1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you?
I can only sleep in what my wife calls ‘The running man’ position. Try imagining Usain Bolt, in full stride, on a mattress.
2. Do you have a nickname and can you tell us what it is?
Yes, I do. It’s Nino.
3. What is your greatest fear?
What the likes of Monsanto are doing to our food.
Having to make small talk.
4. Can you describe your writing style in ten words?
I love using humour to make a serious point.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Funny. Irreverent. Playful. Curious. Silly.
6. What book character would you most like to be, and why?
Mowgli. Just to hang out with Baloo.
7. lf you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
1969. I’d love to have been at Woodstock.
8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
Grow up, will ya?
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My dad. And my son.
10. What/who made you start writing?
My son, Isa. One day, he asked me to tell him a bedtime story. And since I didn’t have any books around at the time, I made one up: The Short Giraffe.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
TRY. It’s such an unassuming yet incredibly powerful word. You lose nothing and have the potential to gain everything from it.
12. If you could read only one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’d look for the world’s biggest book.
Neil Flory is the author of The Short Giraffe, published by Allen & Unwin and illustrated by Mark Cleary. The book was released in June 2013.
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