New Zealand Writers
BEAMES, Margaret
Suspense... dash and verve... depth and insight.
BEAMES, Margaret (1935 - ) is a children's writer whose rich imaginative narratives draw her young readers into worlds of drama and suspense.A prolific writer, Margaret has published thirty-seven books for children since her first, The Greenstone Summer (1977). Titles include Hidden Valley (1983); The Plant that Grew and Grew... (1984); The Parkhurst Boys (1986); Clown Magic (1989); The Glass Tower (1991); The Girl in Blue (1993); The Archway Arrow (1996); and The Shearwater Bell (1997). Several titles have been published in Australia and the UK.
Beames' recent titles include Storm (1999); "Nine to twelve year olds will want to read this all in one go - great torch-under-the-blankets stuff," and Outlanders (2000); "...suspense... dash and verve... depth and insight."
Beames has also written drama for stage and radio, and, with Karen Scotson, published a book for adults, Karen: Her Fight Against Leukemia (1988).
Updated information
Oliver in the Garden (2000), illustrated by Sue Hitchcock, won the Picture Book and Children's Choice categories at the 2001 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. Another book by Margaret Beames, Outlanders (2000), was shortlisted in the Senior Fiction category.
Beames' recent book Pumpkin Pie (2000) is self-published and is available from the author: thebeames@xtra.co.nz.
Duster (2002) is a young, scruffy dog found by Fliss. Fliss lives in an apartment but she is determined to keep him...
Oliver’s Party by Margaret Beames with illustrations by Sue Hitchcock (2003). Life can be most unfair for a cat – but a party can make up for everything.
Joseph's Bear (Lothian, 2004) tells the story of a boy's search for his father in the war ravaged Germany of 1948.
Her most recent young adult novel is Spirit of the Deep (Lothian, 2006).
Beames has recently released The Mouse that Danced (Scholastic, 2007). This is a heart-warming story of a mouse who danced across the city, never suspecting home was the best place to be after all.
Oliver Goes Exploring (Scholastic, 2008) has our favourite cat on an exploration of the spare paddock next door. Illustrated by Sue Hitchcock.
Margaret Beames is available to talk to students of all ages. She will discuss her own books and how she writes, ideas, how to start, writing 'tips' and the publishing process. She would prefer to speak to classes of 30 but she is able to speak to larger groups. She is prepared to travel out of town for Writers in Schools visits.
KIDS AUTHORS PICTURES AND INFORMATION
Some Questions for Margaret Beames
Where do you live?
Feilding
What sort of books do you like to read?
Modern, ‘real-life’ fiction, fantasy, biography, travel.
How do you think up your ideas?
I don’t ‘think them up’. They come into my head, triggered by something I’ve seen, heard, read or remembered.
What is the best thing about being an author?
Being free to make up my own stories, in my own way, in my own time.
Questions for Primary Schools
Do you have a pet?
No, although until recently I had a golden retriever called Jemma.
A favourite colour?
Blue.
Do you have any favourite foods?
Fresh home-baked bread, crispy apples, chocolate (and lots more)
Do you have any favourite games or sports?
Cricket, but I’m a spectator only. I don’t play any sport.
Where do you like to go for your holidays?
Any quiet beach or bush area. I like to travel overseas when I can afford it.
What was the naughtiest thing you ever did at school?
Walked out one day and went to the pictures – but it wasn’t as much fun as I expected.
Secondary School
How did you get started as a writer?
I could not get a job and was bored at home, so I wrote to keep busy and to amuse myself. I just invented a family and made up an adventure for them.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to be a writer?
Write something every day if you can, even if it’s just a diary, and read, read, read.
Is it difficult to make a living writing in New Zealand?
Yes. Most writers need a second job. Our small population means writers need to sell their books overseas as well.
What were you like as a teenager?
Shy and quiet, a watcher and observer rather than a leader. I didn’t have a real boyfriend until I was seventeen – 5 years later I married him!
Are they any other things about your life that you’d like to tell us?
I lived in Kenya for 2 years. I had some wonderful experiences and saw many varieties of wildlife. On the way home from a weekend in a game park, our car broke down and we had to spend the night in it. Only one other vehicle passed, but the people stopped and took a message to friends in Nairobi to come and rescue us. In the morning there were footprints of a large animal beside the car. I wonder what?
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