I don’t eat butter, never have and probably never will.
2. What is your nickname?
I’ve never really had one that stuck, many have tried and failed. Most people just call me by my surname, a bit like the character in Seinfeld.
3. What is your greatest fear?
Being found out.
4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
Blend my favourite writers then add a pinch of Blarney!
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Determined, perceptive, enthusiastic, imaginative and, of course, modest.
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Philip Marlowe; the epitome of street smart. Tough, funny and laconic – and he had some of the best lines ever written for a fictional character thanks to Raymond Chandler.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Ooh, very curly! It’s a coin toss; either 1961 to see The Beatles first gig at The Cavern in Liverpool, or 1966 to see Bobby Moore lift the World Cup at Wembley Stadium.
8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
Stop that! You know it’s bad for your eyes.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
As a writer – JP Donleavy. Maestro.
10. What/who made you start writing?
Being an illustrator I wanted to do a kids book and I needed some words to go with my sketches, a fair way into the process I came to the realisation that I really enjoyed the words too. Hence I got into novel writing and got a buzz out of writing word pictures.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Palindrome: I use it so much I feel I know it backwards.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A very, very long one!
Paul Newman is an Irish-born illustrator, author and art teacher living in Sydney. Grandpa's Big Adventure, illustrated by Tom Jellett and published by Penguin, is his first book for children. Visit Paul's website for more information about his writing and illustration work.
