Cunard’s inaugural Literature Festival at Sea voyage, in partnership with Dymocks, will set sail on December 11. This unique themed cruise will host a plethora of literary talents, including award-winning New Zealand author Paul Cleave. Here, the crime fiction writer speaks to Travel about cruises, Kindles and Christchurch’s dark underbelly.
How does your work as an author relate to travel? I’ve been a published author since 2006 and, in that time, I’ve released 13 novels – and recently a TV show, too. The books have been translated into 20-something languages and sold a bunch of copies, which has given me the opportunity to travel to places I never thought I would have. By the end of the year, I’ll have visited almost 70 countries, gotten sunburned in some, frozen in others and met a ton of really cool people.
READ MORE: Ten of the world’s best cruises for solo travellers What inspired you to become an author? It wasn’t so much that one thing inspired me – it’s more that it’s what I wanted to do, ever since being a kid. My parents were always avid readers and I grew up the same way – mostly, I guess, because I’m old enough for my childhood to have predated Xboxes and Netflix. Sure, writers inspire me now – and one of the best parts of the job is becoming friends with writers, those whom I used to and still admire.
The other best part is most writers are pretty generous when it comes to buying drinks. Many of your novels are based in Christchurch. .