Q&A: Fifi Colston
Fifi Colston is a Wellington icon, a writer, illustrator and “straight-up creative”. Her new children’s novel, Masher, is a warm and funny novel about animal companions, imaginary friends, perceived enemies, and finding your happy place. Fifi answers our quick Q&A.
1. How are you and what have you been up to lately?
I am very good, thank you, and I put it all down to being a “Better Beach Babe”. We are a diverse group of women who swim at 7.30 am at a local beach (known as Best Beach) a few times a week, come what may. Wellington water is not known for its balminess, so we must all be barmy in our togs partaking of cold-water therapy. I have a hilarious vintage-style bathing cap and I am now one of those ‘women of a certain age’ who really doesn’t give a toss what I look like!
It’s all a surprise to me and my family because I’ve never been sporty, hate the cold and have always been particular about style. I’m back at my desk by 9am with a coffee, working on illustrations for the next picture book, which happens to be set on a beach. Perfect!
2. If you were working in a bookshop, how would you hand-sell your book to customers? What would you say to convince them to buy and read it?
I’m terrible at hard-selling, so I would totally rely on wearing my hand-crafted Masher T-shirt and quietly making papier-mâché in the corner until someone asks me what I’m doing and where did I get that cool tee, then we would get into conversation about kids who don’t fit in, the gloriousness of arts and crafts, imaginary friends, and characterful dogs we have known. Pretty soon they’d be walking out with four copies: one for their kid, one for their nephew, one for the school and one for themselves.
3. What books (or other art/media) influenced you while working on this book, or generally in your life?
The Golden Hands collection of craft magazines from the seventies I made my mother buy for me on subscription when I was 12. I still have them, and each week a whole new world of hands-on exploration of materials opened up for me. I was busy for all of my tweens doing wholesome stuff and learning so much about glue! Also a 1965 edition of Hand Puppets and String Puppets by Waldo S. Lanchester, which was my bible as a kid.
When I was eight, we spent some time in Scotland and school was generally terrifying. Girls were made to do knitting and boys got to do fun stuff like papier-mâché. I hate the stereotyping of skills and interests almost as much as I hate knitting, so years later I channelled my eight-year-old outrage into Freddie Foxworthy, added a bull terrier and the love of making things and Masher was born.
4. What good books have you read lately?
So many New Zealand books! Loop Tracks by Sue Orr, We Can Make a Life by Chessie Henry, Things I Learned at Art School by Megan Dunn, and Maggie Rainey-Smith’s collection of poems, Formica. I also have Donovan Bixley’s Draw Some Awesome which, if I was a kid who wanted to draw, this would be my most treasured book. Actually, even if you are an adult wanting to draw, it’s brilliant!
Buy Masher (Penguin Random House NZ), $19
