Review: Digging Up Dad - And Other Hopeful (And Funny) Stories

12 Curly Questions with author Mike Lucas

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I am a very long-time member of the Curly Wurly Club. And I have a card to prove it.

2. What is your nickname?
I’ve never had one, but I’m open to suggestions of a complimentary nature.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Somebody setting fire to my vinyl collection.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
I make it up as I go along. That’s it. (I’m counting that’s as one word)

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Proud, persevering, supported, fortunate, improving.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Winnie-the-Pooh because everybody loves him and his world is so perfect.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Probably 1865 to prevent my great-great-great grandfather from blowing up his house and killing nine people. But then again, I may wipe out my own existence by interfering...

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Why didn’t you take writing more seriously from a younger age? You always knew you could do it.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
It has to be Stephen King. I’ve been reading his books since I was 11.

10. What/who made you start writing?
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, mixed with teenage angst.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Discombobulation. It’s a fabulous word that makes you feel exactly what it means.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Neverending Story (I’m being clever here!)

Originally from the UK, Mike moved to South Australia in 2010. He is the author of several picture books and his first YA novel, What We All Saw, was published this year with Penguin Australia. Mike also owns a bookshop in Adelaide and works full time as an engineer. For more information, see www.mikelucas.com.au.

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Guest Post: Morris Gleitzman on His Secret Friends and How They Inspire Him

We spoke to former Australian Children's Laureate, Morris Gleitzman to learn about inspiration, humour and his new book, Digging Up Dad.

Where did you get the ideas for the stories in Digging Up Dad?
They just sort of slowly came to me, thanks to a creative technique that has served me well over the years. The one where you make slow circular meditative movements with a sponge in a sink full of dirty dishes and let your mind wander.

While I was waiting for the burnt bits to soften, I found myself thinking about how everyone’s problems seem to be a bit bigger these days. And more complicated. And harder to fix. And when I say everyone, I'm including the planet that lets us park our cars on it.

I also found myself thinking how a lot of us grown-ups aren't feeling as confident as we used to about making things better. And how young people are probably noticing this. And perhaps wondering if they might be able to do a bit of making things better themselves. Not just in their own lives, but also in the lives of their families, pets, teachers, neighbours, local shopkeepers, members of parliament etc.

Which got me hoping I could meet a few kids like that in my imagination. And then, when they found they'd got a mate with a laptop and a big sink, they might feel hopeful enough themselves to have a crack at it. And along the way, even if they hadn't planned it, inspire us grown-ups to be our best selves too. In somewhere between three and seven thousand words with not too many adverbs.

The stories in Digging Up Dad have certainly made me feel more hopeful, which is why I put the word in the extra bit of the title. I also did it to remind young readers that if they come across a grown-up who’s not having a very hopeful day, sharing stories with them might just help.

How do you incorporate humour into serious subjects?
Stories are always about characters struggling with problems. So as their author you want to equip them with as many believable personal strengths and qualities as possible. Especially when the characters are young.

Empathy, bravery, optimism, resilience, creative thinking, the capacity for loyal and loving friendships, the ability to stay up much later than adults think they can - you can make your own list. If young characters can start out with at least some of these, the problem-solving journey helps them develop even more.

It's never easy for young characters - bombarded with new experiences, out of their depth, desperate sometimes - so they often use what they've got in unconventional and not always parentally-permitted ways. And this is where humour often comes in.

But, an important note. No matter how much humour there is on the page, every story is a serious story. Even if at first glance it doesn't seem like it. Even if you don't stop chuckling from start to finish. And that includes the stories in Digging Up Dad.

I would like to point out, though, that no swimming-pool swamp weed, flared stretch leotards, federal politicians, nervous speed bumps, giant sloths, lumps of toe fluff, rugby-playing wheelie bins, real estate agents' teeth, scary removalist trucks, very naughty year six dance and drama groups or bouncy bouncy settees were hurt in the writing of this book.

What inspired you to start writing?
My secret friends. As a young kid, like most young kids, I spent countless hours with secret friends in my imagination having unsupervised adventures. In year five, when we had to start writing stories, I realised I already had everything I needed. And I still do. Thanks, secret friends. Sorry about you not being so secret anymore. (Actually, they don't mind. I know they don't because their publicists tell me.)

