I can say the alphabet backwards faster than I can say it forwards.
2. What is your nickname?
I've had lots - the oddest was in primary school where Wai Chim became "Weimaraner Chimpanzee". The best was my old boss who called me "Wai Cool".
3. What is your greatest fear?
Drowning.
4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
Crackles along at a good pace.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
New voice in children's storytelling
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next. I love the idea of being able to live in books and solve mysteries.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I'd love to have been a part of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. The entire period has shaped so much of Western history and Western storytelling as we know it.
8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
She would probably be a bit disappointed that I didn't end up becoming a super hero like Batman.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
I've had a lot of great teachers and mentors but probably the most meaningful moment that has shaped my writing career was with the late professor Reynolds Price. He said quite definitively after I met him for our first one-on-one that he was sure I didn't want to be a banker (and he was right!).
10. What/who made you start writing?
My mother. She bought me a diary in Year 7 for me to write in.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Mollify. When I was studying vocabulary for the SATs (these are the Uni prep tests in the US) one of the girls in my group came up with an interesting mnemonic device. Now whenever I hear mollify, I think of a soft, squishy, calming horse named Molly.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Great Gatsby. Every time I reread it, I discover something new.
Wai Chim is the author of Chook Chook: Mei's Secret Pets which is OUT NOW!
You can find her online at waichim.com or on Twitter @onewpc
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