Hunter, Eirlys (1952 –) is a London-born fiction writer for children and adults. She moved to Wellington in 1983, as ‘a refugee from Thatcher’s Britain’.
In 1991, Hunter joined the Original Composition class at Victoria University, and in 1998 completed an MA in creative writing there. Her short stories have appeared in Landfall and Sport, and in various anthologies including, Best New Zealand Fiction 2 (ed. Fiona Kidman) and Best New Zealand Fiction 4 (ed. Fiona Farrell).
Hunter’s children’s titles include The Robber and the Millionaire (1996), The Astonishing Madam Majolica (1996), The Quake (1999) The Queen-Seekers (2000) and Coldkeep Castle (2001), the sequel to The Queen-Seekers. The Robber and the Millionaire was shortlisted for the 1997 Aim Children’s Book Awards.
A ten year-old fan wrote to Hunter: ‘I got The Queen-Seekers for my birthday. I like it as much as the Harry Potter books, if not more!’
Coldkeep Castle was listed as a 2002 Storylines Notable Junior Fiction Book.
Hunter’s first novel for adults is Between Black and White (2000). ‘Between Black and White is an impressive debut. Read it,’ writes Catherine Von Bohemen in the Evening Post.
‘Hunter’s character development is superb,’ writes Tracie Barrett in the Otago Daily Times. ‘[T]he result is a beautifully crafted, incisive work that draws the reader into its world. I recommend it highly.’
Hunter’s book The Slave-Stealers (Scholastic, 2004) is the final instalment in the Finn’s Quest trilogy. Finn is standing in a silent, empty street under a boiling white sun. He’s back in The Ultimate Adventure! But everything looks strange … Where is he?
Eirlys Hunter teaches Writing for Children at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University.
More information under: http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writer/hunter-eirlys
