Fantasy writer Alix 'I WANT TO LIVE LIKE A WOLF!'

The free spirit’s on her way to seeing all the wonders of the world

- Fiona Terry

Kiwi author Alexandra Lattey’s life reads like a novel set around the globe, with plenty of twists and turns.

From selling books door to door in Sardinia and wrangling cattle in Canada, to painting portraits in Alaska and even dancing in a nightclub in Rome, Alexandra has tried it all.

“There’s a saying I love, which is ‘When your life flashes in front of your eyes, make sure you have plenty to watch.’ That’s definitely a saying I like to live by,” enthuses Alexandra, 51, known as Alix.

“I’d always had a driving urge to go and see the world, explore it and meet people. So by the time I got to 22, I literally had a plane ticket, 100 pounds in my pocket and I left for London.”

That evolved into further adventures in Europe, the US, Canada and beyond.

“I’ve travelled mostly by myself and it’s been life-changing because I'd always been quite introverted as a kid. Travelling taught me the importance of interacting with people.”

One unforgettable adventure was a two-month overland trip with seven others during winter in a canvas-topped truck in the Middle East.

“We'd sleep inside the truck and in some parts of Turkey, we were in the snow,” tells Alix. “There were no facilities and I remember washing my hair in the cold water of a trough in Syria on the side of the road!