The Year 12 writer from Tokoroa tells Claire Mabey what life has been like since Time magazine named her one of their 2025 Girls of the Year.
Rutendo Shadaya is a young woman with a plan. After she’s finished her current novel series she’s going to self-publish a standalone novel, followed by a project with children’s writing and illustrations. Only after that will she tackle traditional publishing.
Up until mid-August of this year you’d have been forgiven for having no idea who Shadaya is. But on August 13, Time magazine published its 2025 Girls of the Year feature, that included the Zimbabwean-Aotearoa author. Shadaya, 17, is dressed in her Tokoroa High School uniform at 8am on a Monday morning when we speak about her new life in the international spotlight.
Shadaya is in Year 12 and in the thick of assessments that leave her little time to write, particularly as the last few weeks have been a flurry of media interviews and a steep increase in social media followers. She is philosophical about the irony of it taking an international publication to turn Aotearoa on to her books: “There’s a time and place for all things.”
When Shadaya first started publishing her middle-grade novels (aimed at 8-12-year-olds) and her mother tried to pitch her story, the media wasn’t interested. Now she’s batting away reporters, working to upgrade her website to manage orders and fielding inquiries from booksellers eager to stock her work. “It’s crazy. It feels so surreal,” she beams.
Before Time, Shadaya’s profile started to build with her inclusion in the YWCA Y25 – a programme that celebrates the vision and young leadership of women between the age of 15 and 25. She credits that organisation with alerting Time to what she was up to: writing fantasy novels with a core message of “anything is possible” and publishing, marketing and distributing them herself.
It was in the thick of the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 that Shadaya realised she could inspire others with her writing. In Year 10 a teacher, Sanjeena Chandra, allowed Shadaya to join the Young Enterprise Scheme, despite the programme usually being reserved for Years 12 and 13. Shadaya’s project was to tour her two novels to schools to promote literacy and creativity. “I believe that kids, especially teenagers, are afraid to pursue their dreams because they may feel it is out of reach,” she says. “By sharing my journey, I want children to understand the importance of literacy, creativity, and stepping out of their comfort zones.”
Shadaya’s project saw her win the Rotorua/Taupō regionals and secure a finalist place. “It just takes small steps,” she says. “Small steps lead to success.”
Shadaya with her family at the YWCA ceremony.
Shadaya didn’t always enjoy writing. “It was my most critiqued subject,” she says, “maybe only after maths.” It was only because her friend, Sophie Thompson, was a bookworm that she gave it a go and at the age of nine wrote an entire novel to give to Thompson as a birthday present. Shadaya’s motivation was the vision of that end result: being able to give a book-loving friend her very own fantasy novel, printed and bound, for her 10th birthday. Shadaya’s parents encouraged her to print more than one copy: “they are massive supporters.”
There was an early attempt to try to get Shadaya’s novels traditionally published but the family realised quickly that it wasn’t a realistic pathway for a 10-year-old. Self-publishing, warns Shadaya, is expensive and it takes a lot of work. “It’s very tricky to make sales. It’s a very tricky industry,” she says. The marketing and distribution is an ongoing and significant time investment.
“It’s kind of a hassle,” she says about getting her books into the hands of readers. “You have to put yourself out there and be very strategic about it and push hard, because that’s how you meet that breakthrough point.” Shadaya sells her books at markets and has managed to get them into local Paper Plus bookstores in the Waikato, The Women’s Bookshop in Auckland, as well as The Children’s Bookshop in Wellington. Hamilton libraries carry copies, too. At the time of our conversation, Shedaya hasn’t had any traditional publishers approach her but she feels she isn’t quite ready for that anyway. There’s that standalone novel to do and a bunch of other projects before she’ll “dive into” that side of the industry. Her ultimate dream is to be a hybrid author: self-publishing as well as writing books she knows will work for the traditional model.
Right now, Shadaya has to focus on school and exams. It’s only when holidays roll around that she can get back to novels. During term time Shadaya will write poems and short stories, “sort of like writing training” so she has a run-up into the school holidays where there’s more space for novels. Her most recent writing stint was after her mock exams were over: “I finished early so I decided to do my own version of NaNoWriMo” (a recently closed organisation that encouraged manuscript-drafting sprints with daily word count goals). In 27 days she got the fourth draft of her latest novel done and prepared for a copyeditor and proofreader, as well as beta readers (early readers who give feedback), who she says are essential for making sure her work ”isn’t terrible”.
Seven years on from her first novel, Shadaya is a committed author, in love with the play of worldbuilding and the adventure of her characters. “You become a creator of a world and you want to know what happens. There is so much power and control in that.”
Shadaya’s books – Rachel and the Enchanted Forest, Rachel and the Chevene Pirates, and Rachel and the Mischievous Thieves – are for ages eight to 12, the age range she was when she first conceived of the magical world she’s still working within. “I love getting feedback,” she says of her readers. Parents will often pass on thoughts from their children or Shadaya will get direct messages from fans telling her they love her stories and want more.
Rutendo Shadaya with her novels.
Shadaya’s early influences include David Walliams and the Harry Potter series. “I was a heavy bookworm. I’d get in trouble for staying up late reading on school nights. I loved reading, I just didn’t like writing!” Fantasy was always attractive for its potential: “I’ve always liked that adventure. I’ve always wanted to have magical powers. Like, imagine a world where you could summon food, or teleport. It’s such an escape.”
I tell Shadaya that I often think about an article published in Stuff in 2023 that revealed that the number one dream job for New Zealanders was to be a writer. “I didn’t know that about New Zealand!” Is Shadaya living the dream? “Being a writer was one of my top dreams. But mainly I want people to enjoy my books. My characters are relatable on purpose.”
So far, Shadaya hasn’t yet been invited to participate in a writers festival, though she attended the Auckland Writers Festival as a student and loved it. It is another dream of hers to appear on that stage herself one day. Should she ever have the opportunity, the message she’d share with aspiring writers is that they need a good support group and motivation. “If you keep on pushing, and envision that end goal – like, imagine holding that book – then anything is possible.”
To purchase any of Rutenda Shadaya’s books, contact the author via social media or her website. She may even sign your copy for you for no extra charge.