Ned Helmet

NED KELLY 'S HELMET.

AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL STAFFORD
(By Sharon Hollingsworth for www.glenrowan1880.com )

I recently had the privilege of interviewing the very talented Paul
Stafford, author of "Ned Kelly's Helmet." "Ned Kelly's Helmet" is a
novel written for the younger set, but it is a book that will entrance
and delight nearly everyone. Dave White enjoyed it so much that he sent
me a copy and I literally could not put it down till I finished it! If
any of you or your children have not read it yet, I urge you to seek out
a copy soon.

I found Paul to be quite charming, witty and affable, all winning traits
that come readily through in his writing style. Yet for all his writing
talent, he is involved with far more than just authoring books. Read on
to find out what else Paul Stafford has been getting up to!

Sharon: Paul, you wrote "Ned Kelly's Helmet" back in 1998 intending it
as a children's book, yet many grownups (including Dave White and
myself) absolutely loved it! For those who have not had the pleasure of
reading it yet, give a brief synopsis of what to expect.

Paul: NKH was written as a 'timeslip' adventure, to give readers
a taste of travelling back to the time of bushrangers, with a mission in
mind - the kids in question are trying to steal Ned Kelly's helmet to
win a history project prize. I love Australian history, especially the
bushranging aspect, and wanted to capture some of that magic for
modern young readers.

Sharon: You are re-publishing "Ned Kelly's Helmet" in November of this
year (2004), correct? What shops will it be available in? Can it be
ordered direct from your publisher?

Paul: The book will be available online -
www.pantsonfire.com.au
but the site isn't up until early 2005. Until then it's available by
mail order - Pants on Fire
Publishers, PO Box 1370 Bathurst NSW 2795.

Sharon: I know you had told me on a previous occasion that you were a
big Ned Kelly buff, so when did you first become interested in Ned and
the gang?

Paul: Like many Aussie boys, I've loved the
story of Ned and the gang since childhood.

Sharon: You live in New South Wales, but have you ever had the
opportunity to visit Glenrowan where Ned had his last stand (I know you
have it as the setting of "Ned Kelly's Helmet")?

Paul: Unfortunately I'm yet to visit Glenrowan -for shame! I will get there
soon, I keep promising myself.

Sharon: You have written other books besides "Ned Kelly's Helmet" that
are very popular with youngsters, especially boys. They are part of the
"Pants on Fire" series (recommended for ages 12 and up). Tell everyone a
little about the titles in the series and how much fun they were to
write and how much fun they will be to read!

Paul: I'd loved writing all the POF books. The short stories are
zany, humourous, silly stuff, very fun to write, as much fun to read (I
hope). Writing NKH was much more serious, and much more
satisfying. I regard it as my best work to date, and am writing the
sequel now, "Capt. Flinder's Cat."

Sharon: Did you read a lot as a child? Did you have a particular mentor
to foster good reading habits such as a teacher or parent or other adult
role model?

Paul: I read like a crazy man - never had my face out of a book.
As per mentors, in terms of reading & writing it would have been
my parents, and my early headmaster at Kurrajong School, Reg Jones.

Sharon: You yourself have been a role model and mentor to encourage
reading and writing among school children. I know that you were involved
as a visiting author to select libraries in the 2004 NESTLE Write Around
Australia Creative Writing Competition Workshops. Tell us about your
involvement with all that.

Paul: I've toured many schools throughout Australia and NZ as a
literacy consultant. It's a great job - I get to meet and work with my
demographic - young readers.
Many of the stories coming out of these creative writing workshops go up
onto a web-site or are adapted into radio plays, animations and theatre pieces.

Sharon: Paul, tell us about your current project which is a writing
workshop you are conducting called "Writing the Waves." Do you use "Ned
Kelly's Helmet" as one of the books to fire the students' imaginations?
What sort of feedback have the kids given you on the book?

Paul: Writing the Waves saw me touring far west NSW running writing
workshops. The stories are being launched onto a website as we
speak (no web address as yet) and being recorded for radio. The kids I
meet have been really positive about my books, especially
NKH, and that always puts wind in my sails.

Sharon: It sure sounds like you are doing some wonderful work with
Australia's youth to motivate them into a lifetime of good reading and
good written communication skills. I see you hold creative writing
workshops for adults, too! You are a busy man, indeed! Any new projects
on the horizon we can expect from you in the near future? Will you ever
feature Ned Kelly as a theme again?

Paul: I'm working on a bunch of different stuff right now -
relaunching the Pants on Fire books early in 2005, writing a radio drama
for local radio, working on a radio doco with 2MCE, and more writing
tours.
I'd love to write more about Ned, but realise now I have to go
back to the research - there's much too much I don't know about the
story, or got wrong first time round (but thanks to you guys, I now know
where to go to find it!)

Sharon: Here is a shameless request: Tell everyone what your esteemed
opinion is of the Glenrowan1880 website. :)

Paul: I wish I'd had access to an excellent resource like
Glenrowan1880 when I was writing my book in 1998 - there would've been a
hell of a lot less mistakes. Great site - more power to it!

Sharon: Thanks, Paul, for being such a good sport and great writer,
any parting comments for the fans?

Paul: Never forget the legacy of Ned Kelly -one person fighting tyranny
CAN make a difference!

A PAUL STAFFORD BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ned Kelly's Helmet

PANTS ON FIRE SERIES:

Blatantly Bogus

Basically Bollocks

Ludicrous Lies

Fully Faked

Heinous Humbuggery

Totally Toasted

Chronic Crapola

Hoopy Hoaxes

RELATED LINKS:

www.pantsonfire.com.au (will be online early 2005)

www.writearound.com.au

www.laterallearning.com/authors/stafford.htm

Thank you to Sharon Hollingsworth for this terrific interview and
to Paul Stafford for his time and forthrightness in his replies.
Check Paul's site for heaps of great books!
I loved "Ned Kelly's Helmet" and if you have not yet read it I suggest you
get a copy. (Pantsonfire 2004 edition available.)