My daughter tells me I’m a party starter – whatever that means – and that was a talent that was hidden even from me!
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
The wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. He didn’t have to pose as Grandma to kill Little Red; he could have killed her in the woods. Oh no, he went for the more sinister option of 'removing' Grandma, dressing and posing as her, in order to lure Little Red closer and closer … what an evil dude.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, Kate diCamillo, Elizabeth Gilbert, Charles Dickens.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Teleportation – who wouldn’t want to travel to another place in a blink? (Maybe not right now, but in 2021 …)
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Varied. Circuitous. Slow. Doubt-filled. Disciplined. (Doesn’t that sound like fun?)
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Inspiring. Thought-provoking. Versatile. Original. Page-turner.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
Pillows. Doona. Bedside table. Book stack. Coffee cup.
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!)
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!)
'Heading' from Missing. Heading back home, she leant into the wind with a heavy heart, but steely resolve.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I would love to ask Agatha Christie what she actually did during those 10 days when she went missing in 1926.
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Never write another story. (You can always tell yourself your own stories in your head, but the only way to reach the stories of others is through their books.)
Sue Whiting is a children’s and young adult author and editor who lives and works in a small coastal village south of Sydney. She has written numerous books in a variety of genres: fiction and nonfiction, picture books through to YA, including the best-selling Missing, and the CBCA 2019 Notable Book, Beware the Deep Dark Forest. Sue is passionate about storytelling and the power of story to transform lives, and aims to write stories that are thought-provoking, page-turning and full of heart. The Book of Chance is her 68th published book, and her third novel for upper primary / lower secondary readers. Join her on her adventures in story at www.suewhiting.com.
