Wilson \u2013 who while completing that Master\u2019s course in creative writing penned Spark Hunter, an adventure-fantasy novel that won her the 2022 NZSA Best First Book Award \u2013 told Cowan she had recently come to learn the value of books and of reading fiction, in particular.<\/p>\n
Research shows reading for pleasure \u2013 reading made-up stories like fairytales and fiction novels \u2013 is a bigger indicator of future success than anything else, including socio-economic background, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s heaps of research around that shows that children who read for pleasure are far more likely to succeed in life \u2013 [and] that\u2019s not just succeeding academically and having a better vocabulary and being better at English.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019re generally better at maths, more empathetic, more emotionally intelligent, more likely to take part in their communities later on; when they get older they\u2019re less likely to suffer from cognitive decline.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in my mind, it is not fair that lots of kids have access to that tool of fiction and books and many, many kids do not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson resolved to do something about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why it started: let\u2019s get a few books out through various charities that work on the ground with families \u2013 to begin with, that was the City Mission and the Women\u2019s Refuge \u2013 and then see how it goes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it just snowballed, that idea. I asked friends and family to donate some books to me as well, and it\u2019s a pretty easy kaupapa to get on board with, right? Kids and books, no one\u2019s going to argue against it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sonya Wilson says the feedback to Kiwi Christmas Books has been “amazing”.<\/p>\n
The charity has given out more than 54,000 books since launching, its website says, working in conjunction with 47 other charities in 38 towns and cities around New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Wilson says the feedback to Kiwi Christmas Books has been \u201camazing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents burst into tears when they see the books because their children have never owned something new and something of their own,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have stories of kids clutching their new books to their chest and not letting anyone else touch them or not letting their social workers touch them because they want them.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne woman told me a couple of months ago that \u2026 an 18-month-old was given The Gruffalo and it\u2019s now his absolute favourite thing \u2013 he makes every visitor that arrives read it to him and then kisses the Gruffalo goodnight on the last page of the book every night!\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson\u2019s own career as an author has also taken off in recent years, with The Secret Green \u2013 a sequel to Spark Hunter \u2013 released this year.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been quite the career pivot, with Wilson turning her back on more than two decades in broadcast journalism to start her new profession. The adjustment hasn\u2019t always been easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was particularly hard for me, coming off a background of news reporting and then current affairs, where obviously you\u2019re working to deadlines that are usually very tight and very quick and everything is very fast,\u201d Wilson explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo then be dealing with what felt like an octopus of a project that was, you know, 60-80,000 words long \u2013 even just to read it through once takes you a couple of days, let alone rewriting the whole thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWriting a book in general, some of it is talent, but most of it, perhaps, is perseverance. It\u2019s a very long road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Wilson\u2019s books have been optioned for adaptation, but given they feature a cast of small supernatural forest creatures, Wilson expects the cost of making a TV series or a movie might be a little eye-watering.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are people that want to do it and I\u2019m going to have a crack at doing the screenplay,\u201d she said. \u201cSo if anyone out there has got a spare $30-40 million to send our way to make the movies, then get in touch!\u201d<\/p>\n
Real Life is a weekly interview show where John Cowan speaks with prominent guests about their life, upbringing, and the way they see the world. Tune in Sundays from 7.30pm on Newstalk ZB or listen to the latest full interview here<\/a>.<\/p>\n