Opening salvo sure to entice readers

It's hard to tell with autobiographies. Some are fascinating and hard to put down. Others are less enticing and hard to pick up.
William Taylor's autobiography, Telling Tales: A life in writing, has an introduction that will draw readers like moths to a light.
"When I was seven years old I saw Jesus in our garden at Roslyn Rd, Levin. It was something of a surprise because we didn't get many visitors ..."
Who couldn't be drawn to read more?
Taylor says he initially thought writing his memoirs would be seen as a "bit of an ego trip", but having done it, he's comfortable again.
At the same time, this former school principal and mayor turned full-time writer is adamant there won't be a sequel. One is more than enough for him.
"Once I got into it things just sort of fell into place," Taylor said in an interview from his home near Raurimu in the shadow of Mt Ruapehu.
"There are stages in the book where I digress. In fact the only difficulty I had in writing it was what to leave out."
Taylor has carved a name for himself in New Zealand literature. Although he began writing novels for adults, it was when he turned his pen to children's books that his work gained traction.
Over the years he has been honoured with many national and international children's book awards and scholarships.
In 2004, that success was recognised when he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to children's literature and the community.
That "community" service recognised in part his time as mayor of Ohakune (1981-1988). In his autobiography, his recall of local authority leadership is telling and very funny.
He retains a fondness for the town he led as mayor, for the region and the people who live there. Even the carrot that gave Ohakune fame beyond our shores.
"I love it, even though I fought against the erection of that giant carrot in the first place. Thousands of people would have had their pictures taken next to that thing since then," he said.
His writings sometimes courted controversy, with The Blue Lawn (published in 1994) delving into sexual orientation, an issue rarely addressed in young adult fiction up until that time.
His most recently published novel - Land of Milk & Honey (2005) - is a powerful story based on the real-life experiences of hundreds of British children who were sent as war refugees to New Zealand and Australia during the decade after World War II.
Taylor has written 45 books and not all have a serious side.
More than half his writing for the young has been comedy.
His childhood memories of shifting from town to town with his itinerant parents, his early years as a teacher, raising two boys solo and the friends who have passed through his life intertwine seamlessly with the ups (and downs) of life as a writer in a small country and the sources of inspiration for some of his best characters.
Although he doesn't consider himself a prolific writer, Taylor says "writing's been good to me".
"I'm not wealthy but it keeps clothes on my back and food on the table."
His home, a few kilometres from Raurimu, sits to the west of SH4, halfway between Ohakune and Taumarunui. It is situated high on a hill offering spectacular views of Mt Ruapehu to the east and Mt Taranaki to the west.
The publication of his memoirs has filled his schedule so there is no time for thoughts of writing another book at this stage.
And although he doesn't favour one writing style over another, he's just finished reading a crime trilogy by late Swedish author Stieg Larsson: "Once you start reading them you can't put them down."
REVIEW
Telling Tales: A life in writing,
by William Taylor,
HarperCollins, $39.99
William Taylor's autobiography is done and dusted in a tad over 300 pages and that's not a bad thing. It's a nice tale well told and its self-effacing tone speaks volumes of the author himself.
Taylor's fame as an author arrived around the time he was teaching in Ohakune; he was also that town's mayor. And having reported on local councils during this period, I can vouch for Taylor's mayoralty as being one of the more expressive and exciting in the district.
His autobiography is a bit like those sorts of wholesome meals mothers are famous for; it's comfortable and it has an easy tempo to its creation.
Taylor speaks fondly of family and friends made on an interesting journey. And he has some simple explanations for some of the more contentious young adult books he wrote, which dealt with edgy subjects like sexual orientation.
This book reads more like a casual conversation between friends and reflects Taylor's unpretentious writing style.He says he was coerced into writing this book, but we should be thankful for those who exerted the pressure. And we would hope Taylor has more words to come. John Maslin