Hawke's Bay author Mary-anne Scott with her latest book The Tomo. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hawke's Bay author Mary-anne Scott's latest book, The Tomo, is her best yet.
She has crafted her characters so well that by the end of the book I really didn't want to say goodbye to them.
The story revolves around a family of three boys, a practical mum doing her
best to keep her chin up and a dad with cancer. Then there's Blue, dad's much-loved heading dog.
In fact, the entire family loves Blue.
When dad has to have treatment just before Christmas, the boys are sent in three different directions.
The middle son, 14-year-old Phil, is going to a farm to help out. He gets to take Blue with him.
However, things turn to custard when Blue chases an errand ram and they both disappear.
The story moves along at a cracking pace and is full of drama, humour, danger and special family moments.
This week one of Mary-anne's previous books, Spearo, was named in the Storylines Notable Books 2021 Award, in the Junior Fiction section.
I asked Mary-anne some questions about her career.
Your newly released book, The Tomo, is based on an incident that happened to your grandfather. Tell us about that.
When my maternal grandfather, Phil Evans, was a teenager, he lost his sheepdog down a tomo while mustering sheep on Pōhaturoa Station. It was 1926, they were lean times, and his dog was not just a beloved mate but also an indispensable member of the farming team. Grandad was distraught.
The tomo was deep, nearly 100 feet, and three days later he and a couple of mates took some plough line and made the two-hour trek back to the hole. With all the bravado of youth, Grandad tied the rope to a tree and climbed down.
He said getting down the hole was bad enough but getting back up was terrifying - he didn't know if he would make it out alive.
My grandfather wrote down his story and it has become folklore in our family. It's been a privilege to use his situation but fictionalise it for a new generation.
This is your sixth book. What is the biggest lesson you have learned about writing and publishing since your first book?
Each book has taught me something different. There were so many facets of The Tomo to research, like caving, knots, the cultural significance of the area, farming issues, different types of dogs, to name just a few. Because of this, I ended up writing the story in a piecemeal fashion. I thought the book was finished and I submitted it, but the publishers handed it back for me to try again. It felt tough at the time but it was the best decision. I knew the story was more cohesive once I'd finished writing the entire thing again!
When writing a book, which is hardest, the first sentence or the last?
The last sentence was hardest this time. I put it in and took it out so many times. I've loved writing this book because the research threw up so many interesting things about my ancestors. Even though I've reset this story in modern times, it was special to go on a road trip, (the inland road between Tairawhiti and Wairoa) and visit the places where my grandparents and great grandparents lived.
Tell us about a typical day when you are in the middle of writing a book.
Honestly, this book hasn't had many typical days — except for the rewrite; that was a slog. I took myself away to a beach hideaway and worked day and night — well, it felt like that at the time.
I'd like to say I have a writing routine but often other events take precedence. My goal is to go back to 5.30am starts, but now I've admitted that it probably won't happen.
Your books have won many awards over the years, including the latest Storylines Notable Books 2021 Award for Spearo in the Junior Fiction section. Tell us what the awards mean to you.
The awards are a big deal and I'm so pleased when one of the books gets shortlisted or selected. But I can't allow myself to think about the possibility of it happening in advance. I also can't let awards matter too much or influence my writing. The books are like my children, I love them all regardless, but I'm super-proud if one of them steps up.
What's the secret to keeping readers turning the pages of your books?
There's an expectation when writing junior or young adult fiction that the pace is maintained, so long passages of introspection or description are best avoided. Having said that, I also think tension can be subtle and built in ways that aren't about action. Maybe that's another thing I've particularly learned with this book. I was worried that the dramatic sections were taking too long to strike, but my editor sister said, 'Trust your reader - they know something awful is about to happen.'
If you were to write a spin-off about a side character in any of your books, who would you pick and why?
I'd like to take Emara Tiopera out of The Tomo and write about her. She's the gorgeous daughter of the farm manager and she's sassy, capable and environmentally aware. She's also hell-bent on questioning and challenging her father's farming decisions. It's a tough time in NZ for farmers right now — everyone is having a go at them — and I know it must be extra-stressful for farmers who face doubt and debate at their kitchen tables.
What are you working on now?
It's 10 years next May since Snakes and Ladders came out and Scholastic are thinking they'd like to re-release it with a new cover and some changes made to the text. The story is still relevant but so much has changed in 10 years! I'm keen to get started on that.
■Mary-anne recently lost her much-loved mum Joy Watson, also an author, best known for her Grandpa series. Hawke's Bay Today published a beautiful obituary written by her family.