Chad Kolcze is a busy, passionate man. Some might say a big kid. A big kid that writes Action Sports based kids books. He is a single father of two, with a background in Snowboarding, writing, and works with the Uncle Project locally… We thought a few questions were in order, to find out more about Maiso the Action Mouse, and his new book, Surf Safari.
Chad, tell us a bit about your personal journey living in Byron Bay, and being a creative kids book writer?
A) Rad dad Chad found a hip pad in the land of Byron in 2004. A great place to write, where no one’s uptight, and creativity is your primitive right. I gained a degree or two, snowboarded less than I did do, and raised a boy who does Kung-Fu. The ocean clears my head, I teach to feed my kids the bread, but id rather create full time instead!
B) I used to spend Spring & Autumn in Byron whilst chasing a snowboard career, before finally making the move full-time with the upcoming birth of Maiso my son. I love the creative vibe and natural wonderland that this place offers, and i couldn’t be happier calling Byron Bay home. Its a great place to write and I feel privileged living here.
Have you taken a lot of the books inspiration from your own life?
Let me conclude the talks that go on at most book writing workshops/ festivals, ‘write about what you know’. And thats exactly what I did. Once my son came of age, and i could read him quality children’s stories, I noticed a lack of sport inclusive titles available. So I created Active Kids Books, which aims to fill this void. With the praise I am getting, Active Kids Books is doing just this plus more.
What do you think of Byron Bay as a “creative hub”?
Its a wonderful thing and should be encouraged. Only it hurts me to see so many creatives struggle financially. There is nothing wrong with a little healthy competition to keep us on our toes, but when I see people fold i don’t like it. When I make my billions, I will buy local land and initiate a creative community.
The books are Action Sports themed, where did this idea originate?
I wanted to give back and inspire kids. I’ve undertaken an athletics career, studied Sports Science and got a crash course in parenting. All whilst working with kids, running Boot Camp at University, and having a passionate tie towards surfing, snowboarding, skating and the arts. I used to write for snowboarding magazines, and my mate Jeremy Austin drew radical illustrations (whom is the illustrator for the AKB series), so I thought that was worth investing in, and here i am six years later.
What can the public expect next from Mr Chad Kolcze?
Its been ‘poetry on surfboards’ of late, trying to put together a collection of work for a local art show. I’m continually striving to chase down the aqua tunnel, whilst escaping the aqua luggie and lock in to the barrel (surf lingo). But in the pipeline, when I stop for breath after the launch of Surf Safari, you can expect to see AKB next title come out Shredding Snow, and the interpreted kids action-adventure TV show SCAMPER.
We wish Chad the very best in his creative pursuits. If you want to pick up your own copy of Surf Safari, or for the skate grommets, Skate Sesson, you can do so by visiting the AKB website; www.activekidsbooks.com, or pick one up locally at Book City and Retrospect Gallery in Byron Bay.
You can also follow Active Kids Books on Twitter and Facebook.
The video and photos were taken on a Nikon D7000, with the 35mm/1.8 lens and 18-200mm lens.