RH Rose
I was born in Morrinsville in 1950 in the old maternity home. To Jack the Gallipoli war veteran, and Maggie the seamstress and musician. I was raised as a Plymouth Brethren. I was the last of 7 children. I was singing as soon as I could work out sound. I was a very creative child.
I have 3 children, 11 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. I am a singer-songwriter and have, with my partner-producer, have created 4 albums. I paint vibrant abstracts of my truth, and I write. It’s fair to say I’m full on ADD. Being creative is my happy space. But I can function in the other world as well. I just find the creative world more interesting.
I am 74 years young in spirit. Oh, before I forget: I love to cook with passion, soul and vibrant colours. I am of Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and Devon lineage. Hope you like my first book “Hear Me.”
What authors did you dislike at first, but grew into?
Janet Frame. I am now reading “You are Entering the Human Heart” for the second time. I think it is because I am now older, that I finally get it.
Do you try more to be original, or to deliver to readers what they want?
I am original and I tell my truth as I see it. I do not expect everybody to like what I do but I’m sure it will appeal to somebody.
What is it about your chosen genre that you love?
I like stories with a solid historical element. I like it to be real.
How do you select the names of your characters?
I think about a character and slowly it forms over time until its real in my visionary eye.
What was the first book that made you cry?
I didn’t start reading anything until my twenties. The only book we were allowed to read was the Bible. The first other book I read was “The Mists of Avalon.” Parts of that made me sad enough to cry.
If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
I would have been writing from a young age. We were not allowed to express ourselves in such ways, as they were seen to be evil and worldly.
Have you Googled yourself? Did you find out anything interesting?
Yes, I have ego surfed but it did not reveal anything that I was unaware of.
Are there any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? Can you tell us one? Or give us any hints?
The secret in my book is about my mother’s kidnapping when she was 14. It was a family shame. It was recorded in the NZ Herald of the time. Not many people know about this.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? Why?
R H Rose is my pseudonym. I prefer this for other peoples as well as my own privacy reasons, and confidentiality regarding some of the sensitive material in my story.
How did publishing your first book change your writing process?
It just makes me thirsty to write more and dedicate more time to it as its important. I do feel a change in focus.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have one cookery book that I am now going to finish. I am also doing a follow up to my first release, and a thriller depicting a psychopathic killer.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of the opposite sex?
I find it quite easy to do that. I identify with men in so far as I feel I understand the male spirit and psyche.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I have never had a book reviewed yet.