How do you know what types of stories people want to read?
It's actually quite easy. Because there's only one type of story. Character, problem, laughter, tears, physical journey to try to solve or survive the problem, emotional journey so we can all share the experience. The rest is packaging. And while packaging can be fun, every teacher knows you can't keep a class transfixed and facing the front for an hour just with packaging.

If you could choose just one, what is the main message you'd want young readers to take away from Digging Up Dad?
Sorry to be unhelpful, but there aren't any messages in Digging Up Dad. Stories aren't allowed to have messages. It's illegal under the Federal Telecommunications Licencing Act. Stories are only allowed to have richly immersive visual and emotional components that remain inert until they enter the infinite realm of the reader's imagination and there come gloriously alive. Sorry.

Morris Gleitzman grew up in England and came to Australia when he was sixteen. After university he worked for ten years as a screenwriter. Then he had a wonderful experience. He wrote a novel for young people. Now, after 43 books, he’s one of Australia’s most popular authors. He was appointed the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2018–2019.

Reproduced with permission by Puffin Books. Keep an eye out for our KBR review of Digging Up Dad by Elizabeth Vercoe - coming this Wednesday!

 

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Review: Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination

Jørn Utzon is a child who sees the world through a very specific lens. Obsessed with building, creating and thinking outside the box, this is the story of how he harnesses both his own ideas and resilience in ways that don’t always make sense to others.

He even collected ideas from his orange peels at breakfast!

It’s also the story of how ultimately, he enters and wins a competition to design and build our iconic Sydney Opera House.

A quote from the adult Jørn Utzon opens the story, and it applies equally to his unique Opera House design and to the warmth and inspiration of this picture book:

The architect’s gift to society is to bring joy to the people from the surroundings they create. 

John Utzon's, Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination is written with the wonderful lilting cadence of repeated phrasing, alongside the anticipation of ‘expected’ surprises through language. Writer Coral Vass easily - and cleverly - takes us from Jørn's youth to adulthood with an elegant economy of words, deftly explaining all the while how his creativity is nurtured and grown.

We see so many ways in which young Jørn could potentially be thwarted and give up, but he obviously is not and does not (in the long term, at least!). Other people’s opinions of his work aren’t always kind, but it seems that Jørn is able to believe in himself and his dreams enough to follow through on his ideas, regardless of what others think – which is perhaps a life lesson for us all.

Nicky Johnston’s pencil illustrations are gorgeous as ever, divinely expressive and perfect for this work. The cover gives us a clear indication of what’s inside, with its hand-drawn lettering and young Jørn happily clutching compass, pencil and ruler. The front endpapers with their torn pictures depict orange peels, shapes, buildings, flowers, shells, and patterns that eventually all contribute to the design of the building that we know and love. My very favourite illustration is of the fist-pumping Jørn when he finally creates his masterpiece. It’s pure joy.

The back endpapers contain a beautifully rendered pencil timeline of Utzon’s life, which offers useful information for school projects and research. And of course, to provide the impetus to look further into this interesting and colourful life.

A wonderful true story. Highly recommended.

Title: Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination
Author: Coral Vass
Illustrator: Nicky Johnston
Publisher: EK, $24.99
Publication Date: October 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922539144
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Anna Walker

Name: Anna Walker

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Quiet, whimsical, hopeful.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Daylight, small wooden owl, coffee and my paints. :)

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
At the moment I am enjoying exploring mono printing! The process brings surprising textures and marks.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Japanese label Minä Perhonen: founded over 20 years ago by the designer Akira Minagawa. A producer of clothing and textiles which are so beautiful in their design, colour and imagery.

Hayao Miyazaki : a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, manga artist - the director of Totoro.

Tove Jansson: author, novelist, painter. Creator of one of my favourite books Comet in Moominland.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I would like to visit the Victorian era and see the dollhouses made for children during that time complete with wallpaper and miniature light furnishings! Growing up, I had a special doll’s house made for me by my grandfather. I used to make couches from match boxes and cover them with fine floral corduroy. Doll houses hold a special place in my heart.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

Fairy tales. I was enchanted by the tiny creatures that lived in the pages of the books I looked at as a child. When I was around four years old, I remember thinking this is what I want to do when I grow up.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
I am lucky to be in a beautiful studio space shared with friends. While we work we can often hear musicians practising or in summer we can hear the sheep at Collingwood Children’s Farm.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Mixing a palette of colours and painting.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Draw, paint, visit exhibitions, try new things, be brave. Persist. Know that you will doubt yourself - listen, but keep going!

