When Helen Clark (previously, the first female prime-minister of NZ) handed Julie her Diploma and congratulated her, Julie felt compelled to create the best role model for girls that she could, and so Lucy Lavender was born. Helen Clark had always been a fierce advocate for human rights (female) and was the first in many things eg. she was the first female prime-minister of NZ (elected by the people of NZ), and was the first woman to lead the United Nations Development Programme.

And so, Julie set about creating Lucy Lavender (adventurist) and Penny Royal (scientist) and later on Tamara Soy (warlord), but it’s not easy claims Julie. In a Harry Potter world which is about a boy, girls seem to hold little currency.   

Choosing male dominated industries like film-making and writing, seemed to be open for girls to try. I remember Helen Clark making it possible for girls to try educational fields as she made the funding possible. So ‘I thank you, Helen,’ says Julie. ‘I had just split from the father of my child,’ and completing a Diploma in Film-making fulfilled a life-long dream. It also provided opportunity where there was none. 

Having always been interested in the combination of writer/director, Julie continued her pursuit of all things written. Perhaps the visual style of my written work has something to do with it, says Julie. Writing a script for film and writing a novel are very different, I kept thinking about water and how humans need it so much,  and so I stuck with that theme. 

A move to Waiheke Island where there was a scarcity of water but where plants were reliant on it, inspired Julie to write Lucy Lavender and the Topiary City. ‘From where I was on the island, you could see vineyards, and  I planted many plants that were never lost to drought (of which there were many). It mattered what you planted, as plants that could not handle NEVER being watered died.’ And during a water shortage the last thing to get water was the earth, where you planted plants. 

Lavender was a plant that handled dryness quite well, so it got planted and so did rosemary and thyme. Lucy Lavender and the Topiary City teaches young people about the importance of water and the planted world’s reliance on it. With over 80 botanical pictures, all students can refer to the Pictionary and the description of each plant. 

‘I’d had a long association with the island, and so it made sense to want to live there,’ she says. My father had a place there and I had visited many times since I was a young girl, and it seemed to promote health and wellbeing, which is something I’m interested in. In 1999 Waiheke Island’s community board voted to declare the island free of genetically engineered organisms which locals regarded as a matter of principle and is the inspiration for Julie’s 2nd book. This concept appealed to her and so it stands to reason that she thanks Waiheke and its people for adhering to this principle. 

Julie no longer lives on Waiheke Island, but still lives in Auckland, and continues to write…