First Time Author

First-time author set for success 16 October 2006
By YVETTE BATTEN Mike Christiansen woke up in the early hours of the morning, about four years ago, with an idea.
That idea is about to make its debut.
"I woke up at 3am one morning and decided I was going to write a book – and by 5am I had all the characters," Mr Christiansen said.
His first book, Jack, is on the press with the first copies going on sale after Labour Weekend.
"This story follows the mishaps and adventures of Jack and his mates, Ruka, Zeb and Toby," Mr Christiansen said.
Along the way, they try to outsmart the school bully, discover that girls are not always bad and learn to stand up for things they consider important.
"When they discover that the skatepark land could be bought by the grumpy local busybodies, they decide that something must be done," he said.
The characters are not based on anyone in particular, but parts of the storyline were inspired by Mr Christiansen's experiences.
Mr Christiansen is the first to admit he's not the most avid book fan, but he hopes his children's book will inspire youngsters to read more.
"I'm a builder, not a writer," he said.
The book has been produced with local cartoonist Karl Quinn of Screen Art, Taryn Lobb and Jago Print and Graphics Ltd.
The first production will see 500 copies deposited in book stores and surf outlets in Oakura and New Plymouth.
But that's not all Mr Christiansen has been up to – he's already got two other books in the pipeline, set to follow on from his first if it goes well.
"If there's any interest in this, I'll do it (print the others). It depends on how it sells," he said.