An Interview With Christine Bongers

Christine Bongers debut teen novel, Dust comes out in June of this year from Woolshed Press, an imprint of Random House Australia.

I'm already sold on the novel, based on this fantastic blurb from Woolshed Press website:

In Dust, twelve-year-old Cecilia Maria grows up in the heat of 1970s Queensland, where she battles six brothers on her side of the fence and the despised Kapernicky girls, lurking on the other side of the barbed wire. Decades later she must face
old ghosts when she returns home with her own reluctant teenagers.
Warm but tough-minded, Dust glitters with a rare and subtle wit, illuminating the shadows that hang over from childhood and finding beauty in unexpected places.
The motivation to write Dust came from something Christine’s father said to her as he lay dying in hospital. ‘Then, amidst the grim tangle of tubes and drips, bandages and blood, he gave me a final piece of advice: Don’t die without doing what you were meant to do, without being what you were meant to be.
‘After a couple of false starts I discovered I wasn’t writing my Dad’s story; I wasn’t even writing my own. The bolshy little character, who became Cecilia Maria or Sis for short, had her own story to tell: a story born of ignorance, trailing a lingering regret.’

Christine was lovely enough to agree to being interviewed here on Hey, Teenager of the Year. You can find her blog here.

1. List the books you've written. Which do you like best? Which was the hardest to write?

Dust is my first novel, so like a first kiss, it will always be pretty damn special. But now that it has left me to make its own way in the world, I am consoling myself with two works-in-progress: an adult crime novel The Lonely Dead; and a teen fiction novel about the hapless Henry Hoey Hobson and the goth witches coven that moves in next door.

2. What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Occasionally potty-mouthed (and my Grade Six teacher would probably agree).

3. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were ... a cause of great anxiety for my parents.

4. Have you always wanted to write for young people?

I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life when I was young. I dropped into and out of Uni a couple of times, became besotted with radio broadcasting, tripped and fell into television, segued into PR and one way or another wrote for a living for most of my adult life.

When I finally found the courage to write fiction, I felt like I'd come home - to the messiest, craziest, coolest place to be in the whole world.

I don't think I had a rocky road to publication; Dust was the first manuscript I wrote and it took four years from conception to publication, so that's a pretty fair apprenticeship in my book.

5.Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?

Growing up, I idolised my six brothers, and if you read Dust you'll get some idea why. My biggest inspiration though was this cranky old English teacher I had in first year high school. He said: 'If being the best in this class is all you're ever going to aspire to, then you'll never amount to much. How about you try to be the best that you can be."
If you're still out there, Mr Rainie, I'm trying!

These days, my biggest inspiration comes from the kids around me. They have such courage; taking on challenges that would spook most adults, dreaming big dreams and throwing themselves at life. They remind me every day that anything is possible.

6. Who are your favourite authors and which novels do you love best?

I love too many authors to list but have to say Tim Winton, Melina Marchetta, Sonya Hartnett, Alyssa Brugman and Michael Gerard Bauer are right up there, alongside crime writers Peter Temple, Kate Atkinson and Carol O'Connell. My all-time favourite book is Cloudstreet and my current favourite is The Anatomy of Wings by Queensland writer Karen Foxlee. Damn, that woman can write.

7. If you were in a novel, who would you be?

I'd be Cecilia Maria in Dust. Like me, she had six brothers and grew up in the bush, so people often ask "Is that you?" I wish. She's everything I wasn't at twelve years of age and quite a few things I'd like to be, even now.

8. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?

No, my Mum had six kids in five years, including two sets of twins, so it was way too crowded at our place for imaginery friends. Instead I had books and a bolt-hole in amongst the dust bunnies under the bed.

9. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is as busy as all-get-out with hubby, four kids, an old cat and a new puppy! But it's all good. I mean that sincerely. It really is.

10. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?

