12 Curly Questions with author Tamsin Janu

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

I’m obsessed with green peas. I’ve been known to eat entire bowls filled with peas, only peas, for a meal. Strange but true.

2. What is your nickname? 

Tam. It used to be Tammy, but when I got to around 10 or 11 I decided Tammy was too babyish, and no one was allowed to call me that anymore.

3. What is your greatest fear?

Being stuck in an elevator or another small space, and not being able to get out.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words. 

Adventurous, exciting, thought-provoking, emotional, sweet, funny, family-filled, fast-paced, hopeful, fun.

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

Passionate, imaginative, curious, thoughtful, determined.

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

Roald Dahl’s Matilda, because she’s strong, smart and has powers. But I’d only want to be her at the end of the book, after she has left the Wormwoods, moved in with Miss Honey and the Trunchbull has been driven out of the school.

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

Maybe to the late 18th century, around the time novelist Jane Austen lived. I would have plenty of time to read and write and could learn to play an instrument, spend time with family, visit friends and do lots of walking. Although I would have to come back to 2017 before I was pressured into marrying a rich man for his money!

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

How do you still not own a horse? You’re an adult, buy one!

9. Who is your greatest influence? 

My family and friends, because I really care what they think of me.

10. What/who made you start writing? 

After I left school I was studying law at university and needed a creative outlet. I’d always made up stories in my head but had never really written them down. My trip to Ghana inspired me to write the first Figgy book, Figgy in the World, and I haven’t stopped writing since.

11. What is your favourite word and why? 

I say ‘lovely’ a lot; many things and people are lovely so it’s a useful word. And I like the word ‘discombobulated’ because it’s fun to say.

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

Any of the Harry Potter books. I was around the same age as Harry when each new book came out, (the final one was released the year I finished high school), so I kind of feel like I grew up with him.

Tamsin Janu lives in Sydney. Her award-winning novel Figgy in the World, and its sequels Figgy and the President (shortlisted for a 2017 Prime Minister's Literary Award) and Figgy Takes the City, were born from memories of her three month trip to Ghana in 2009. Her standalone novel Blossom, set in Australia, was released in 2017. For more information, see www.tamsinjanu.com.