12 Curly Questions with author Jack Heath

Photo credit: Ash Peak

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you. 
I write quite a lot of poetry, but I never show anyone any of it. People only get to read my YA thrillers, and that's the way it'll stay.

2. What is your nickname?
In high school other kids called me 'JJ', which makes no sense since my middle name is Davidson.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Someday I will have to make a split-second decision between doing something brave and doing nothing—my biggest fear is that I will make the wrong choice.

4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
Economical, direct, fast, explosive, twisted, emotional, misleading, educational, largescale.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Reliable, driven, contemporary, suspicious, compassionate.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Hamlet is a play rather than a book, but I sometimes feel as privileged yet indecisive as the prince of Denmark.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Probably 2084. I'd want to check the world was still there (and how much it resembled The Lab or Ink, Inc).

8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now? 
Is the world still there? (I was a worrier even then.)

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Emily Rodda or maybe Robert Silverberg. They taught me to love mysteries and the human mind.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I've always enjoyed books, and I enjoyed making things—making books just seemed like a natural fit.

11. What is your favourite word and why? 
Hurtle. No other word quite captures the out-of-controlness of high speed.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A smart man would pick Clarissa, because it's almost a million words long. But it doesn't sound like my kind of book, so I'll go with the longest book I've ever read which I would be willing to re-read; Misery by Stephen King.

Jack Heath is an award-winning Australian author. His novels include The Lab, Replica and Ink, Inc. His latest novel, The Cut Out, is published by Allen & Unwin and is the first book in a new action-packed thriller espionage series. Visit Jack's website and Facebook page for more information about his books and author events.

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