I can smell rain coming. This isn't a very useful talent in Australia.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Voldemort! Not just because his name should never be mentioned, not just because he looks scary or is powerful or can do magic, but because he corrupts so many people. That is his scariest attribute by far; the way he uses his power to send corrupt tendrils out into the community and you never know who to truly trust.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Margaret Mahy, Margo Lanagan, Amie Kaufman, Laini Taylor, Chuck Palahniuk.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
The Improbability Drive and the Heart of Gold (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). I want to travel through space AND time!
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Intensive, preoccupying, obsessive, disorganised, difficult.
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Tender, touching, entertaining, significant, astonishing.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
A MacBook with Scrivener on it, a notebook, pen, window, dog.
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!)
Vinyl. Charity by Mark Richard. Vinyl and hotpants, two iconic 70s items that worked against each other to keep 70s kids from ever sitting quietly. Bare thighs and cracked vinyl should never meet.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
Mark Richard, why was Fish Boy dumped in the swamp?
10. Which would you rather do: Never write another story or never read another book?
Well I've tried to give up writing in the past and I know that's impossible so I can confidently ignore the idea of never writing another book as a valid choice, and continue reading books! There are a lot of books in the world that are okay as movies but I could never give up the prose and the ideas contained in those very special books that bring light to my world.
Bren MacDibble was raised on farms all over New Zealand, so is an expert about being a kid on the land. Bren lives and works in a bus, travelling around Australia. She teaches TAFE online, and writes all the other hours her eyes can stay open. How to Bee, her first novel for younger readers, won the 2018 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, The NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and the NSW Premiers Literary Awards, and was shortlisted for several others. For more information, see www.macdibble.com.
