Paula Morris (Ngati Wai) is a Kiwi with wings: born in Auckland, she has since spent more than a decade in London and New York, and is currently living in New Orleans. The self-described "cocktail-hour writer" has three novels under her belt, including recent release Trendy But Casual. Her first novel, Queen of Beauty, won the Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing and Hubert Church Best First Book Award at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.Paula Morris (Ngati Wai) is a Kiwi with wings: born in Auckland, she has since spent more than a decade in London and New York, and is currently living in New Orleans. The self-described "cocktail-hour writer" has three novels under her belt, including recent release Trendy But Casual. Her first novel, Queen of Beauty, won the Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing and Hubert Church Best First Book Award at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
I don't know about inspiration, but I can get a lot of work done in the late afternoon and early evening. I'm a cocktail-hour writer.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
My good friends are lavish with their praise, but I'm afraid they're not up for discussions of aesthetics.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
I like making things up. It's like playing when you're a kid - anything is possible.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
Both. Obsessing over details is important, but sometimes I do it to waste time, and research can end up distracting me from the task at hand. And a novel has to work in a big-picture way.

How do you think your environment affects your work?
I can work pretty much anywhere, though sometimes I have to get out of the house and go to a cafe, just to make sure I don't start cooking or reading or watching Dr. Phil. I got huge amounts of work done on Trendy But Casual when I was staying with friends on Cape Cod. A lot of Hibiscus Coast was written in a bubble tea shop in New Orleans. This is odd, in that setting is incredibly important in my work.

Your new novel, Trendy But Casual, parodies the chick-lit genre. Why do you think comedies by women about women are so often lumped together in a way that comedies written by men about men aren't?
The contempt for women writing (and selling) books isn't new: in 1854 Hawthorne complained about the "d---d mob of scribbling women" hijacking the American market.

Trendy But Casual's main character, Jane Shore, works in PR. How did your previous life as a publicist influence the creation of her character and the world she inhabits?
Once Were Publicists - I know the preoccupations of the profession, I guess. I know all the things that can go wrong. I know about the lies. Publicists are like fiction writers: they make things up to try and persuade the media there's a story.

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has recently recommended eliminating the words "bitch", "ho" and "nigger" from the recording industry. How would Jane respond on behalf of her client 'RapStallion'? (Sample lyric: "Giddy up, bitch, and get astride, cause a ho's sho' gonna enjoy the ride.")
RapStallion has very little credibility (it's hard when your mascot has a pink mane) or talent. He knows a good bandwagon when he sees one, and probably would release a second bowdlerised version of the album.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
Finishing Queen of Beauty, my first novel, was a brilliant feeling, but I'm always happy to finish anything.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?
Maybe I would have tried to get to this place - this writing place - sooner rather than later. But maybe I needed to take my time.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
Auckland.

What was your most cherished book as a child?
There are numerous contenders, including books by Enid Blyton, Edward Eager, Eleanor Estes, E.C. Spykman, and a Reader's Digest book - The World's Best Fairy Tales. And The Wind in the Willows. But I absolutely loved Five Dolls in a House by Helen Clare, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
Although I've just spent the last two days at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, I'm not a huge live music fan. I love records.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
Nothing useful or beautiful, I'm afraid.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
I can't think of anyone ever giving me stress relief advice. Relief from stress isn't hard - it's avoiding it in the first place that seems impossible.

What's your advice for emerging New Zealand writers?
Read a lot, write a lot, and don't be satisfied with just OK.

What's your favourite word?
There are words I overuse, like "absolutely." And I like that word "fan-tods" from Huckleberry Finn.

What's great about today?
It's hot and sunny, we got free parking, and someone I don't know offered me a sip of his beer.

Interview by Cass Hesom-Williams