I'd be the Mad Flapper. I can fly, you know. It's my secret power. Seriously, I've been flying most nights for years now. I can glide, swoop, soar and flutter. It's a buzz. Just gotta watch out for power lines and tree tops (they look soft, but trust me, misjudge the height by a couple of millimetres and you're looking at some pretty nasty navel gouges). I wear twig-resistant, black lycra, because it's more flattering for the fuller-figured woman. If I could just manage to do it when I was awake, my life would be complete.

11. Xena Warrior Princess or Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

Emma Peel. Sorry, showing my age, but I was transfixed by her in leather in 'The Avengers' when I was in primary school and never got over it. I still want to be her.

12. Have you read Twilight? Did you enjoy it? Do you secretly believe your own books are better? (I know you do, don’t try to lie…)

I read the first one to see what all the fuss was about and managed to finish it despite the ordinary writing. But man oh man, what a gigantic step backwards for womankind.

Yes, it taps into a common romantic fantasy - the one where the sexiest guy in school inexplicably chooses little old ordinary me to fall in love with. We've all dreamed that dream, so I understand the attraction. But why oh why, couldn't Bella be a little more worthy of heroine status and Edward more interesting?

She is such a victim, so disempowered, with a freaking death wish to boot, and he's a cardboard cutout wish-fulfilment fantasy if ever I saw one: faster, stronger, sexier, smarter, and a concert-grade pianist. He carries her on his back for pete's sake.

I watched the movie (sooo sloooowww) with three of my kids and four of my nephews and nieces and they cacked themselves laughing at me nodding off, waking up to have a bit of a rant, then nodding off again.

So yes, I do believe my books are better written, with more vibrant characters. Will they be as successful? I wish!

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

How to Ditch Your Fairy is more fun than popping bubble wrap but still offers brain food, making it a highly accessible book both in and out of the classroom.
In New Avalon, almost everyone has a personal fairy that gives a particular brand of luck – but 14-year-old Charlie’s perfect parking fairy is more harm than help; she’s not old enough to drive herself and she’s sick of people borrowing her when they need to find a good parking spot. The lengths she’ll go to in order to ditch her fairy and (hopefully) find a new one make for a hilarious novel.
Every character – from Charlie’s friend Rochelle, with an enviable clothes-shopping fairy, to Steffi, with an even more enviable never-getting-into-trouble fairy he’s convinced isn’t real – crackles with personality. Dialogue is fresh, fast and funny, and Charlie sparkles with dry humour – you can’t help but be drawn to this unlikely heroine. The usage of invented words gives the novel added individuality – HTDYF is a great read for girls in lower secondary years, with adventure, romance, friendship and sport adding to the appeal of this wonderful novel.
The concept of a world much like our own except with personal fairies (equalling added troubles) prompts reflection into our own lives. In the classroom, discussion topics may be based around what life would be like in a society like New Avalon (having a fairy, regimented life at the Sports High, their self-obsession) as well as looking into Charlie’s personal journey throughout the novel (from hating Fiorenze to experiencing life in her shoes, the questionable validity of things earned through fairy-magic).
Overall, HTDYF is a superb novel, further confirming Larbalestier as an exceptional author of young adult literature.
(I received a copy of HTDYF from Allen & Unwin. You can read my review on their website)

C’est La Vie Tres Chic: Can you tell I don’t know French?

Aside from French fries and French kissing, I know nothing of French.

This blog post is not about my ignorance of European culture, or inability to learn a foreign language, but what rolled into my head when I was eating bread (which was far too heavily buttered) in bed at 3AM this morning and staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling.

Shortly after counting the number of stars and brushing the bread crumbs off my pyjama top, I thought ‘What type of movie would my life be?’

This being where the French bit comes in.

My life would be a film with subtitles – it doesn’t matter if it’s French or Belgian, really (mmm, now I’m thinking about chocolate) – but it must be European.
It’d be quiet – no huge musical score, no music at all really, except for an occasional lilting guitar folk tune and maybe a nightclub scene.

