“It also seemed I’d never read a book about an older adult having opinions about their children, whereas the majority of novels are about middle-aged people having opinions about their parents.”
McCauley says one of the joys of writing is being free to be anyone, rather than being trapped in a persona.
The author, journalist, copywriter, radio and television writer said she once encountered someone in a lift when she’d first become reasonably famous.
The woman recognised her and asked for confirmation that she was indeed Sue McCauley. When the author said yes, the woman said, “I thought you’d be taller”.
Growing up in rural Dannevirke, in Waitahora, around her it was all rugby and social climbing.
“I always knew I was different,” she said, particularly regarding her own interests.
Being rather petite, she found a way to deal with that by writing.
“I was this little, short, chubby person. When I was writing, I could be anyone.
“You can write any size, any shape you want to. It’s that wonderful freedom.”
It took a while for the book to be taken up by a publisher.
McCauley said no one wanted it, and it had got to a point where she had considered self-publishing.
“I’d put a lot of years into this and people had given me money, and you sort of feel obligated.”
As a youngster, she spent a year working at Dannevirke Hospital.
“I was just filling in a year because my parents said I wasn’t old enough to leave Dannevirke,” she said.
Eventually, she began working as a copywriter for radio in Wellington.
The Listener was next door.
“I wrote a short story that I gave to one of my colleagues - we spent a lot of time doing our own writing.”
That colleague passed the story on to then-editor of the Listener, Monte Holcroft, who told her he wasn’t going to publish the story as it wasn’t good enough, but offered her a job working for the magazine.
“So at 18, 19 I got a job on the Listener, which was amazing because I was the only one without an education. When I look back, I was incredibly ignorant.”
Stupidly, she said, she went to Australia “because of a bloke” and, when they came back, she worked for the Taranaki Herald and the Christchurch Press.
When she became pregnant, she had to leave “because in those days, once you were visibly pregnant, you had to because it would be shocking for the public to think pregnant people existed”.
She decided she could make a living doing freelance writing instead, which turned into writing for radio as well as television and as a columnist.
It was in Christchurch where she met her now-husband, Pat Hammond. He was much younger than her.
To make a long story short, McCauley’s husband ran off with another woman while Pat stayed around, and the couple now live on the property where she grew up.
However, reactions to her relationship with Pat weren’t always positive, opening her eyes to how badly people were treated.
Especially from the bureaucracy, she said, which didn’t seem to be interested in chasing up her ex-husband for maintenance for the children.
Racism was another issue she picked up on.
Having always wanted to write fiction, McCauley found a way to write about things she was angry about, without fear of being censored, like she felt she was in journalism.
“You didn’t have a lot of freedom. The ownership of the paper wouldn’t approve, or the men wouldn’t approve. Someone wouldn’t approve. You couldn’t be honest.”
Fiction allowed her to explore the shades of grey, the bits in between the good and bad, and changing values.
It also allowed her to express opinions because, in her words, “I’m opinionated”.
The new novel is due for release in early April. Photo / Leanne Warr
