JUSTIN BROWN


	INTRODUCING JUSTIN BROWN Justin Brown is a bestselling author, TV and radio host. He wrote his first book when he was seven (complete with ISBN number and recommended retail price) but waited a few more decades to publish the travel memoir UK on a G-String. More adventures followed, inspiring Teed Off in the USA and Bowling Through India, the latter winning Whitcoulls Travel Book of the Year 2009. Having penned the successful Speak series, Justin began writing chapter books for kids and was surprised how much he enjoyed it. The Magic Carwash, Runawayland and the sporty adventures of Mike-Cool-As-You-Like have proved very popular in schools. Justin has written 21 books (five of which are bestsellers) and also co-hosts the Classic Hits 97.4 breakfast show in Auckland, New Zealand - which will explain why he's tired. When he's not writing, Justin hangs out with his family, plays the ukulele, watches/ plays sport and perfects his one and only party trick - making penguins out of bananas. REALLY IMPORTANT INFO (i.e. what I'm reading, watching and listening to at the moment...) Gone - By Michael Grant. They're calling this the 'Lord of the Flies' for the new generation, which is a big call given the former is one of my favourite reads ever. Least to say, 'Gone' is an intriguing read well worth a look. I'm also about to begin '50 Shades of Grey' (mostly because everyone's talking about it) and 'The Forrests' by Emily Perkins because everyone will be. Tunes - Rufus Wainwright's 'Out of the Game' is an interesting listen. Once you get used to his voice, it's all good. This may be a big record. I'm also love The Yoots from Wellington, Canadians Current Swell and NZ jazz dude Nathan Haines. Arthur - Don't see it. Dudley Moore was the man; Russell Brand is not. 'Rio' was pretty good, 'Hop' is average and 'Once' (Irish busker meets Eastern European girl) is fantastic. Was slow with this one as it came out in 2006, but it was good enough to warrant Bob Dylan to ask the lead actors/singers if they would accompany him on his worldwide tour.			LATEST NEWS Hi, thanks for stopping by. Despite this being the age of continual status updates, I'm not one of those ferocious bloggers who tells you what they had for breakfast. (I save that for Twitter.) Hopefully there's plenty on the site that will interest you. If after that, you still need to know what I ate, feel free to join our breakfast show's Facebook page. Or I could just tell you: cereal, two coffees and an orange. Enjoy... THE PAVLOVA SONG As far as I know, the recipe for pavlova has never been put to song. Maybe I would make the dish more if I knew the recipe. With thanks to Jordan Luck, such a song has seen the light of day. Respect. THE FIRE BOYS SERIES - FOR 6-8 YEAR OLDS Writing non-fiction for adults is a hell of a lot of fun (you can swear for a start) but as of late I've been working on a short chapter book series called 'The Fireboys.' It all came about whilst playing tennis one day and a bunch of firemen were on the next court. Next minute their siren rang and they had to leave. I thought - what a hassle. Then again, I guess people have to be saved. There are three Kindle books in the series and they're only 99c each. Each is edited by the legendary Joy Cowley. Just go here to my Amazon page and scroll to the bottom. Rugby Speak (2011 edition) is out now. It follows on from the success of the first book, though this time I've included sayings from South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Japan - even France. And not to forget Maori - part of the 'Local Lingo' chapter. Good for anyone - like me - who needs some clever ammo in the crowd at the next game. The Clean Slate Press series (with Joy Cowley as editor) is also out. You can see the latest titles here. I have nine in the series. Speaking of Joy Cowley I'm knee-deep in a novel for young readers which I've been working on for the past year. News on that soon! The book I co-wrote with Swazi Man Davey Hughes (''Untamed'') has been on the bestseller lists since it was released. Davey has lived a fascinating life and has a massive following so I'm not surprised people want to read his story. UNTAMED MYTH NEW ZEALAND A chapter from Myth New Zealand is online at the Hawkes Bay Today. Also, it was a tough job but I recently rounded up every sheep in the country to make a Kiwi Christmas Carol. Speaking of Myth New Zealand, some nice words from The Wanganui Chronicle: 'This is an absolute beaut of a book, the best about Kiwis and Kiwiana ever. Brown is a prolific writer of odd books about strange subjects which somehow make sense. It's obvious the author has more than a modicum of intelligence and, more to the point, a real love for his country. Great read.'