I would be the main character. I would be waifishly thin and pale-skinned, with long hair that’s either very dark or very light. I would speak quietly and rarely in either Belgian or French, and I would walk around without a shirt on often, and people would call it a cross between Chocolat and Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities.
There would be prolonged scenes of silence, lengthy monologues, a lot of me staring at the camera and going for long walks around Paris or Amsterdam or Copenhagen… I feel like an apricot scroll. Do you feel like an apricot scroll?

The film would show only in artsy cinemas, and there’d be no message behind it all but all those posers who wear berets and go to those types of cinemas would nod and understand it (I call them posers only because I am one of those people).

The film would be dramatic and sad and you would frequently not understand what was going on but the settings would be wonderful and I would be so effortlessly beautiful that the Times would describe it as a ‘visual delight’ and the Herald Sun reviewer (who once said the message of Twilight was ‘abstinence makes the heart grow fonder’) would call it ‘a feast of the senses… raw human emotion that grabs hold of you and never lets go’ (at least not till the credits, or that last scene where I’m smoking on the balcony and the camera watches my blank face for about ten minutes, because that lost me). It would be directed by someone foreign and crisp, who would later commit suicide.

The question behind all of this is: Why?

I am not waifishly thin or French (or even Belgian for that matter) and I’m not particularly inclined to walk around topless.

I just feel as if, if my life were a movie, I’d need subtitles. I know I am not a box office blockbuster or Academy award-winning (but I might win some awards at a weird French festival).

I don’t know. It was just 3AM, and I was eating bread and lying in bed and thinking about it.

Tell me about what kind of movie your life would be. Any ideas for what my film might be called? Something French, preferably, but Belgian is okay.

Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

From the author of Notes From The Teenage Underground – also an excellent novel – Everything Beautiful charts one week in the life of Riley Rose, as she’s sent to a Christian camp by her father, under the influence of God-bothering stepmother Norma for bad behaviour. Riley is a spirited and tough character, acting out perhaps because of the death of her mother two years earlier. She’s fat, and proud of it. My first impression was that Riley was going to be Saved By God– but this book doesn’t preach to you, far from it.

There’s quite an ensemble cast, and all of the characters are vivid; from the wheelchair-bound and bitter Dylan; to bullied but kind Olive and her quirky brother Bird; all the way to god-fearing Sarita and seemingly vacuous Fleur. The only thing that bothered me about this was because of the number of characters, there wasn’t as much individual character development as I would like in a book – however, it is Riley’s story, and as she grew as a character, she affected and changed those around her.

Everything Beautiful is wonderfully written – certain phrases create fantastic images, and the wording is unique. The voice of the novel is crisp and witty, similar to that of the author’s first novel Notes From The Teenage Underground. I loved the sharp observances and lifelike dialogue – at certain lines I had to stop reading so I could roll on the floor with laughter for a full minute. The descriptions of Little Desert and the surrounding areas evoked a powerful sense of place in only a few sentences; sparse words conjuring striking impressions of both places and people.

I think this is a novel anyone would enjoy reading, and not necessarily just teenagers, unless you have an aversion to themes of drinking, smoking, coarse language, sex, etc, all prevalent in Everything Beautiful. However, these themes are important to the novel, and serve as a true-to-life representation of the age group portrayed.

This is a wonderful book; an easy read which at the same time presents confronting and thought-provoking subject matter. I think any teenager would find it immensely appealing. This is the kind of book I love to read.

Star rating: Eight and a half out of ten
In one word: Meaty

You can find Simmone Howell's blog here.

An interview with Susanne Gervay

I interviewed Susanne Gervay - fabulous Aussie YA and children's author of, amongst many others listed below, That's Why I Wrote This Song - about what kind of superhero she'd be (a budgie, which is understated but original) and her views on Twilight (She and James Roy have similar ideas, which will not prove popular with 13-17 year old girls). Thanks, Susanne! Make sure you check out her blog!

