I once won the Red Dwarf Karaoke Competition at a science fiction convention. I don’t know if that counts?
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Draco Malfoy. Because his motivation is so complex and interesting, and it’s not his fault he was born into such a horrid family. Also because of fan-fiction.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
I’d love to have Jane Austen, AA Milne, Meg Cabot, Octavia Butler and Haruki Murakami over for dinner and board games. Dixit, maybe. Or Cards Against Humanity.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
The thing where Mary Poppins clicks her fingers and the house is clean. I realize this is an ability, not an invention, but I really, really hate cleaning the house.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Research. Planning. Self-doubt. Procrastination. Non-chronological.
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Thought-provoking. Funny. Feminist. Unapologetic. Unforgettable.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
My MacBook. A pot of English Breakfast tea. A teacup. Some sort of cake. A window.
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!)
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Truth is like one of those old sepia portrait photos that transforms into a zombie if you stand at the right angle. It’s all about perspective.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I’d show Tolkien the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and ask him what he thought. Actually I’d really just like to watch his face while he watches them.
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
This question is like asking if I’d like to lose my right or left leg. Can I cheat and listen to audiobooks instead of reading a book? No? Okay, then I’ll never write another story. Gahhh.
Lili Wilkinson is an award-winning Australian author of young adult fiction. She established Inside a Dog, the Inky Awards and the Inkys Creative Reading Prize at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. Her books include Pink, Scatterheart, The Zigzag Effect and Green Valentine. Her latest book, The Boundless Sublime, is published by Allen & Unwin. Visit Lili's website and Facebook page for more information about her books and author events.
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