Anna Walker is an award-winning illustrator and author of many picture books for children published around the world. Her books include Florette, which was a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book. Anna creates illustrations with watercolour, pencil, and collage. Her stories are inspired by the quiet and sometimes joyful details of life. She lives and works in Melbourne.

For more information, please visit Anna's website or follow her on instagram.

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Review: Rodney Forgets It

Review: Neverlanders

Graphic novel fans… have I got some gold for you!

If you love graphic novels, Neverlanders is an absolute MUST-read. From award-winning author/BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Tom Taylor and comic artist Jon Sommariva, Neverlanders is the bee’s knees when it comes to new graphic novels on the kidlit scene.

It tells the story of street kid Bee (previous pun intended!). Bee and her friends (also living on the streets) are navigating a cruel world, where food is scarce and adults can't be trusted. They stick together. They look after each other, and when they meet Paco, they invite him to share what little they have.

But Paco has a secret. He's not from this world. And he desperately needs their help.

Paco is from Neverland, but it’s not the Neverland you might be familiar with. In this Neverland, the pirates are on the verge of destroying everything. The fairies, mermaids and Paco are doing their best to protect it, but they are losing the fight. Peter Pan is gone, and things appear hopeless. Until Bee and her friends step in to help.

Wow, this is a roller-coaster read. There are so many twists in this book. Amazing, show-stopping twists that will have your jaw dropping. It’s immersive, engaging and addictive. It is non-stop action all the way through, but cleverly layered with character development throughout, so you really do become one with Bee and her group. You’ll want to join them. You’ll want to be them.

Sommariva’s illustrations are superb. They are beyond frame-worthy. They are works of art. And from a kid’s perspective, they are bright, colourful and action-packed.

There is some violence in this novel — some guns, a bit of blood and some epic battle scenes — but no more than a PG movie. It’s definitely a book kids are going to WANT to read, and it’s a great one for reluctant readers with full-colour illustrations filling every page in graphic-novel style.

If you love graphic novels (no matter your age), I highly recommend taking a look at Neverlanders. And if you’re trying to get a reluctant reader to open a book, this one just might be the ticket!

Title: Neverlanders
Author: Tom Taylor
Illustrator: Jon Sommariva
Publisher: Penguin, $22.99
Publication Date: 20 September 2022
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761049071
For ages: 7+
Type: Graphic novel

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Review: Nothing More To Tell

Guest Post: Shaye Wardrop on The Magic Of Anthologies

Anthology is a big and kind of intimidating word, but if you swap it out for “a collection of stories”, it doesn’t seem so scary. And that’s really all they are — collections of stories or poems (or even art and songs).

Anthologies come in lots of different forms, and this is part of their magic. They might be themed, have one or multiple authors/creators, have stories that are linked and/or connected, have short stories, short-short stories, poetry or a mix of them all.

But no matter what form they come in, each one delivers a magical journey. And these journeys deliver several benefits for readers — particularly kids:

1. If the thought of reading a whole novel is kind of terrifying, an anthology can be your best friend. As a collection of many stories, they allow you to dip in and out and tackle shorter pieces, one at a time.
2. Want to try out some new authors, but don’t want to commit to a whole novel? With an anthology that features multiple authors, you’ll be able to sample new creators and see which ones you like best.
3. Themed anthologies allow readers to explore that theme from different perspectives. This is a great experience for curious minds and it’s also beneficial for classroom study. No two viewpoints are the same, and when you get lots of different creators to write or draw about the same topic, the results are always an adventure.
4. Anthologies provide bite-sized reading experiences. This is great for bedtime, travel or if you’re just in the mood for a quick story.
5. Anthologies can help you discover different forms of writing you never knew you loved! Some of the most powerful stories I have ever read were 50 words or less. Until reading them, I didn’t even know a story could be so short or that this form of storytelling has a really cool name — flash fiction!

