AnnickPress

When Errol Broome was born in Perth, Western Australia, the doctor said to her mother, “With a name like that, she should write a book.” Errol often heard her mother tell this story, and grew up thinking she might be a writer. “I almost always did what I was told! But really, I liked writing stories, and won my first award for a short story when I was nine.

“My name has caused a few problems, mainly to other people who are embarrassed when they discover I’m a woman and they’ve addressed a letter to Mr. Broome. It doesn’t worry me any more.

“My mother was my biggest encourager, and everybody gave me books for Christmas and birthdays. I read almost anything, and really liked books written for boys because they were often funny, and not as sad as some of the more popular books for girls.

“I had two loving grandmothers, so grandparents feature quite strongly in my books, but often they're quirky and a bit outrageous—not at all like mine.”

Errol grew up close to the Swan River, where she learned to swim among the great brown-spotted jellyfish, and spent many hours fishing and catching crabs. When she was old enough, she rode her bicycle to the Cottesloe surf beach, which is still her favorite beach.

Errol gained an Arts degree from the University of Western Australia, and worked as a journalist on the West Australian newspaper, and on television in Melbourne. Marriage has taken her to Sydney and to Papua New Guinea, and she now lives in Brighton Beach, Australia. She and her husband have three grown-up sons. When Errol isn’t writing, she can be found in the garden. She likes to grow vegetables and flowers from seed, and watching them grow. She says she has more patience with plants than she has with computers.

When Errol switched from journalism to fiction writing, she found it harder than sticking to facts. “Fiction writing is like telling a fib. You make something up, and you must remember what you’ve said, or you get into a pickle. You have to continue the story, and make your readers believe it.

Gracie and the Emperor (2005) is the story of a young girl and Napoleon during his six years on St. Helena. Gracie is fictitious, but most of the incidents with Napoleon are true, or could have happened

“I need to think about the characters for several weeks before I begin a book. If my characters are good enough, they lead me into the story. I’m not always sure what’s going to happen, and things change as I write. If it feels right, that’s the way I go.

“I like to write the first draft in longhand, and make marks all over the pages, so I can see what sounds best, or makes the most sense. When it’s too much of a mess, I put it on the computer. I really like doing the fine tuning on a manuscript.

“My advice to a young writer would always be: Think about your characters. They’re not just a name. Know all about them, not just what you show in your story. And keep on writing. Don’t give up.”