Today we chat with the lovely and multi-talented Olivia Siebel; She’s barefoot and carefree a focussed and talented Freelance writer, actress, published author and model.
A Coastal girl who lives by the ocean writes stories and poetry and acts when she’s has a spare minute. At 25 years old Olivia Siebel or Olivia Bosshard ( her stage name and O.J Siebel ( writing name) have certainly accomplished a lot by any of her names, but to us, it just seems like it’s only the beginning.
She’s even one of our very own feature writers here at GC Mag, having interviewed Xavier Rudd, Steph Claire Smith and spent some time even Island hopping for a recent travel feature, and we’re excited to see what’s next
Olivia has her sights set on more books, adventures and more leading roles beyond her homeland Australia.
With many things she could write about, whether that be her latest adventure or maybe even just telling the tale of growing up in a family of 11 kids we’re sure it will be a gripping tale to be told.
We caught up with the all-rounder to talk life, literature and what’s next.
So my first question and probably a common one, is why all of the names?
Haha, I get this all the time it’s funny how many people this confuses, funny for me anyway. Basically, I started acting about four years ago as ‘Olivia Bosshard’ (my maiden name) falling into it almost by accident, after a couple of years doing small jobs and roles I realised how much I actually loved it and wanted to keep doing it as long as I could. By then I was already known by casting directors, and industry professionals alike as Olivia Bosshard so didn’t want to confuse anyone by bringing my new name in. Plus ‘Bosshard’ is one hell of a cool “stage name” hahaha
My kid’s book was published after I got married and ‘Siebel’ just seemed to work for that, so it stuck.
In your work with us here at gcmag, it is clear you have a gift for storytelling but what made you want to move into the world of writing?
Oh, thank you! I live such a busy, active lifestyle and writing/journaling has always been my way of winding down and making sense of what is happening around me. I slowly got offered a job here and there, and then to my surprise, people actually liked my writing. If you enjoy your work, I think that’s always been for me a direction that you should take, so that’s why I pursued writing.
What do you think are the key elements for making a good story for any event, assignment or occasion?
Hmm, good question. I think the best stories are the ones that make you feel like you are transported to the event or place being written about, that or it makes you want to keep reading or know more about the happenings of the occasion. A good balance between some good elements like escapism, authenticity, adventure and a celebration of life (in its many forms) always make for an excellent piece for any assignment.
What do you love about writing?
Wow so much! Haha, I love words! I think in this generation where Emoji’s and slang replace words a lot of the time, it’s nice to use words you don’t hear all that often, I think it’s so important to keep that alive for the next generation. Writing is such a beautiful form of expression; especially for me, I love poetry and story/script writing. Writing mostly for me though is such a peaceful experience, it’s like there are words and thoughts jumbled in my head and writing them all down is a release of that.
And what made you move towards writing a children’s book? The Prideful Prince and the Magic Pool
I think as a kid I did so so much adventuring and barely ever watched TV so reading books was a way of winding down. I have so many fond memories and can even picture so clearly books I read as a kid and the hidden lessons in them I learnt. I wanted to do something similar and weave into the story lessons and faith for kids to learn and remember. It also became a way of keeping my childlike imagination alive; so important!
We’re lucky enough to live surrounded by some of the best coastlines in the world, and the ocean seems to play a massive part in your life and adventures… What does it mean to you?
Yes, we are definitely so lucky! I grew up surfing and camping a lot and became a bit of a water baby. Probably why I live about 25 m from the beach now, I can’t get enough! I love nature and hiking, but the Ocean has always been a place where I have so much peace. If every day could start and end at the ocean and in the sea, I’d be a happy little lady!
With your many talents, what is next on the horizon for you?
I think this year I really have a focus on living each day and not worrying about tomorrow, so we’ll see what each day brings and give my all to each task that day brings. Beyond that, I definitely do have a bit of a larger scale dream in the works of bringing my two passions of acting and writing together to make some epic short and feature films.
I think a move overseas for acting is possibly on the cards too, but that’s a bit under wraps at the moment so I’ll keep you posted!
In terms of writing, I have three other kids books I’d love to work on getting published as well as poetry coffee table type book.
Only God knows though right!