Today, there are SO many great anthologies being published, and so many written specifically for kids. Some of my recent favourites include 10 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath, Brain Freeze by Oliver Phommavanh and Laugh Your Head Off 4 Ever by NINE awesome and hilarious authors.

An anthology is like a magical door to a world of story. If you’ve not explored one before, I highly recommend you give it a try.

 

Shaye Wardrop writes for kids who love the fantastical. We’re talking cool creatures, fantasylands, superpowers and everything in between. Her short story Dragon Sized features in It’s a Kind of Magic: Stories and Spells for Second-rate Sorcerers, a magical anthology published by Michelle Worthington and Share your Story, raising funds for Children’s Rights Queensland.

Keen to know more? Shaye journeys the Internet on Facebook, Instagram and shayewardrop.com.

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Guest Post: Chloe Hooper on What To Read To Your Children When Explaining Loss and Grief

Last month I fare-welled a dear friend as she left our world in the form we'd always loved her in to become another. The loss was felt all the more keenly for the fact that she was a youngish mum leaving two beautiful children behind. This is not the first time such a loss has occurred and in all likelihood, it won't be the last. Such is life. Before she died, I sent her and the children a copy of my picture book, The Fix-It Man hoping it will provide some degree of soothing and comfort, understanding and peace in their days to come. 

I'm a fervent believer in the power of storytelling to address and normalise the more weighty and onerous moments in life. So too is Chloe Hooper, bestselling author of, Bedtime Stories. What follows is a collection of picture books she curated and reviewed with her young sons. There are some absolute gems here. Feel free to add , The Fix-It Man, if you wish. Ed.

When Chloe's partner is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive illness, she has to find a way to tell their two young sons. By instinct, she turns to the bookshelf. Can the news be broken as a bedtime tale? Is there a perfect book to prepare children for loss?

Hooper embarks on a quest to find what practical lessons children’s literature—with its innocent orphans and evil adults, magic, monsters and anthropomorphic animals—can teach about grief and resilience in real life. From the Brothers Grimm to Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tolkien and Dahl—all of whom suffered childhood bereavements—she follows the breadcrumbs of the world’s favourite authors, searching for the deep wisdom in their books and lives.

Chloe: Reading books on illness and bereavement to my children? The thought filled me with heart-knotting dread. Why would I do it to them or me? Well, one reason is that children are natural philosophers who are intrigued by life’s biggest mystery, death. The right book on this subject can be informative and comforting—light is cast into the shadows. I’d now encourage adults to add this topic into children’s literary diet early, to not wait until your family is forced to confront this conversation in extremis. Giving children a framework to think about death, provides them ballast when the inevitable hard time comes.

Recently I asked my seven- and ten-year-old sons to help me review a selection of picture books concerning loss and grief. These books sparked conversations that were thoughtful, pragmatic, candid and enlightening. The following is our joint review.

Cry Heart, but Never Break - Glenn Ringtved
A black cloaked figure visits a house of children the night their grandmother is to die. The children try to distract the uninvited guest who finally tells them a story explaining, 'Who would yearn for day if there was no night?' In our house, this book was a big hit. The visitor is revealed to not be so frightening. The idea of grief and sorrow being a counterweight to joy and delight made intuitive sense.

The Memory Tree - Britta Teckentrup
Animals in a forest hold a memorial for their beloved friend, a fox. As they share their recollections, a beautiful tree grows to give them shelter. 'I absolutely loved this' said the older co-reviewer, 'especially the way emptying out their sorrows made them lighter.'

Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between - Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen.
Both younger reviewers thought this was fantastic. 'Most of the other books were a story about death, but this was unique in that it explained death,' said my ten--year-old.

The Invisible String - Patrice Karst
'Ten out of ten,' says the seven-year-old. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this bestseller, but I’ve noticed the comfort to be had in imagining a magic thread connecting us to those we love best: 'The idea of the string makes me happy.'

The Boy and the Gorilla
After a boy’s mother dies, he is followed by a gorilla. Both reviewers loved the stunning watercolour illustrations and the idea of a child’s grief morphing into a spirit animal that gives protection. They also liked thinking of 'where you might go' after death.

