12 Curly Questions with author Julia Lawrinson

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

I once shaved my hair off just to see what it would feel like. (Answer: cold.)

2. What is your nickname? 

Jobbo, Jobbly or Jobblinees (because my best primary school friend was (and is) called Nobbo, Nobbly or Noblinees).

3. What is your greatest fear? 

Hairy, jumping spiders. Or non-hairy, ground-dwelling spiders.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words. 

Realistic, humorous and serious in turn, with lots of dialogue.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer. 

Accessible, clear, warm, sensitive, engaging.

6. What book character would you be, and why? 

Zaphod Beeblebrox from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Because everyone can use two heads.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why? 

I’d like to go back to when there were lots of forests and no cars. I think the planet would have been much healthier, and the air would have smelled great.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now? 

You became a writer: yay!

9. Who is your greatest influence? 

My Aunty Marl, who was the kindest, warmest and most generous human being I’ve ever met. Kind, warm and generous people make the world go around.

10. What/who made you start writing? 

I always wanted to tell stories with words, because I loved books so passionately myself. I started writing when I was eight and never stopped.

11. What is your favourite word and why? 

Serendipity. Because it sounds lovely, and it means that the universe can be good to you in unexpected ways.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

The anthology of poetry I had as a child, or the anthology of poetry my daughter had as a child. They are full of endless pleasures!

Julia Lawrinson has published 13 books for children and young adults. She loves beaches, books and Jack Russells, and lives in Western Australia. See www.julialawrinson.com.au for more details.