SCBWI New Zealand Five Questions : Samantha Montogmerie
Samantha is a children’s author and poet from Ōtepoti, and is the 2025 Otago University College of Education Children’s Writer in Residence. She has written numerous titles for Wendy Pye Publishing NZ, Harper Collins UK, Hodder & Stoughton UK, Red Rocket Readers and the Ministry of Education. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals and publications. What is your writing day like? When and how do you create? It always starts with words on the page. Sometimes that’s meeting a target for a work in progress, other times it might be writing fragments of an idea for a project to come. I am most happy in my office, at home with my coffee pot, cat and favourite books around me. But I can write from anywhere - like most writers, another job and family life often means a notebook on the run works just as well. At the moment, I am living the dream! The writing fellowship allows me to immerse myself into my writing project in a way that feels deliciously extravaga...