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| Credit: Joanna Everitt, ImaJE Photography |
Reverse parking. I go backwards really well. Oh, and I can hold my breath under water for ages. (Because I’m a mermaid!)
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
I love, and have always loved, Professor Snape. That long, black hair, those scathing put downs, that voice…
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Tim Winton, (so he could read his stuff aloud and make us gasp), Boori Pryor, (because he’s as funny as Billy Connolly and I love him), Maurice Gee, (so we could talk about growing up next to a creek in New Zealand), Maurice Shadbolt, (because he’s got the same name and I could just say ‘Maurice’ a lot and he knows about creeks too), and Marcus Zuzak, (because I want the inside scoop on his next book and I think he’d get on really well with Tim).
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Gandalf. We need him.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Intuitive, instinctive, inside, in-credibly messy!
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
She could take me there.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
A guitar slide and tuner, a blue and white striped mug, a Kiwi fern out one window and an Aussie bottle brush out the other.
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!)
The book is The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. The word is ‘Moody’. So here goes…
Moody clung to the side of the cliff, the wind tearing at his clothes and gold dust escaping in a steady stream from the bag clenched between his teeth, and for once in his life he was happy.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I would ask Tim Winton to teach me how to write properly!
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
I’d have to give up writing because I could never give up reading.
Raewyn Caisley is an Australian children's author who was born in New Zealand and now lives in Fremantle, Western Australia. Her books include Hello from Nowhere and Auntie Ellie's Beach House. Her latest picture book is Something Wonderful, illustrated by Karen Blair and published by Penguin. Visit Raewyn's website and Facebook page for more information about her books and author events.