1. What's your hidden talent?
I have a great talent for spending money on Doctor Who books and sonic screwdrivers.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
My favourite villain that I’ve created is Lady Mimsy from Other Worlds: Beast World, because she is motivated purely by the desire to eat and was a heap of fun to write dialogue for. Overall though, my favourite literary villain would be the Other Mother from Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, because she is VERY scary and MEGA freaky.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
John Christopher (author of The Tripods trilogy), Eleanor Cameron (author of The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet), Terrance Dicks (author of many Doctor Who novels), Lucy M. Boston (author of the Green Knowe books) and HG Wells. I have complicated reasons for each of these choices, but let me share one… I would love to meet Eleanor Cameron and thank her for writing The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. I was a reluctant reader for much of my primary school life, and it was her book that sparked my interest in reading and introduced me to science fiction.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
The time machine from HG Wells’s The Time Machine. If I got hold of this invention, I would travel back in time to meet Mr Wells and get his autograph.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Exhilarating. Frustrating. Random. Intense. Fun.
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Fun. Exciting. Adventurous. Weird. Random.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
Look, George has bought yet another Doctor Who book! Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion by Jenny T Colgan.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I would ask HG Wells: 'Can I have your autograph?' He is long dead (1866-1945) and the autograph would probably be worth a fortune. I could then sell the autograph and use the money to buy more Doctor Who books and sonic screwdrivers!
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Sorry – I NEVER want to make that choice!
George Ivanoff is a Melbourne author who’s written more than 100 books for kids and teens, including the interactive You Choose series, the RFDS adventures and the Other Worlds series.
As a child, George loved reading interactive books, where he got to make decisions about the direction of the story. He has had more fun plotting and writing the You Choose books than pretty much anything else. And writing the RFDS adventures has opened his eyes to the amazing work done by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. With Other Worlds, George has ventured into the realms of science fiction and fantasy, two of his favourite genres, in order to tell stories about ordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. George’s books and stories have been shortlisted for numerous awards and he is thrilled that You Choose: The Treasure of Dead Man’s Cove won the 2015 YABBA for Fiction for Younger Readers. George drinks too much coffee, eats too much chocolate and watches too much Doctor Who. He has one wife, two children and an uncontrollable imagination. For more information, see www.georgeivanoff.com.au.