1. List the books you've written. Which one are you most proud of? Which was the hardest to write?

My YA Novels:-
'That's Why I Wrote This Song' - my daughter Tory wrote the lyrics and music that are integral to the narrative, themes and characters
'Butterflies' - being flown to New York in August to talk about Butterflies and its inspirational impact.
'The Cave' - in the tradition of Catcher in the Rye, right out there male literature
'Shadows of Olive Trees' - love, independence, life.

My YA novels are all hard to write, because I live them. I cry and laugh and love with the characters and the emotions that engulf them.

I'm most proud of 'That's Why I Wrote This Song' because of my daughter Tory. We did it together. Her music and lyrics deeply moved me. It was emotionally tough working with my teenage daughter. Can't believe we survived the 3 years to get it published. She didn't speak to me a lot, as she thought I went too far. I did sometimes, but when you write YA novels, you have to be honest. She now says I could have gone further.

The video clip of her song 'Psycho Dad' was wild, funny, exhausting and creative. Her song 'I Wanna Be Found' breaks my heart - even today - because Tory felt alone and she thought I wasn't there for her. Our journey together creating That's Why I Wrote This Song has, in the end, made us closer. It was a gift.

Children's books:-
I AM JACK - to be published November 09 in the USA by Random House (Tricycle Imprint)
SUPER JACK
Jamie's A Hero
Daisy Sunshine

2. What three words would you use to describe yourself? (Don’t use the words ‘nice’, ‘pretty’ or ‘good’ because your Grade Six teacher will read this and be very disappointed)

Funny, emotional, thoughtful.


3. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were turbulent with parents who spoke Hungarian-English and worked all the time, leaving me and my sister alone with my teasing brother who I nearly killed - but luckily I didn't, otherwise I'd be in jail.

4. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?

My brother was supposed to be the brain surgeon and I was supposed to be a teacher. That's what refugee parents pressure their kids to do. It's to make up for wars and the struggle. It's called PRESSURE on kids. Lucky for the world, my brother didn't become a brain surgeon otherwise there'd be a lot of zombies around. He became an engineer and builds bridges. I caved in and became a teacher. I liked teaching, but I was pathetic not to make my own choice.

I've always written. That's what writers do, even when they don't know they are writers. I only decided to become an author when my beloved father passed away. I wrote stories of him for him because I missed him so much. The stories were published in literary journals. Then I started writing for my kids. It's been really hard to get published but I love my writing friends, the community and my readers so much, I couldn't give it up now.

5. Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?
My father was my biggest inspiration. He had great courage surviving Nazism, Stalinist Russia and the terrible loss of family and home. He didn't only survive but he saved others. He was a hero even though he didn't have medals. Later when he was a refugee with my mother, he and my mother worked really hard in Australia so the kids would have a safe life.

Tory's inspiration was EMINEM because he made it, even though hs father left and his drugged out mother was no mother, even though he lived in a trailer park and it was hard. Didn't matter what was thrown at him, he was going to make it and be a good father one day. Tory has EMINEM posters on her walls.

6. Who are your favourite authors and what novels do you love best?
I have so many favourite authors - all my Australian author friends and a few international ones too including Melina Marchetta, Markus Zusak, Kate Forsyth, Moya Simons, Jackie French, Jeni Mawter, Michael Gerald Bauer.... right the way to young authors like William Kostakis. International favourites include Ellen Hopkins, Jacqueline Wilson, John Boyne and others.

The novels that I love best are mainly young adult novels, even when they aren't called YA and include:-
-Khalid Hosseini's The Kite Runner, a young Afghan boy, his family, escaping the Taliban and finding freedom in USA.
-Ellen Hopkins Crank a verse novel about a girl descending into crank addiction
-John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a powerful parable about friendship and the devastation of war
-Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel that stands the test of time revealing racism, family and courage.
- Jackie French's Hitler's Daughter
and many others.
And James Roy's Town!

