My hidden talent is telling extremely long jokes with terrible punchlines! Don't talk to me at a party because you'll never get those 15 minutes of your life back.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
It is an extremely close call between Jadis from The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis, and King Haggard from The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
CS Lewis, Neil Gaiman, Madeline Miller, Susanna Clarke, Fances Hodgson Burnett. I want to be sitting at that dinner party now!
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Musky wardrobes to fantastical places.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Slow, painful, short bursts of fun!
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
Imaginative, joyful, whimsical, scientific, lyrical.
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
A pen, something to play music on as I always have a soundtrack for what I'm writing (be it on a record player, cd, a digital playlist or some old cassette tapes!), a notepad, an item themed to what I'm writing about for visual inspiration, a book I'm currently reading when I should be writing.
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!)
Constellation whales breach and blow. I'm answering this in my writing studio and my closest book is a copy of Moon Sailors, which I wrote. Is that cheating?!
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I would ask CS Lewis if he had ever imagined more about the world of Charn and its backstory from The Magician's Nephew. I've always wanted to know a whole book's worth about it ever since I was a little girl.
10. Which would you rather do: Never write another story or never read another book?
I would never write another story if I could still read. Reading is an adventure, a way of learning, an escape, a bringer of joy, and so many more things important to a full life!
Naomi Woodward has worked extensively in the Australian Arts, Education and Bookselling industry, spending time professionally employed as a Script Writer and Performer in Theatre Education around Australia. When she isn’t writing or reading, she is busy gardening, trekking through the wild photographing mushrooms, or spending quality time with her animals. She currently spends most days as a Youth and Children’s Library Officer reading very exciting stories to children. For more information, see www.fordstreetpublishing.com.
