I think I have a pretty keen sense of smell, and I can identify obscure smells that others can’t: ‘I think there’s an old potato in this kitchen’; ‘There’s a dead gecko somewhere in this room’. That kind of thing.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Scarface Claw, because he’s the toughest tom in town, of course.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
I won’t think too hard about this otherwise I’ll be here all day: Peter H Reynolds, Quentin Blake, David Malouf, Kurt Vonnegut, JK Rowling. I have no idea how they’d get along.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
I’d like to disapparate like Harry Potter during awkward conversations.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Slow, difficult, doubtful, then… hooray!
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Quiet. Thoughtful. I can’t think of any more, so probably not ‘verbose’.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
A pencil, a sketchbook, a window, some music, and my 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!)
Goose-like, the principal waddled across the carpark towards the gossiping parents.
Field Guide to Australian Birds, by Michael Morcombe.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I’d ask Jackie French: ‘Where do you find the time?’
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
I would definitely choose to never write another story. I’ve been lucky enough to write a few already, and I could handle retiring from storytelling if I could still enjoy what other people create.
Peter Carnavas writes and illustrates books for children and the grown-ups in their lives. He has made many picture books, including Jessica’s Box, Last Tree in the City and The Children Who Loved Books. He won the 2016 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, an Australian Book Industry Award in 2017, and his novel The Elephant won a Queensland Literary Award in 2018, as well as being shortlisted in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and the CBCA Awards. He is a popular presenter in schools and his work has been translated into many languages, including Italian, Portuguese, Korean and Dutch. Peter lives on the Sunshine Coast with his wife, two daughters, a dog called Florence and a cat named Harry. For more information, see www.petercarnavas.com.
