Well, anyone who has ever watched TV with me knows this but the general public may not. I still suck my thumb! Yep, I never grew out of it. Don’t ask me why. But I figure if that’s my worst habit then things aren’t so bad, right?
2. What is your nickname?
Technically, I guess Nat is a nickname. I would tell you my full name but then secret ninjas would have to sneak in and kidnap you and lock you in a cone of silence. Over the years I have had a few different ones from different friends including Squishy, Poops, Nattymuk, Guitar-ya, Nuts and Kangaroo… yep, my friends are pretty weird!
3. What is your greatest fear?
Jellyfish! I hate jellyfish. With an uber passion. They totally freak me out. Like, dude, where are your bones! I can see right through you! That is not normal! Don’t swim near me. Get out of my ocean. Can we please stop talking about jellyfish? **runs off crying**
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
I write things I know and things I wish I knew. (And I can’t count.)
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Productive. Fearless. Instinctual. Fun. Naughty. I guess it’s debatable whether that last one is a positive, but I think it is!
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Oh soooooo many! It’s so hard to choose. But I’m going to go with Elly from Skymaze because she just gets it done, is totally kick-butt, doesn’t let anyone push her around but still has heart. Or Lyra from His Dark Materials because she is headstrong, shows how tough, independent and awesome kids are and gets to ride an armoured bear. I reckon I would totally rock at riding an armoured bear.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
1969 so I could go to Woodstock.
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?\
Oh she’d have a lot to say. Including…
1) Get a haircut!
2) Bet I could climb that tree faster than you (to which current me would reply ‘oh, it is ON! 3, 2, 1…go!’) I’m not sure who would win. I still climb a mean tree.
3) You actually ran away and joined the circus after you finished school? Cool!
4) I told you you’d never grow up.
5) Good work on the whole writing a book thing. High fives for making my dreams come true.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
Not so much ‘a who’ as ‘a what’. Music has always been a huge influence on me. It inspires me, helps me to remember things, can make me happy or sad. Everything I do or write or remember has a soundtrack to go with it.
10. What/who made you start writing?
This is hard. The first would be the books that I loved as a kid and the authors who wrote them. So Gillian Rubinstein, Paul Jennings, Morris Gleitzman. Then a few amazing teachers who really fostered my love of books and creative writing – Miss Aliotti, Mrs O’Keefe, Mrs McKay. Finally, my deep desire to a) tell stories and b) entertain. It has shown itself in many forms in my various careers over the years, but it has always been there.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Kerfuffle. Why? Just say it out loud! How great is it? It’s got such spunk! And it sounds exactly like its meaning.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oh KBR, you're killing me! How am I supposed to answer a question like this? I’ll hurt the feelings of all the books out there that I love so dearly. Maybe To Kill A Mockingbird but I stand by my comment that this question is IMPOSSIBLE to answer!
Nat Amoore is a Sydney-based writer who is passionate about encouraging kids to read and write and explore their imagination without boundaries. Her first middle grade novel Secrets Of A Schoolyard Millionaire is out with Penguin Random House, with a second novel expected in 2020. Nat's debut middle-grade manuscript was awarded 3rd place at the CYA Conference in 2017. At last year’s CYA, she placed 1st and 2nd in the Picture Book category and 2nd in Chapter Books for younger readers. She was a recipient of the CBCA Maurice Saxby Creative Development Program for 2018 and is a proud Role Model for Books In Homes. Nat has completed multiple courses at the AWC and NSWWC. She is a member of two different writers’ groups full of inspiring peers and multiple published writers and a member of SCBWI and the CBCA. But, most importantly, she used to be a trapeze artist, had a pet kangaroo when she was little and her secret super power is making stuff up (not lying, that's totally different!). For more details, see www.natamoore.com.
