Melina Marchetta is a bestselling Australian author who practically needs no introduction. She wrote the much-loved classic Looking For Alibrandi, as well as Jellicoe Road, The Piper’s Son, Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil, The Place on Dalhousie and many more wonderful books. Her latest book is What Zola Did on Monday – the first in a 7-book series for children illustrated by Deb Hudson.
Today, Melina’s on the blog to tell us all about Zola and her wonderful adventures. Read on!
Melina Marchetta
Tell us about your book, What Zola Did on Monday!
MM: It’s about a 7-year-old girl named Zola who lives with her mum and her Nonna and her dog, and the adventures she has with her cousin who lives in the house behind her.
Where did your inspiration for this new series come from?
MM: It came mostly from my daughter. When she was in first grade, she really struggled with reading so I figured that the only way I could get her to read was to write about her. Although her name is not Zola, she certainly feels ownership over the character.
Can you tell us a little about Zola? What is your favourite thing about her?’
MM: Zola has the greatest intentions to do the right thing, but sometimes she’s not great at following through. She reminds me of a certain someone who lives with me. But I love that she’s spirited and cheeky, and she is a wonderful older cousin and friend.
What kind of things can we expect to see Zola get up to on the other days of the week to come?
MM: Anything from ruining her Nonna’s knitting, to training her dog to find missing animals, like the police dog next door. She is also learning to play trombone and decides to put together a band with the kids in the neighbourhood, which at first turns out to be disastrous.
Did it feel very different writing for children after writing for adults for so long?
MM: Strangely, it feels much harder. These little books are just over two thousand words, so much shorter than my other fiction, but when you write so few words for this age group, every single one counts.
What was it like working with Deb Hudson, the illustrator, and seeing the story come to life through the pictures?
MM: Deb has brought something extraordinarily special to these books. She was very patient with my description of these characters, especially on a cultural level which was very important to me. We are very fortunate having an amazing editor in Amy Thomas who communicates what we both want so well. It’s been a fantastic team to be part of.
Who do you most admire in the writing world?
MM: Anyone who is challenging young people to think outside the box.
What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever received?
MM: Write what you know.
What do you hope your readers will discover in What Zola Did on Monday?
MM: I hope it’s a discovery about the importance of community and the beauty of diversity.
And finally, what’s up next for you?
MM: Apart from the last couple of Zola books, I’m working on a few TV and film projects at the moment. We were fortunate enough to get funding from Screen Australia to develop The Place on Dalhousie into a series, so I’m working on the pilot. Fingers crossed that it will be picked up by a network.
Thanks Melina!
—What Zola Did on Monday by Melina Marchetta (Penguin Random House Australia) is out now.
What Zola Did on Monday
Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble!
Seven stories in the series - one for every day of the week. From the bestselling author of Looking for Alibrandi.
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