7. If you were in a novel (any one you’ve read), who would you be?

Katherine in my 'Butterflies' because she is amazing - feisty and fantastic, despite or because of her flaws. She's in love with William. Me too, but I love her most.


8. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? (Or today? Don’t worry; we won’t call the men in white coats on you)

Call in the men in white coats - nearly imaginary. I thought my dolls and teddies were alive. I'd put them in my bed and sleep on the floor. I was obviously a kind girl, but a bit dumb.

9. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is about running as fast as I can to catch up, and just being a bit slow. I get mighty tired.

10. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?

Budgie. Power - tweet everyone into a good mood. Yellow feathers.

11. Xena Warrior Princess or Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

Xena Warrior Princess as I've always wanted to be fit.

12. Have you read Twilight? Did you enjoy it? Do you secretly believe your own books are better? (I know you do, don’t try to lie…)

I've read Twilight. I understand why early teenage girls love it. It's 'safe sex', well no sex, with lots of tension and the tall dark handsome guy making all the decisions and saving the heroine from every disaster. The splash of Dracula makes the tall dark and handsome hero even more of all that.

Twilight takes back Women's Rights 100 years. I want my characters to be empowered to make their own choices, be amazing and while they can and do love a guy, they also believe in themselves.

So you're right, I feel publically and secretly that my books are better. They're real and are about that power to answer those great questions - Who Am I? Where Am I Going? Who will I Love? 'Who Do I Want to Be?' However I wouldn't mind being as successful as Stephanie or half as successful or quarter as successful and have millions of readers know and love my books.

James Roy is... Captain Grammatical!

James Roy wrote a book called Town. He also wrote a lot of other books, but the first James Roy book I discovered was Town. In my mind (and I know a few tomatoes will be thrown in my direction because of this statement), Town was much, much better than Twilight. Town was real and raw and difficult stories and numerous voices that would have been extremely hard to pull off flow seamlessly and effortlessly. I don't think it could have been executed any better.

James Roy has a blog called Head Vs. Desk that you would be very wise to check out.

1. List the books you've written.
Almost Wednesday
Full Moon Racing
Town
Hunting Elephants
Captain Mack
Billy Mack's War
A Boat for Bridget
Wrestlefest Fever
The Legend of Big Red
Ichabod Hart and the Lighthouse Mystery
Broken Wings
Queasy Rider
Problem Child / Max Quigley, Technically Not a Bully
The 'S' Word - a boys' guide to sex, puberty and growing up
Quentaris: The Gimlet Eye
Anonymity Jones (late 2009)
Edsel Grizzler: Voyage to Verdada

2. What three words would you use to describe yourself? (Don’t use the words ‘nice’, ‘pretty’ or ‘good’ because your Grade Six teacher will read this and be very disappointed)

Kind, driven, frugal


3. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were…

... sometimes lonely, always interesting, and full of 80s music, 80s haircuts and 80s fashion. I know.


4. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?

I was a registered nurse before I was a writer, working mostly with children and adolescents. I hated being a nurse, and if I was only allowed to give my kids one bit of advice, it would be this: 'Don't do a job you hate for eighteen years.' But nursing taught me a lot about people, and allowed me the flexibility I needed as my writing became more profitable. Was being a writer a rocky journey? Not really - I was fortunate to catch the eye of a publisher after one rejection of Almost Wednesday, so that was good. I think you need some good fortune to be successful. Sure, you need to be able to write well, but no published author should ever believe that is their birthright.


5. Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?

