Des Hunt's latest book, Cry of the Taniwha, was inspired by two events in his life. The first was a happy memory of a visit to his aunt's when he was about 7.
She lived in Waiotapu and served Devonshire tea to tourists.
"I was allowed to wander all over the place.
That trip sparked my love and fascination with geothermal energy," Des said.
The second event was not so nice. Des lived next door to a "tinny house", where he watched a delightful young boy turn to gangs. He eventually committed suicide in prison.
"Some youngsters think gang members have a great life with money to burn ... in fact they live a shitty life."
Cry of the Taniwha, which was a finalist in this year's New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, is set in Rotorua and tells the tale of Matt, a young teenager from Dunedin who, because of family business, hasn't seen his Nan in years. In fact his Pop died three years ago and now his Nan is married to a Maori man.
The first day of his trip Matt meets the boy next door - Juzza, he says his name is - but he soon learns that's his gang name. His real name is Jackson and he's not nearly as tough as he makes out.
Des, who lives in Mataringi, has been giving presentations in Hawke's Bay libraries, where he is helping young people develop their writing tools. "I have props which illustrate suspense," Des said.
"You have to have the right ingredients in your story to make this work and part of my presentation helps develop these skills.
"Although my books are aimed at youngsters, they are often read to children by adults, so I try to add another tier to the stories with humour that adults would enjoy."
Cry of the Taniwha is Des' 10th book and the third to be a finalist in the awards. His books are all action adventure thrillers with ecological themes. He writes with flair and a real Kiwi accent, which is delightful.
I look forward to Des' next book, which he tells me is all about the bird flu.
REVIEW
Cry of the Taniwha
by Des Hunt, HarperCollins, $18.99
Matt Logan gets more than he bargained for when he goes to stay with his Nan in Rotorua during the school holidays.
First, he meets Juzza - the wanna-be gang member living next door - then, with the help of his homemade metal detector, the pair discover a body.
When the police tell Matt the body belonged to someone who died in 1886 he decides to do some research.
Nan has no computer in the house so he sets off to the flash hotel nearby.
There he meets Eve who helps him do some research.
When they discover that there could be treasure buried near the body they can't wait to get back there with the metal detector.
However, when the gang leader gets wind of what they're up to he threatens them with all sorts of bodily harm if they don't find him some treasure.
There's a lesson for young and old in this tale of fear, bullying and choosing the right path. Great read.
Des Hunt's latest book, Cry of the Taniwha, was inspired by two events in his life. The first was a happy memory of a visit to his aunt's when he was about 7.
She lived in Waiotapu and served Devonshire tea to tourists.
"I was allowed to wander all over the place.
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