Author Interview: Shaneel Lal - One of Them / by Time Out Bookstore

 

Hollie spoke to Shaneel Lal about their memoir One Of Them. This is a story of one person's fight for the right to live their life as they deserved - and their extraordinary work to protect other young New Zealanders.

Tell us about yourself.

I am Shaneel Lal. I am your Young New Zealander of the Year and the author of One of Them.  I am young and queer and have a hunger for disrupting the status quo. I sometimes say I came out of my mother with a pride flag in one hand, yelling 'Freedom!'

What are you currently reading?

I am rereading The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy. The book is a feminist manifesto discussing the importance of anger, attention, profanity, ambition, power, violence and lust.

What was the process of getting your memoir published? 

I sat down for coffee with my manager and Allen & Unwin, during which I shared my experience of surviving conversion therapy and how I led the movement to ban conversion therapy, and the next thing I knew, I had a book deal. 

How do you feel now that the book is out and people are reading it? 

It is frightening and exciting. Frightening because I have written about my conversion therapy, something I have never spoken to anyone before. Exciting because I think the book shows people there is a human behind the media façade. 

What was your writing routine? 

I wrote my memoir while doing law school full-time, writing for the Herald and working in hospitality. I had little capacity. I wrote for 8 hours every Saturday. Somehow, it did not feel laborious, and I could keep going. 

What author or book is a recent discovery for you? 

The Savage Coloniser Book by Tusiata Avia. 

What is your favourite snack to enjoy while writing? 

Grapes and carrots.  I am trying to minimise my dairy and sugar intake. I wouldn’t recommend it. 

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

If you’d like another memoir, you’ll have to give me at least a decade. If all goes as planned, I'll soon be working on something gayer than One of Them.