Growing up, CS Lewis and Roald Dahl. These days, it's writers like Kurt Vonnegut, Lloyd Jones and Terry Pratchett. I also find Markus Zusak's work pretty impressive. He'll probably do OK long-term... ;D


6. Who are your favourite authors and what novels do you love best?

As a kid, my favourite books were Danny the Champion of the World (Roald Dahl) The Narnia Chronicles, The Mouse and His Child (Russell Hoban) and Josh (Ivan Southall). I also loved The Outsiders, Catch 22 and Lord of the Flies as a young adult. Some of my favourite books of recent years have been A Woman Named Drown (Padgett Powell), Cloudstreet (Tim Winton) Choo Woo (Lloyd Jones) and Farther Than Any Man (Martin Dugard) which is a biography of James Cook.


7. If you were in a novel (any one you’ve read), who would you be?

I could say Josh from the book of the same name, but I already lived that experience, and I wouldn't want to do it again. I think I'd want to be either Danny from Champion, or Tom Sawyer. Or ... oo, oo! ... one of the kids from Swallows and Amazons. Yes, there's your answer - John, captain of the Swallow.


8. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? (Or today? Don’t worry; we won’t call the men in white coats on you)

No. Even my imaginary friends ran away from me. Can we talk about something else now?


9. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is…

... almost always coloured with my awareness of being a writer: no matter where I go, what I do or who I'm doing it with, I'm gathering ideas for my writing.


10. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?

My family sometimes call me Apostrophe Man, but I think that's already taken. So I could be Captain Grammatical. My costume? It would be white lycra (yes, lycra), with bits of dictionary printed all over it, and a big exclamation mark on my chest, with a squiggly green line under it. And my power? I would be able to correct their/they're/there errors and misplaced apostrophes with a mere thought.


11. Xena Warrior Princess or Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

Sabrina. Xena was too ... pneumatic, and lacked irony. Sabrina was funny. And Salem was a hoot. Should I even know this stuff?


12. Have you read Twilight? Did you enjoy it? Do you secretly believe your own books are better? (I know you do, don’t try to lie…)

Sigh. I have read enough of Twilight to know that I LOATHED IT. These books have singlehandedly set back the empowerment of females by about 40 years, and they're not even well written. I mean, I kept turning the page waiting for SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. We get it - Edward is beautiful. And shiny. Puh-lease. And do I secretly believe my books are better? I don't even make a secret of it.



Thanks James! *dodges tomato*

Lili Wilkinson in the hot seat

When I’m not eating bread, watching B-grade zombie movies and completing overdue work, I’m reading. I love it when I discover a fantastic book like Scatterheart, and I love it even more when I find out it was written by an Australian author, especially one as made-of-awesome as Lili (and with a name so cool that Word thinks it’s a spelling mistake).

First of all, wish a very happy birthday to Miss Wilkinson who (if my Veggie Maths skills prove correct) turns twenty-eight today. One thing that I’ve discovered about fabulous Aussies who write for teenagers, is that they are very prompt in returning emails, even on their birthdays.

If you aren’t already convinced you should run out to your nearest book store and buy every Lili Wilkinson book you can get your hands on, I suggest you check out her blog or follow her on Twitter.


1. What three words would you use to describe yourself? (Don’t use the words ‘nice’, ‘pretty’ or ‘good’ because your Grade Six teacher will read this and be very disappointed)

Reads cereal boxes.


2. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were…

Reasonably angst-free, except for a brief flirtation with lesbianism.


3. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?

I always wanted to be an author. Except when my mum (Carole Wilkinson) became one when I was a teenager, I briefly changed my mind and thought I wanted to be in the film industry. I was wrong. I started working at the Centre for Youth Literature in my early 20s, rediscovered my passion for YA literature and never looked back.

My road to publication was not so much smooth as slippery. It was more of a slide, which doesn't make for a very good story. But I'd been involved with organisations like Express Media since I was a teenager - people knew who I was, and had seen and liked my writing. So one day Andrew Kelly from black dog books called me up and asked me if I'd like to try writing a book.

Having said that, the first four books I wrote were commissioned. My next book, PINK, is the first book that I really CHOSE to write (not that I didn't love writing the others), and the first book I really sold to a publisher.


4. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? (Or as an adult? Don’t worry; we won’t call the men in white coats on you). Tell us about him/her/it.

I had TWENTY SEVEN imaginary friends. But the main two were Coggle, who lived under the wattle trees at the junction of the Eastern Freeway and Hoddle Street, and Tina, who had pink and purple curly hair and arms that reached to the moon. She was pretty naughty.


5. Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?

Jim Henson. He is someone who created art that was unique, thought-provoking, profound, beautiful and challenging, at the same time as being funny, entertaining and accessible to all. Also Barack Obama, Bob Brown and all the characters on the West Wing.


6. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is…

...largely filled with cheese, wine, television and the people I love.


7. Which books and authors do you love?

I love Meg Cabot, Philip Pullman, David Almond, Diana Wynne-Jones and Lewis Carroll. Some great books are The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (E Lockhart), Love That Dog (Sharon Creech), If I Stay (Gayle Forman) and Tender Morsels (Margo Lanagan). Justine Larbalestier's next book, LIAR, is coming out in August and it is AMAZING. I am also very fond of the graphic novel series Y: The Last Man (Brian K Vaughn), Scott Pilgrim (Bryan Lee O'Malley) and Buddha (Osamu Tezuka).


8. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?

My friends often call me Super Non-Tact Girl. So I suppose my superpower is Truth, although the one that I'd LIKE is that one Mary Poppins has where she clicks her fingers and things are clean. My costume will hopefully involve underwear on the outside and gold epaulettes.


9. Xena Warrior Princess or Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

Buffy?


10. Have you read Twilight? Did you enjoy it? Do you secretly believe your own books are better? (I know you do, don’t try to lie…)

Yes. Not really, although I thought the film was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. Hmm. I certainly LIKE my books better, but I'm a bit biased.


Thank you, Lili!

With special guest Penni Russon

Unfortunately for Laura, Dale Thomas was unavailable. I did, however, manage to get a hold of the fabulous author, blogger and prompt-email-replier (it's an admirable trait), Penni Russon. You might know her from her Eglantines Cake blog or as the author of the magical Undine trilogy. She has a fantastic section on her website of advice for young writers which is definitely worth checking out. Her next book, Little Bird, is due out this July.

1. Describe yourself in three words. (Don’t use ‘nice’, ‘pretty’ or ‘good’ because your Grade Six teacher will read this and be very disappointed.)

Pointy, clever, distractable

2. Who are your favourite authors and what are your favourite books? (You are not allowed to name yourself or your own books. Okay, you can if you really love yourself that much.)

So many the sky could break. So here's a random smattering: Unveiled by Mary Loudon (a collection of interviews with nuns), The Spare Room by Helen Garner, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Momo by Michael Ende, The Changeover by Margaret Mahy

3. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is…

glamorous, not.

4. Have you always wanted to be a writer or did you stumble off the path on your way to becoming a brain surgeon and somehow wind up writing for young people? How rocky was the road to publication for you?

I kind of did always want to be a writer, but I wanted to be other things too - including a clown, an actor, a nutritionist, an archaeologist and a curator. The closest I came to being something else was archaeologist, which I studied at university. But then I realised it was the stories I was interested in anyway. I worked as an editor for a while, but by then I knew I wanted to be a writer.

My path wasn't very rocky. I worked as a baby editor at Allen & Unwin, and became good friends with Eva (who was then editorial assistant). By the time I'd finished a novel she was a commissioning editor at Random House. So I had an 'in', I suppose. It was definitely a huge boost to my confidence to be able to put it straight into someone's hands instead of mailing it in anonymously and keeping my fingers crossed. My perfect happy ending was when Eva returned to Allen & Unwin and brought me back into the fold with her...I love all my peeps at Random House but Allen & Unwin is a home to me.

5. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, costume and power?

