to the Bay of Plenty ten years ago and set up home in a delightful rural setting in the Pyes Pa region.

 

It is here that she can enjoy her love of animals and indulge a passion for horse riding. Layla was a much-loved long haired German Shepherd who died three years ago. But Susan still enjoys the company of a similar dog, called Yogi, as a family member and an excellent candidate for a training regime by Susan in search and rescue work “It’s no accident that my first two books for kiwi readers were about animals and kids, my great loves”. She and husband Lionel have fostered a number of children over the years, provided respite care for others, and introduced them all to their horses, dogs and other animals on the property.

IN THE BEGINNING

“I have always loved writing, even as a little girl, and it has just been a natural evolutionary process”, she told me. “I studied history and politics for my degree at Universiy with the idea of eventually going into journalism. But more by accident than design I ended up joining an education publication company when we returned to Auckland from Europe. I had been dabbling quite successfully for some years in travel writing, usually with an historic twist, and the move into researching and writing educational books seemed almost like a natural progression”.

“I LIKE TO WRITE STORIES THAT INSPIRE KIDS AND MAKE THEM HAPPY - AND GIVE THEM HOPE”

Susan eventually decided to work on her own behalf and set about servicing a niche market for education material for the 8 - 14 year old group. There was a ready market in the United States, hence her considerable success in the American market with only a comparatively recent foray into children’s fiction here in New Zealand. Although some of her work, such as the ‘Science Alive’ and ‘Wild Cat’ series, sold into local schools here, her bread and butter was - and indeed still is - developing and writing history-based education books for schools in the United States.
“However I want to write more stories for New Zealand kids. That is now a serious part of present and future activities”. Susan is not a ‘formulae writer’ - and in fact she abhors the concept - and her research and history-interest background serves her well when coming up with story ideas for fictional treatment.
“Sometimes the storylines come from personal experience, situations I’ve come across or ideas I’ve dreamt up, but although I start writing with a definite story plan in mind, it can change as the writing progresses. Even the nature of the characters may change if I think they deserve to be more likeable”, she laughs. She also doesn’t like the idea of using devices to spice up a storyline, as often happens in television script writing when series start to flag. In other words there’s only room for good, exciting stories carefully crafted for the readers she serves.

CLARITY AND ENJOYMENT

“I like to write using a vocabulary that suits my audience - simple, clear and understandable, - and let the story stand or fall in its own right. A good story will always hold the reader from start to finish and be enjoyable, and that’s what I aim for”. Susan’s latest story Saving Sam attests to her success in this respect. It was the top selling children’s book on the New Zealand market recently.

THE FUTURE?

Already Susan Brocker has an exciting new book with her publishers, Harper Collins, ready for release about ANZAC Day next year. She said that, in the first world war, more than 10,000 horses were sent to war [most served in the Middle East] from New Zealand and only one, Bess, came home. And there will be more where that came from, written by this New Zealand top-selling writer of children’s stories. “I like to write stories that inspire kids and make them happy - and give them hope”, says Susan.

Saving Sam by Susan Brocker, children’s fiction published by Harper Collins (New Zealand) Ltd.
For more information: www.susanbrocker.com