Once I was a swing dance teacher and a gymnast. The Charleston, backflips and somersaults were my daily thing.
2. What is your nickname?
Those that know me too well call me Vixen. The boys at school used to call me Lucky Legs (because I was lucky they didn’t snap off – I was a skinny thing) and Vikki Dickie Boys Clothes (apparently my pink and blue surf track-suit was only for boys).
3. What is your greatest fear?
Of not being good enough. Of losing my joy. But both of these factors drive my work ethic, and my life’s purpose to ever improve and to be happy. I also fear baking. Cupcakes! Ahhh. My inner creative seems incapable of sticking to a recipe.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Gentle, evocative, lyrical, quirky and joyful. A celebration of wonder.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Collaborative, imaginative, prolific, diverse, brave.
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Silky from Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree series. Because she has wings and gets to live in a tree! She was also my first memory of utter wonder.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Oh, I love this question! The 1920s for sure. I’d get to do the Charleston all the time, and dance wildly in those amazing shimmering beaded dresses, and wear a feather in my hair like in The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald.
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Never stop dreaming. Oh, and sometimes it is important to follow the recipe.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
The voice in my head. It never stops.
10. What/who made you start writing?
My father. He inspired my sister and me to write poetry and stories about our adventures. Often, we’d venture to islands in Dad’s old wooden boat. On the way back into port, it was our job to write the adventures in The Ship’s Log Book. My obsession with words started at a young age. In primary school, I wrote and illustrated handmade books. When reading, I’d write down (in a special notebook) any words (and their definition) that I didn’t know. I still have all of these books.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Squeal! Because I love onomatopoeia and this one screams out-of-control exuberance, fun and joy. It makes me smile every time.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Just one? Impossible! But one that jumps to mind is All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. This book completely captivated me on so many levels – of love, struggle and vulnerability of two young people.
Vikki has worked as a professional communicator for 20 years, across three continents. In search of extraordinary stories, she has climbed inside Icelandic glaciers, entered war-torn countries and interviewed African dignitaries in a paddock full of eeyoring donkeys! In her spare time, Vikki does cartwheels with her two children and searches for platypus in the rivers near her home in Eltham, Victoria. For more information, see www.vikkiconley.com.