Please meet Shaye Wardrop. We hope you enjoy learning more about her, and stay tuned throughout the day, when you'll meet the rest!
Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I haven’t eaten chocolate since I was 14 years old. Unfortunately, it gives me migraines. [Tragic! - Ed]
What is your nickname?
I’ve never actually had one. I guess that’s the problem with a one-syllable name. It can’t be shortened.
What is your greatest fear?
Spiders crawling across my face.
Describe your writing style in ten words.
Far away lands, magnificent beasts, incredible journeys, brave little feet.
Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Fun, kooky, rhyme-addicted, perfectionist.
What book character would you be, and why?
Elspeth Gordie from the Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody. Elspeth has my favourite superhero ability: telepathy. She’s also resilient, determined and a fighter until the end. I think she’s my idol!
If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I would go future. Maybe 200 years. I want to know if genetic manipulation gives us all crazy abilities, if we colonise Mars and if the robots take over.
What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
Don’t be afraid. You can do it!
Who is your greatest influence?
It’s sappy, but it’s my Mum. She taught me to believe in myself and to aim high. A great creator herself, she showed me anyone is capable of anything if they keep practising and never give up.
What/who made you start writing?
Books have been a huge part of my life since I was a little girl. My childhood home was filled with overflowing bookcases and everyone in my family read books. When I finished a book I loved, I would create sequels in my head so I could stay within the story worlds (I have always been a daydreamer). After that, I started to create my own story worlds. And then I wrote them down.
What is your favourite word and why?
Ethereal. Because it sounds like what it means – airy, light, delicate, heavenly.
If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It’s going to have to be Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody. It’s like an old friend!
Shaye Wardrop writes children’s stories about fantastical places and extraordinary beings. But don’t worry; she’s qualified. Shaye’s actually an alien from a far away planet where everyone owns a spaceship and space bears roam orbiting moons. Visit Shaye’s Facebook Page to follow her quest to see her stories on library shelves. See more www.facebook.com/shayewardrop.
