1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I was sitting at a bus stop near a busy road when I had a bad feeling. I stood up and moved away and seconds later a car crashed into the seat. The driver was fine but the seat was completely mooshed.
2. What is your nickname?
Six. When I first met my partner I wore a shirt with
a number six on it. A lot. It was my fave shirt, so he calls me Six.
a number six on it. A lot. It was my fave shirt, so he calls me Six.
Living in a world without books and ideas. Oh, and huntsmen spiders, who seem to like me a lot.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Adventurous, funny, imaginative, thought-provoking, fast-paced, exciting, intriguing, moving.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Determined, procrastinator, confident (at times), nervous (at other times), curious.
6. What book character would you be, and why?
6. What book character would you be, and why?
I would really like to be Isabella Charm from Grimsdon. She is feisty, loyal and stands up to bullies.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Malta, August 1942, at the Grand Harbour during the arrival of a ship full of supplies that saved Malta after three years of bombing (this is in my novel, Teresa A New Australian).
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Wow! You really became an author? And you write in an attic full of books? Brilliant!
9. Who is your greatest influence?
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My friends. I think they’re amazing.
10. What/who made you start writing?
10. What/who made you start writing?
Books! I loved reading them, poring over them, trying to write them, falling asleep on them. I loved everything about them.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Spectacular! It is part of the title of my novel The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee, which was inspired by Miss Gray, my spectacular year four teacher. It’s such a fun, exuberant word.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That is sooo hard and plays into my biggest fear of having no books. But if I had to choose one: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Deb’s adventures in Africa, where she was thrown in jail and harassed by monkeys, inspired her to write books about spies, soccer, World War II, pesky wolves and kids in flying machines who battle sea monsters and evil harbour lords. She’s won awards for her books, but mostly hopes to be as brave as her characters. For more information, see www.deborahabela.com.