Deborah Burnside

ABOUT

In Brief

Hawke's Bay author Deborah Burnside has written short stories, junior fiction and a picture-book. She was also instrumental in setting up The Hawke’s Bay Writing Competition, popular with writers in the region.

In Detail

Deborah Burnside (born in 1969) was born in Napier and now lives on a rural block in Jervoistown in Taradale in the Hawke’s Bay with her husband and three sons. She runs a waste disposal company with her husband. In her spare time she writes in a cottage by the sea.

Burnside took part in the NZSA mentoring scheme in 2001, working with Tessa Duder. This was the catalyst for her first novel, On a Good Day (2004), published by Penguin. The work was listed as a 2005 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book.

She has also produced 'Sky Fishing', an adult short story which was published in the anthology, Hot Ink (Steele Roberts 2002), a picture-book, An Everyday Sunday, which was runner-up in the inaugural Joy Cowley Awards in 2003, and It’s True! This Book Is a Load of Rubbish, which explores facts about rubbish and recycling (Allen & Unwin 2005).

Burnside has also combined her creative talents with her business acumen and has been instrumental in setting up The Hawke’s Bay Writing Competition, which has proven popular with writers in the region.

Night Hunting (Puffin, 2008) is Burnside's first junior fiction book, and tells the story of a young boy who is finally old enough to go hunting with family friend Rotorua Bill. The work was listed as a 2009 Storylines Notable Junior Fiction Book.