My secret identity would be Anwen Sha (that was my Neverwinter Nights name), curator of a large metropolitan museum. My supername would be Girl Awesome, and my power would be wicked fighting skills, no guns. My costume would be something along the lines of this:


Huge thanks to Penni for taking the time to fill out quirky questionnaire.

Cameo appearance by William Kostakis

After our fantastic Penni Russon interview, I bet you had no idea how I could improve further. But I did. And this time I'm targeting our teenage audience (I apologise for saying 'our' all the time. It's just me, sitting at my computer, occasionally eating bread) - with a cameo appearance by William Kostakis, the nineteen-year-old author of Loathing Lola. You can find his website here, or check out Loathing Lola's website. While Penni Russon's Undine series is poetic and magical, William Kostakis' Loathing Lola has an eerie accuracy to actual teenagers and their behaviour, with blunt humour. I did a review of this novel a few month back, and you can find it here.

Steph Bowe: If you could describe yourself in three words, which words would they be? (And I suggest not using words like ‘nice’, ‘pretty’ and ‘good’ because your Grade Six teacher will read this and be very disappointed).
William Kostakis: Nice, pretty, good.

SB: Describe Loathing Lola in one sentence. Don’t read it off the back cover.
WK: Funny, smart, silly and sweet, Loathing Lola is top of world in cool.

SB: How long did it take you to write Loathing Lola?
WK: Too long. Close to 10 years, but to be fair, it changed A LOT.

SB: If you rewrote it, or started over entirely, what would be different?
WK: Most, if not all of it. More Victoria Hammond. Definitely more Victoria Hammond, that woman is crazy batshit insane, and definitely deserved more word-time.

SB: Is there anything that you cringe at when you read it?
WK: Front page. Bio. "William Kostakis, a ninteen-year-old..." NINTEEN!? To be fair, it isn't my typo... It happened between the publisher and the printer...

SB: You’re writing a new book called Magnum Opus. Do you enjoy deceiving people, or is it really that good? (Don’t try to lie. We already know you like deceiving people).
WK: I love deceiving people. I get invited to schools by people who I trick into thinking I'm a reputable author - they get the shock of their lives when I turn up :-P. But Magnum Opus isn't about deceiving people, it's about poking fun at the "ZOMFG SECOND ONE MUST BE FIVE-TIMES MOAR AWESOME THAN TEH FIRST ONE, kthxbai" expectations of the industry (and any creative industry for that matter). But right now, that's all I'm saying about it... watch this space.

SB: Are you going to continue writing books for teenagers or will you branch out into other genres?
WK: See, here's the thing, I don't see myself as writing solely for teenagers. Yes, teenagers probably see more of themselves in Loathing Lola than adults would, but Loathing Lola's found a particularly strong (and unexpected) adult audience. Really, I see myself as writing good stories, for a wide audience. I don't *just* wanna write for one group of people. So, to answer the question, I'm going to continue writing good books. And hell, one day, I might even write great ones...

SB: How many times was Loathing Lola rejected? Is it worse than being dumped?
WK: 6 times, I think. And I wouldn't know, I'm always the one doing the dumping (urgh, that just sounds nasty...)

SB: Favourite author? (Other than yourself.)
WK: Terry Pratchett. The man is made of awesome.

SB: Favourite type of dessert?
WK: Microwaved chocolate cake and ice-cream.

SB: Favourite zombie movie?
WK: Sex and the City: The Movie.

SB: You’re aware of the fact that your author photo makes you look smug and self-righteous. Are you?
WK: I'm not successful enough to be smug quite yet :-P Give it time, I say...
(Edit: Author photo below is not the said smug photo).

SB: Xena Warrior Princess or Sabrina the Teenage Witch?
WK: Xena ftw.

SB: Advice for aspiring authors. Like myself. Not that I ask for advice.
WK: Keep writing, keep reading, and when someone tells you you're crap - listen to them. The odds are, they're right.

SB: One last question: do you have message for the people?
WK: Buy my book?


Thanks again to William. You can find his blog here.