By day, Sydney-native Peter Osborne is the Senior Trade Commissioner of the Australian Trade Commission of China. By night, he spends his time consorting with fortune-tellers, mingling with temple dwellers, and chasing dragons in between. Peter is the author of the The Golden Dragon, a children’s fiction book about two kids, Aaron and Elly – based on Peter’s two eldest children in real-life – who must solve a series of riddles in order to save the last golden dragon. Between traveling across China for business and working on the sequel to “The Golden Dragon,” Peter sat down with LeeAnn Hicks’ Grade 3/4 class at Kinstar International Bilingual School to answer questions from students.
Ethan Liang Zheng, 8, New Zealander
Why did you want to write a book?
I wrote the story as a present for my kids as a way of remembering what is was like to live in a Chinese culture as a foreign kid, so when they got older or had kids of their own it would be a great way to remind themselves of living overseas.
Christopher Zhu, 9, Australian
How long does it take to write a book?
It really depends. Sometimes if I am in the right mood I can write thousands of words in a few hours. Other times, I can hardly write anything at all, but you just have to keep going, keep writing and eventually you finish the story.
Sam Turner, 9, British
Why did you choose a dragon for your book and not some other animal?
I’ve always liked Chinese dragons, and when I lived in Taiwan I used to go to the temples all the time with my kids. They were always curious and interested in the dragons. So I’d sometimes make up stories to tell them about the dragons on the pillars and other places in the temples.
Clarisse Hoon, 8, Singaporean
How did you get your ideas for writing a book?
I’ve always had a great imagination and like fantasy and storytelling. There are lots of Chinese myths, stories and legends, which stimulate ideas to think about, or write about. Also, if you talk to lots of people, they often have interesting stories that you can weave into a book.
Brian Wong, 9, American
How do your children like being in the story?
My kids loved having a story written with them in it! Aaron and Elly are my two eldest kids, and my two younger daughters, Yahsin and Claire, want to be in the sequel, which I’m writing now and hope to finish later this year.
Mathew Gervais, 8, Canadian
How did you think of your book’s title?
The title of the book actually comes from the name of a temple in Taipei, called Golden Dragon temple, which is where some of the book is set. Also, in Chinese mythology, the golden dragon is the highest of all the dragons, which is why Chinese emperors always had golden dragons on their clothes or chairs, or in their homes and other places.
Ethan Liang Zheng, 8, New Zealander
How did you feel when you found out your book would be published?
It’s an amazing feeling to see your own book in print. I felt very proud and happy and a huge sense of accomplishment. But the best feeling of all is when I see kids reading my book, enjoying it and stimulating their imaginations and interest in reading and writing.
Rachel Chang, 8, American
Is being an author a difficult job?
Being an author is my passion and interest, and at this stage, not my full-time job. Like with any job, you have to work hard at it, and most importantly you have to enjoy it! Every time I see someone reading my books, or when I talk to kids and they are interested, it makes it a very enjoyable thing to do.
Brian Wong, 9, American
What is your favorite book?
My favorite children’s book is [Maurice Sendak’s] Where the Wild Things Are, which I always liked as a kid because of the imagination and the animals. For adult books, I am a big fan of the authors Lisa See and Qiu Xiaolong, who write detective stories and mysteries set in present day China.
Christopher Zhu, 9, Australian
How do you plan your stories? Do you make a story map or do you just write freely?
I have a basic idea or concept of the story and then I usually use photos or images of real places and people and things that I’ve seen or have happened to me, and write the story around that. For example, the book I’m currently writing, which is called Finding Dragon Number 9, is set in different places in China, all of which I’ve visited. So I’m writing the story around those places, people and things woven in with my imagination.
Annette Yan, 8, Chinese
What are your favorite stories?
My favorite stories are ones that are half-real, half-fantasy or make-believe so it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. I’m reading a great book at the moment set in Hong Kong which is all about martial arts and dragons and myths, but set in modern Hong Kong in real places.
