about me

My name is Sarah Line Letellier. The ‘Line’ is pronounced ‘Lynne’, not like something you make with a ruler and pencil! I was born in France and grew up in North London, in wonderful Stoke Newington. Old Stokey is one of my favourite places in England for sentimental reasons, and has the added bonus that it has recently become trendy, with cafés and organic shops springing up along Church Street.

It used to be a poor, immigrant area with a long history of tolerance: orthodox synagogues and mosques stand literally next door to each other. When we stayed with my family there, my partner was kept awake, first by the prayers booming from the mosque in the next street, and then by the prayers from the synagogue next to the mosque. The memory of dawn prayers must be deeply engrained, as not only did I not hear a thing, but felt like I’d had the best night’s sleep for ages! My childhood and family history had a big influence on the content of my first novel, “A Prawn’s Heart is in its Head”. My second novel, the one I’m writing now, “Nights in Paris”, is much more of a “grown up” novel in the sense that any (not many) elements of myself are hidden and completely incorporated into the characters.

I studied in the north of England for a BA in all the subjects that interested me (history, literature, French, religious studies, women’s studies) and an MA in Creative Writing. I had alot of fun having my innocent eyes opened to new ways of life, and spent most of my time being far too busy to actually study, instead going to a demanding schedule of assorted meetings and protests. Although I was in awe of the activists’ passion and motivation (they were easy subjects for crushes), my guilty secret was that the endless meetings bored me senseless. My main contribution to the multitude of causes was to draw armfuls of posters during the meetings, to raise awareness. A photocopier would have saved me hours of time every week, but it never occured to me — or maybe it would have seemed like cheating: you should suffer if you’re truly dedicated to the cause! (ah, youth). We prowled around campus at night, sellotaping posters to every tree and every bare bit of brick wall, or drawing slogans and cartoons in chalk all over the pavements. It was such a clandestine and thrilling time.

I am still in awe of people who have the courage to try to really change things. I wish I had their bravery, but if you’re not the activist-way inclined, you can only fake it for so long. I suppose I’m hoping that “A Prawn’s Heart is in its Head”, when it’s published, will be a novel that may, in a gentle way, shed new light on some difficult topics. “Nights in Paris” is not nearly such a serious book — I want it to be entertaining, exotic and erotic. I want to bring a wonderful period of history vividly to life, and seduce readers to fall as swooningly in love with Anaïs and Colette as I am.

I have lived in New Zealand for nearly seven years altogether. I live at the top of a volcanically steep hill in a beautiful 100 year old house, built in the horribly named but pretty “colonical” style with all the frilly bits. I work as an editor, and have worked in everyhing from social benefits to Brighton’s infamous jewellery Lanes, where dozens of diamond shops light up the cobbled alleyways. Brighton is another of my favourite places in England. I love the grand Regency squares, and the way the sun sets over the sea and the old pier is simply stunning.