As a young girl Natale Ghent pored over classic children’s books like Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio and Winnie the Pooh. Now an award-winning author, her books are inspiring the next generation of writers.
After graduating from U of G with a BA in English, she went on to study communications and novel writing at the University of California, San Diego. When she returned to Guelph, she enrolled in the master of landscape architecture program, but her heart belonged to writing. After withdrawing from the program, she wrote two novels in one year.
“I don’t usually choose what I’m going to write,” says Ghent. “What I write usually chooses me.” When she began writing her first novel, Piper, “I didn’t set out to write a children’s story; I set out to write a story about a girl and a dog.” Her most recent novel, Against All Odds, was published earlier this year.
Ghent often receives fan mail from young readers through email and Facebook, but she particularly enjoys meeting them face to face. “Writing is a very lonely craft, so when you get to go out in the world and speak to people who have read your books and who enjoy them, it’s just the most gratifying experience,” she says.
Born in Brookfield, Ill., Ghent and her family moved to Woodstock, Ont., when she was seven. Her childhood love of books soon developed into a love of writing. Her aunt gave her several spiral-bound notebooks to write in and illustrate her stories. Her Grade 4 teacher told her that she wouldn’t be surprised if she walked into a bookstore one day and saw one of Ghent’s books on the shelves. Today, Ghent has seven books under her belt and an eighth on the way.
She still carries a notebook to jot down her ideas, which are constantly swirling around in her head. Her inspiration comes from a blend of her own life experiences, tidbits of conversations, emails and newspaper articles.
More than a decade has passed since she published her first novel, but the novelty of writing hasn’t worn off. “Every project is different, and I never get bored of that writing process because I love starting something new and creating new characters and situations.” says Ghent, who has also worked as a freelance journalist.
What advice does she have for aspiring authors? “To hone their skills, my advice would be to write as much as you can, as often as you can, and to read, read, read.”