On Wednesday 20 November, Classes 9C and 9V went to the Kaiapoi Library for a Storylines Author Workshop from Eileen Merriman as part of our GATE programme.

Eileen Merriman is an award-winning novelist, short story and flash fiction writer from New Zealand. All three of her young adult novels were finalists in the NZ Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards. Her first adult novel, Moonlight Sonata, was released in July 2019 and her fourth young adult novel, A Trio of Sophies, will be released in the first half of 2020.

The students got to hear Eileen’s story about each of her books and how she became a writer. They heard first-hand how hard it can be to get a book published, especially when you work as a doctor full-time! As a beginning author, rejection is normal and perseverance is key, so get writing!