Tristan Bancks tells stories for the page and screen. His background is in acting and filmmaking. His short films have won a number of awards and have screened widely in festivals and on TV.
Tristan has written several books for children and teens, including the brand new Galactic Adventures, First Kids in Space (UQP, July 2011) and My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up (Random House, July 2011). He is also author of the Mac Slater books released in Australia and the US. Mac Slater Vs. The City was released in America April 2011. His illustrated series Nit Boy, is about everybody's favourite mini- beasts. Nit Boy is currently being developed for television. Tristan's Young Adult novel, it's yr life (Random House) was co-written via email between Byron Bay and L.A. with actress / author, Tempany Deckert.
Tristan loves telling fast-moving stories for young people and inspiring others to create.
Fast Facts
Fast Facts
LIKES: Writing, reading, watching movies, playing sport, the beach, beach soccer, ice cream, fish tacos, theme parks, funny people, lightning storms, travel, simplicity, New York City, spicy food, eating mangos, making movies, drinking smoothies, listening to Keane, Band of Horses, Phoenix, riding a scooter, Room to Read, sleeping, discovering a new city, getting lost in a story, the idea of going into space, Ben and Jerry’s NY Super Fudge Chunk
FAVOURITE BOOKS: The Body - Stephen King, Fighting Ruben Wolfe - Markus Zusak, My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George, The Bugalugs Bum Thief - Tim Winton, The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger, Unreal - Paul Jennings, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne, Hatchet - Gary Paulsen, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl, Tomorrow When the War Began - John Marsden
WEIRD FACT: I had my appendix removed when I was nine years-old in order to avoid detention with the school librarian. (A story in My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up is based on this.)
INSPIRED BY: Thich Nhat Hanh, John Wood (Room to Read), Barack Obama, Joseph Campbell, Roald Dahl, Martin Scorsese, Kevin Spacey, Sidney Lumet, Walt Disney, TED.com
IF I WASN’T DOING THIS... I'd be writing books while walking the beaches of Byron Bay, making movies, bringing stories to life in interactive ways online. My astronaut and rock star dreams have been crushed. Story is all I have.
1. Whitewater rafting and canyoning in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Scotland, in winter.
2. Interviewing Kevin Spacey, one of my favourite actors.
3. Training at a London fire brigade training facility.
4. Micro-lighting, bungy-jumping, hang-gliding, ultra-lighting, ballooning.
5. Hosting world record attempts for the UK’s Don’t Try This at Home.
6. Snowboarding and wind-surfing.
7. Eating kangaroo, crocodile and ants (I’m supposed to be vegetarian).
8. Tasting Durian, the world’s most disgraceful smelling fruit.
9. Riding in and on camels, surfboards, planes, rollercoasters and 4-wheel-drives.
10. Road-tested five alternative nit cures on kids in schools (like mayo & mouthwash).
