I’m a secret cow-girl! One of my favourite activities is mustering cattle up on my brother’s farm. I keep my horse there and love the joy of riding all over the farm, rounding up the cattle and getting them into the yards for check-ups. It’s hard, hot, dusty work but great fun, and so very different to my every-day life.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Lord Voldemort - ‘he who should not be named’ in the Harry Potter series because he is so very villainous, frightening and evil.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Mine are all dead! Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, C.S Lewis, JRR Tolkein and the most fascinating guest for me would be Charlotte Atkinson (my great-great-great-great grandmother who wrote the first children’s book published in Australia in 1841) .
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Definitely a time machine! But the next best thing is books that make you feel that you’ve gone back in time!
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Reading, scribbling, day-dreaming, procrastinating, then intense (as the deadline looms)!
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Favourite. Joyful. Fun. Enthralling. Inspiring.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
Photos of my children, my notebook, my diary, a cup of tea and my dog under the desk.
8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
I know this is cheeky, but the nearest book is my own, as I’m doing the final edit before it goes to the printer! So here goes (the word is you):
You never know what amazing things you can achieve, until you dream big, start doing and just keep working hard!
(The book is The Lost Sapphire – due out in May)
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
‘How did you do it?’ I’d ask one of my favourite authors when I was a child - Enid Blyton, who wrote more than 600 books during her forty year career which have sold more than 600 million copies and been translated into 90 languages!! Absolutely phenomenal!!!
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Impossible to answer that! Life would be desolate without reading and writing, and I don’t think I could do one without the other. But if I simply had to choose or die, it would be to keep reading!
Belinda Murrell is a bestselling, internationally published children’s and YA author with a legion of loyal fans and a history of writing in her family that spans over 200 years. After studying Literature at Macquarie University, Belinda worked as a travel journalist, editor and technical writer. A few years ago, she began writing stories for her own three children – Nick, Emily and Lachlan. Her 26 books include The Sun Sword fantasy trilogy as well as the popular Lulu Bell series for younger readers. She is also known for her collection of historical timeslip tales including The Sequin Star, The River Charm, The Locket of Dreams, The Forgotten Pearl, The Ruby Talisman and The Ivory Rose, which have been recognised by various awards, including Honour Book KOALAS 2013, shortlisted KOALAS 2015, 2014, 2011, and 2012, CBCA Notable List and highly commended in the PM’s Literary Awards. Visit Belinda's website for more information about her books and author events.