If I told you that then it wouldn’t be hidden! But let me see. My super power on the tennis court is my speed. Opposition players often comment on it. I suspect my age fools them. They wouldn’t believe how fast I was in my thirties lol.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
My equal favourites are Modesty Blaise and Artemis Fowl. They’re both ‘heroes’, really, but then, technically, they’re the bad guys because they’re both criminals. So I don’t see the term ‘villain’ as black and white. And that’s what I love about them. They’re multi-layered characters. Needless to say, the authors are simply the best.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Peter McDonnell, Eoin Colfer, Philip Reeve, Stan Lee and Fritz Leiber. You won’t find that combination anywhere.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
A time machine would be pretty cool.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Organised, episodic, funny, diverse and energetic.
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
SF, dystopian, humour, action, plot-driven.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
Computer, books, pens, paper and telephone.
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!)
‘Bonds like superglue,’ said Mrs Witchard, loftily holding up her latest invention: a camouflaging skin mesh. (Trust Me Too.)
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I would ask Peter O’Donnell if he rolled in his grave when the first Modesty Blaise movie was released. Had his character been taken seriously, like for example, James Bond, the Modesty Blaise franchise would’ve been huge. Instead, it was made satiric.
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Never read another book.
Paul Collins has written over 140 books and 150 short stories. He is best known for The Quentaris Chronicles (The Spell of Undoing is Book #1 in the new series), which he co-edited with Michael Pryor, The Jelindel Chronicles, The Earthborn Wars and The World of Grrym trilogy in collaboration with Danny Willis. Paul’s latest book is James Gong: The Big Hit, published by Hybrid Publishers. He is also the publisher at Ford Street Publishing and director of Creative Net Speakers’ Agency. Paul has been short-listed for many awards and won the Aurealis, William Atheling and the inaugural Peter McNamara awards. He recently received the A Bertram Chandler Award for lifetime achievement in Australian science fiction. He has black belts in both ju jitsu and taekwondo and was trained in kick-boxing by then Australian Heavyweight Champion, Dana Goodson. See www.paulcollins.com.au for more information.