I’ll Say Goodbye - Pam Zollman
A boy stays with his terminally ill uncle by the sea, offering a metaphor about a person outgrowing their body as a crab outgrows their shell. The book lead us to an interesting conversation.

What Happens Next? - Sinsuke Yoshitake
We all loved this quirky, original book. After his grandfather’s death, a boy finds his grandfather’s notebook containing often hilarious ideas on an afterlife: 'it makes death seem like a holiday in a luxury resort,' said one child. The boy decides to write his own book on how to best live. Highly recommend.

If All the World Were… - Joseph Coelho
A granddaughter recalls all the ways her grandfather has made her life richer. We all loved Allison Colpoy’s illustrations, and the message that our loved ones live on in our memories.

Death, Duck, and the Tulip - Wolf Erlbruch
A duck has the feeling of being followed. Looking over its shoulder, it spies a skeletal character: 'Good,' said Death, 'you finally noticed me.'I think this is a solid 9 out of 10, but have to admit the kids only gave it 6.5.

Michael Rosen’s SAD Book - Michael Rosen
Written after the death of his son, Rosen gives incredibly eloquent expression to the experience of grief, 'a cloud that comes along and covers me up.' This is complemented by the stormy palette of Quentin Blake’s beautiful illustrations. Again, this is a book that older readers might appreciate – let’s not pretend children’s books are only for children!

Leaf Litter: Exploring the Mysteries of a Hidden World - Rachel Tonkin
I can’t not mention this stunning book, which chronicles a year of change in a forest’s undergrowth. ('Leaves teach us how to die,'wrote Thoreau.) A blue-tongue lizard decays, and we see in cross-section the carcass breaking down, its nutrients moving through the soil.

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney - Judith Viorst
In this classic from 1971, a family holds a burial for their cat and a child is asked to recall the ten best things about the pet, the tenth thing being the cat fertilising the earth.

Let’s Talk About When Someone Dies - Molly Potter
This is an excellent practical guide to helping kids understand the mechanics of death, the mixed emotions of bereavement and our different cultural beliefs regarding an afterlife. 'Basically an encyclopedia of death,' one co-reviewer suggests.

Read Elizabeth Vercoe's exclusive KBR review of Chloe's Bedtime Story. 

Here is Tania McCartney's KBR review of, The Fix-It Man.

For more picture books that teach children about grief, happiness and love, read another KBR Guest Post by Laura Reid. 

Chloe Hooper's most recent book is the bestselling The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire. The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island won the Victorian, New South Wales, West Australian and Queensland Premiers’ Literary Awards, as well as the John Button Prize for Political Writing, and a Ned Kelly Award for crime writing. She is also the author of two acclaimed novels, A Child’s Book of True Crime and The Engagement. She lives in Melbourne with her partner and her two sons.

Both memoir and manual, Bedtime Story is stunningly illustrated by the New York Times award-winning Anna Walker. In an age of worldwide uncertainty, here is a profound and moving exploration of the dark and light of storytelling.

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Review: The Bewilderbeast

Review: Our Dreaming

Goodjagah, little one, walk with me ... I want to tell you our Dreaming as the Elders told it to me. Award-winning storytellers, Gunai woman Kirli Saunders and Bigambul man Dub Leffler, explore a deep love and respect for Country and all her spirits ... past, present and beyond.

This is a truly beautiful book which was warmly embraced by the Year 3 class with whom I shared it. We all loved the text - which has the effect of being both soothing and gentle -and the children loved guessing the meaning of the words in language used throughout.

Kirli's lyrical and poetic words are so superbly matched by Dub's visually eloquent illustrations. We were all entranced with our close examination of them, and the chosen palette of subdued colours not only evokes the colours of the bush, but further added to the sense of calm our reading conjured up.

Mother and puggle echidna wander through the pages as the narrator explains the meaning, depth and wisdom of the chosen Dreaming. Many will think that there is only one Dreaming in First Nations culture, without realising that for each nation or language group there will be both similarities and differences across the traditional stories. 

One thing in common however is the paramount importance of the love and respect for Country. This is a concept which all Australians should take on board and, indeed, more and more non-Indigenous citizens are beginning to deepen their connection with the land.

