Making really good sandwiches.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Captain Hook from Peter Pan. I was both frightened and fascinated by him as a kid. So dashing! So alluring…
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Whichever ones will help with the dishes.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Paddington Bear.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Disciplined, playful, solitary, scribbly, ESPRESSO.
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Had her cake. Ate it.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
My tubs of pencils and assorted drawing tools. Work-in-progress blu-tacked over every bit of wall space. My great big iMac. Shelves full of books, folders, sketchbooks and knick-knacks. And two teddy bears. (I know this is more than five objects. But I like to work with ALL my essentials in easy reach.)
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 am really looking forward to reading this book.”
(The book is The Secret Life of Pronouns – What Our Words Say about Us by James W Pennebaker.)
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I’d ask the author of these questions why they made them so devilishly difficult!
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
This is a very unpleasant choice which I am glad I will never have to make. I couldn’t bear never reading another book, so I’d have to suffer with never writing another story.
Nicki Greenberg is an Australian author and illustrator living in Melbourne. Her diverse writing projects include an award-winning 'staged-on-the-page' adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet and graphic novel adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as well as several picture books for children such as The Naughtiest Reindeer and Teddy Took the Train. Her latest picture book, My Dog Dash, will be published by Allen & Unwin in May 2016. Visit Nicki's website for more information about her books and author events.
