When I was a teenager I used to try and move things with my mind. I gave it another go just now.
2. What is your nickname?
Bern/Bernie. As a teenager I was also called Gonzo and Brutus, nobody escaped a nickname at my high school.
3. What is your greatest fear?
Aside from worrying about my children, it’s falling off a ship and no one noticing.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Plain while aiming for humour, empathy and a good rhythm.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Imaginative, honest, willingness to re-write, passionate, persistent
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Ron Weasley, mainly because I want to be a part of his family, but also because he’s funny, he’s a wizard, Hermione falls in love with him and sometimes it’s safer to be the sidekick.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I’d go back in time to the first architectural school and convince them to build double the number of public toilets for women as men.
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
You’re so old and where is our monkey?
9. Who is your greatest influence?
I don’t have one person in mind, but I was touched by Catherine Deveny’s ode to ordinary people, 'Just Keep Going. A Tribute to Everyday Heroes'. It makes me think of my sister, who after finishing chemotherapy for breast cancer, studied Pilates and opened a studio at her home in Kinglake.
10. What/who made you start writing?
I’m a middle child, sandwiched between two siblings on either side. Always desperate for attention, when my teacher and mother fussed over a story I wrote as a 10-year-old, I decided I wanted to be a writer.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Discombobulated because it sounds like the horrible state it describes and I find this is comforting.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably a book that I decided I’d never read, like Ulysses. It’s always sounded like too much work, but that might stop me from getting bored. Then there’s The Bible, I’ve heard that writers should read all the religious texts. So really, something big, a bit difficult and hopefully rewarding.
Bernadette Green grew up loving animals and being outdoors. She dreamed of becoming a writer, but life took her in many different directions. She trained as a youth worker and shiatsu therapist before returning to writing. Bernadette lives in Melbourne with her partner and children, and their dog, Coco. For more information, see www.scribblekidsbooks.com.