It is without doubt one of the most emotive picture books I've seen this year and, certainly, one that is valuable for our sharing of cross-cultural perspectives. I highly recommend it to you for your readers from as early to Prep right up to upper primary, where it will do much to promote understanding and respect.

Title: Our Dreaming
Author: Kirli Saunders 

Illustrated by: Dub Leffler

Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $24.99
Date of Publication: August 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742995113
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Wonderful Wasps

Explore the world of wasps, with Wonderful Wasps from Katrina Germein and Suzanne Houghton.

This brilliant non-fiction picture book takes flight with a range of Australian wasps, including introduced species like the European wasp and a variety of native wasps, like spider and paper wasps.

Learn about their size and appearance, their role as sky pollinators and their connections to other Australian animals.

This is a great non-fiction book for junior readers. The information is delivered through rhyming story, and each page is filled to the brim with stunning and detailed illustrations to help guide understanding. Then, at the back of the book, go deep and explore the detailed facts about all the wasp species mentioned in the book. There’s also a glossary at the end to help with definitions.

I love how accessible this book is. It can be read both to kids and by kids, making it a great one for school libraries. I also love the focus on native animals and plants, shining an important light on the beauty and importance of our native insects.

This book is truly wonderful!  

Teachers notes are available from the publisher’s website. 

Title: Wonderful Wasps
Author: Katrina Germein
Illustrator: Suzanne Houghton
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, $24.99
Publication Date: November 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781486315734
For ages: 3 - 8
Type: Picture Book, Junior Non-Fiction

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12 Curly Questions with author Lynette Noni

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I fell off my horse when I was 16 and broke a bone in my neck. It’s actually a funny(?) story since I hurt my knee bad enough to need an x-ray, but since my neck was stiff as well, they checked that, only to find it was where the worst damage was, not my knee!

2. What is your nickname?
When I was studying at uni, one of my housemates affectionately called me 'splinter-butt' because I was so bad at making decisions that it was as if I was always sitting on the fence. Thankfully, that nickname didn’t get used by anyone else, haha. To my friends and family, I’m just Lyn — nice and simple!

3. What is your greatest fear?
After way too many traumatic encounters, I have a deep terror of huntsman spiders. I’m okay(ish) with smaller spiders, but those beasties haunt my nightmares. *Shudders*

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
I write, first and foremost, what I want to read.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Creative, thoughtful, ambitious, heartfelt, passionate.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Oh wow, that’s a tough one. Is there a character that can jump in and out of other books? Or, ooooh, actually, maybe I’d choose to be like Mo from Inkheart because he can bring things out of books just by reading aloud — but I’d want that ability without the curse of having to lose something (or someone) into the book every time it happens! Eeek!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Somewhere in the future! I’d love to see how much things have changed in, say, 100 years. Alternatively, I’d love to go back and find out what happened to the Lost City of Atlantis!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Probably some random horse fact — I was obsessed with horses when I was 10, and my entire life revolved around them. My early love of reading even came from my obsession, since I would read anything and everything that had a horse on the cover!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
A lot of people have influenced and inspired me over the course of my life, so this is a difficult one for me to answer. But the first person who comes to mind is my mum, who raised me to believe I could become anything I wanted to be, and gave me her love of creativity in all its various forms.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I started writing in the post-Twilight era, when the YA market began to really gain some traction. There were so many books being released to meet the demand, and all the ones I read had different elements that I loved, but I wanted all those elements combined in one book. So I decided to try and write the book I wanted to read — and Akarnae was a result of that.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
It changes every day, but today, it’s 'effervescent'. Tomorrow it might be 'verisimilitude' or 'serendipity' or 'bubbles'. 'Kerfuffle' is always a good one, too, as is 'mellifluous'… and many, many others! I just love words! *Heart eyes*

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Nooooo, you can’t ask me this! Purely because I absolutely cannot answer! I have this motto: “Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.” So similarly, there’s no way I could read just one book for the rest of my life! (*Gasp* The horror!)

Australian author Lynette Noni studied journalism, academic writing, and human behaviour at university before venturing into the world of fiction. She is now a full-time writer and the #1 bestselling and award-winning author of The Medoran Chronicles, the Whisper duology, The Prison Healer and The Gilded Cage. For more information, see www.lynettenoni.com.

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Review: Back On Country