2. What is your nickname?
‘Daizhe’, which was how a certain child said, ‘Dave’ within the family. It has stuck to me.
3. What is your greatest fear?
Just now, white ants haunt my dreams.
4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
Active voice, short words, rhythm and brevity
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Persistent, correct, optimistic, brief (can’t think of a fifth).
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Mowgli from ‘The Jungle Book’, because he knows the languages of the animals.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Somewhere around 1910, in Paris with the grandfather I never knew, because he had a large moustache and was involved in writing, painting and acting. I never knew him because he was run over by a Paris trambefore I was born. Damn!
8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
‘Hey! What happened? I thought you’d still be working on sheep and cattle stations.’
I would answer: ‘At my age?’
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My father and my mother influenced me in different ways. My father taught me about being a horseman, my mother about being an artist.
10. What/who made you start writing?
I started writing when I was in London, just to have illustrations published. My first story was published by ‘Elizabethan Magazine’. It was published again in Braille. I wrote five more pieces for the same reason; but they became radio broadcasts… so much for illustration.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
‘Love’ because it is one of the softest of soft-sounding, Anglo-Saxon words. It sounds wonderful when it is spoken with a Yorkshire accent.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This is not such a problem for someone of my age: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, because it is a good, long book.
If you are an author or illustrator who thinks they are BRAVE enough to answer our questions,
OR if there is an author or illustrator you would like to hear from, LET US KNOW!
We will see if they are up to the task. Just email: susanATkids-bookreviewDOTcom
