New Zealand Writers
HILL, David
Perceptively explores relationships and problems among teenagers.
KAPAI: Kids read more about David here
Writers in Schools: David Hill's involvement
Author entry from The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, edited by Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie (1998). [About the Companion entries]
HILL, David (1942– ), is a versatile journalist, reviewer, fiction writer, playwright and children’s writer. Born and educated in Napier, a graduate of Victoria University (MA Hons, 1964), he spent fourteen years secondary school teaching before writing full-time. He has contributed stories, articles, reviews and plays to newspapers, radio and most New Zealand journals, including Landfall, NZ Listener and School Journal, as well as overseas.
His books include The Seventies Connection (1970), on New Zealand literature, and Taranaki (1987), both in collaboration with Elizabeth Smither; Introducing Maurice Gee (1981); and On Poetry: Twelve Studies of Work by New Zealand Poets (1984). Moaville Magic (1985), illustrated by Eric Heath, was the first of three collections of comic and gently satirical pieces on an archetypical small New Zealand town, first broadcast on radio and published in the Dominion and elsewhere.
The Boy (1988), illustrated by Chris Slane, amusingly explores a father’s perspective on his teenage son. The Games of Nanny Miro (1990) is a bilingual story, illustrated by June Grant, translated by Irene Curnow. Plays for teenagers include Ours But to Do (1986), A Time to Laugh (1990) and A Day at a Time (1994).
Hill’s first teenage novel, See Ya, Simon (1992), is an absorbing story of friendship with a boy dying, at 14, of muscular dystrophy, whose gritty humour and determination expunge sentimentality. Shortlisted in New Zealand and runner-up for two awards in the UK, it won the 1994 Times Educational Supplement Award for Special Needs.
His next three novels in 1995 perceptively explore relationships and problems among teenagers involved in activities such as Tae Kwon Do in Kick Back, a disastrous tramping expedition in Take It Easy, and a drama production in Curtain Up. Also in 1995, The Winning Touch features an intermediate class's efforts to win at New Image Rugby. A more satiric touch is evident in Second Best (1996), about cricket. Hill was awarded an ICI Bursary in 1980 and is an occasional performer for ‘Metaphor’. DH
Updated Information
David Hill's 2001 titles include The High Wind Blows (2001), The Sleeper Wakes (2001) and The Name of the Game (2001).
In February 2002, Hill won the Children's Literature Foundation Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book for his 1992 novel See ya, Simon.
Hill has also had books translated into Estonian, French and Chinese.
Where All Things End (2002) is set in 2040 where the laws of science fail and all things end.
Right Where It Hurts (2001) is a junior novel which explores the area of self-harm. Right Where it Hurts was shortlisted for the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards 2003.
David Hill was the Robert Lord Writer in Residence from June-August 2003.
My Story: Journey to Tangiwai, The Diary of Peter Cotterill, Napier 1953 (2003). When Peter Cotterill begins his diary in 1953, little does he realise that something is happening elsewhere in New Zealand that is going to have a huge impact on his life.
No Safe Harbour (2003). Stuart and his sister, Sandra, are coming home to Wellington on the ferry. Stuart knows he'll enjoy the trip - he's a good sailor - but it's April 1968 and the ship is the Wahine.
Kiwi Bites is a series of bite-sized stories for kids. No Big Deal (2003) is written by David Hill and illlustrated by Terry Fitzgibbon. Todd is sick of all the 'short' jokes, until the day he and his friends become trapped in a cave...
Right Where It Hurts (2001) won the 2003 LIANZA Esther Glen Medal.
My Story: Journey to Tangiwai, The Diary of Peter Cotterill, Napier 1953 (2003) was a finalist in the junior fiction section of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2004. No Safe Harbour (2003) was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction Section.
Coming Back (Mallinson Rendel, 2004). Tara is heading home. Ryan is driving his mates. Neither of them is paying attention. The tragedy that follows changes many lives.
Coming Back was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction Category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2005.
Two young adult novels by David Hill were published in 2005; Running Hot (Mallinson Rendel) and Bodies and Soul (Scholastic). Running Hot has been nominated in the Young Adult section of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2006.
Hill Sides (2006) is a collection of David Hill's articles, columns and short stories, spanning more than 20 years of David's writing for adults. He has also released Aim High (Mallinson Rendel, 2006). Black Day (Penguin, 2007) is a title in the Kiwi Bites series.
Writers in Schools
David Hill is available to talk to intermediate and secondary school students. He is prepared to discuss the process of writing, the pains of writing and the pleasures of writing. He is able to run workshops. He is prepared to travel out of town for Writers in Schools visits
KIDS AUTHORS PICTURES AND INFORMATION
David Hill answers some Questions
Where do you live?
I live in New Plymouth
What kinds of book do you like to read?
I read lots of novels, books about astronomy, tramping and rugby.
Do you have any favourite authors?
My favourite authors include Jack Lasenby and Joy Cowley.
Where do you get your ideas?
I get ideas from watching people and thinking "what if...."
What is the best thing about being an author?
The best things about being an author include the pleasure of MAKING something. That's what writing is - making something that never existed before.
How did you get started as a writer?
I started (really started) in order to write about my kids when they were little.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to be a writer?
Read as much as you can; start sending work away; don't throw away ANYTHING.
Is it hard to make a living as a writer in New Zealand?
Well, it's always precarious. You never feel confident your next year's writing will be accepted. Fashions and publishers change.
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