Name: Christopher Heather
Age: 24
City/Town: Newbigging
Country: Scotland
Places Travelled & Place lived: France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, U.S.A, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong. Lived in Wellington, Houston and Edinburgh.
Loves: Poppy Philip reading aloud The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock while driving through midsummer England to have dinner at the Fat Duck with Kanye West and Woody Allen.
Teachers/Education: I studied at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University in Wellington.
Occupation:Writer
Creative Works: The Magical Recipes Collection (Books 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the Magical Recipes series)
Quote: Don’t put off to tomorrow what can be done today. And do unto others as you would like done unto yourself.
What would one find in the pages of your Paperblanks journal?
Scribbled ideas, rough outlines of future stories, overheard conversations or simple yet unusual things that have caught my eye during the day that I don’t want to forget, like an albino eating a pickled egg. Or a golden retriever with a glow in the dark waistcoat going up a glass lift in the mall on its own while its blind owner is left frantically pushing the button on the ground floor.
Do you have any personal philosophies you’ve come to develop about writing, art, creation or culture?
Plotting is essential. Writing a book is like building a house out of words. You’d never build a house without a solid foundation. The plot it your foundation, if you have a good plot, you have the basis for a good book.
Do you have any specific themes you find that you refer to in your work?
While I’m not a believer, passages from the Bible seem to have taken root in my subconscious recently. I’ll be writing then suddenly a white dove will soar into the story, or my characters will find themselves in a church, looking around and wondering why they’re there. I’ve always been fond of the great biblical tales; The Good Samaritan, David and Goliath, Moses parting the Red Sea, Daniel in the lion’s den, Joseph and his Burberry trench coat that makes his brothers jealous. I’d love to write a book as good as the Bible.
No matter what type of creative art you make, what or who first inspired you to make it an essential part of your life?
That Buddha quote “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” I discovered writing is my world.
How did you find Paperblanks?
My first one was in a Christmas stocking from Santa Claus.
What sets Paperblanks apart from other journals you’ve used?
The care and craftsmanship put into each journal makes them feel timeless. The journals feel like a worthy place to write.
Do you have a favorite Paperblanks design?
I bought an Intricate Inlays design recently with a beautiful mosaic cover. But the Nocturnelle collection is my favourite.
Do you have any advice for other creative people?
Never turn your back on a charging turtle
