Fiona Wood

What other jobs have you had?

I’ve worked in marketing and in arts project management. One of the projects I produced was poetry on billboards at train stations. I’ve also been a freelance journalist and written PR for film and television. Before writing novels, I wrote television scripts for more than ten years. 

What themes are recurring in your work?

My theme is always identity. My characters ask, who am I? and who am I in the world? My stories are about family and friendship, touching on love and loss, anxiety and vulnerability, social justice, empathy and kindness. 

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about writing books that keep people reading for pleasure. My middle grade novels reflect my passion for climate action – How to Spell Catastrophe, and imagination – The Boy and the Dog Tree. 

Where have your works been published?

Australia and New Zealand, the US and Canada, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Türkiye.

Haven’t I seen you before?

We’ve been waiting together for coffee somewhere in Collingwood. 

What have been the highlights of your career?

It was fun having a good review in the New York Times when I was in NYC so I could buy the paper at a newsstand. Winning an award is lovely, seeing a book translated into another language is exciting, but the best thing of all is when readers let me know that one of my books has stayed with them and meant something to them.