Sue Lawson - Author Interview Series

Sue Lawson has been a teacher, radio announcer and producer, an attendant at the MCG, swimming teacher, shop assistant, nightclub DJ and babysitter. She now spends most of her time doing what she’s passionate about – writing, reading and being with young people.

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

My grandmother was an English teacher and my dad an avid reader, so I don’t remember ever being without books. Stories were my escape and education. I can remember weekly visits to the local library with my mum, brothers and sister where I’d borrow as many books as I was allowed. Some of the books I remember vividly from my childhood include:

Sun On The Stubble - Colin Thiele

Hill’s End - Ivan Southall

Preep - Milton Shulman

A Wrinkle In Time - Madeleine L’Engle

The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

Farewell to Shady Glade - Bill Peet

Displaced Person - Lee Harding.

I also read books by Patricia Wrightson, Enid Blyton, Carolyne Keene... I’ll stop now or I’ll just keep going!

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

Gosh it took a long, long time for me to realise I was a ‘real’ writer – probably not until after my fifth book was published. I am still very much learning the craft and feel like a bit of a fraud saying I’m a writer, but if I’m asked, I do say I’m an author. I hope readers come away from my books with a sense of hope and a stronger sense of empathy for others. I hope readers will be moved in some way – either to laugh, cry or be angry – and that they will have felt for my characters.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

I do read for pleasure, but since I’ve been writing, I find myself stopping to admire a sentence, to ponder a twist, how a story is constructed or simply to marvel at a writer’s skill. I’m more appreciative of what goes on to create a book these days, and so probably approach reading with a little more reverence.

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

Generally my reading life and writing life are separate. I write middle to young adult fiction, but read whatever appeals to me – adult, junior, middle, YA fiction, non fiction, magazines, and newspapers. Books influence me in that I may find a technique I would like to try, or they may show me a different way to approach a story. Newspapers, magazines and non fiction books can be a source of ideas – an image, idea or question may buzz around my brain like a mozzie, weeks after I’ve read about it. I know that deserves attention.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way.

There are so many! I’ve picked out five that impacted directly on my work, either in terms of inspiring me to write or to challenge the way I write. They aren’t in any particular order.

The World According to Garp - John Irving. When I finished that, I sat at my Olivetti portable typewriter and wrote pages of a story.

Tim Winton's Dirt Music. He paints such vivid images with such an economy of words.

Jodi Piccoult’s Song of the Humpback Whale. It is written from two points of view – the mother’s and the daughter’s, but one starts at the beginning and the other the end, with the threads crossing over in the middle. Wow!

So Much to Tell You – John Marsden. The first YA novel I read as an adult.

The Outsiders – SE Hinton. I’d hate to think how many times I read that book when I was a teenager. I loved those characters with a passion!

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

One book? That would be too cruel. Hmmm. Probably The Lord of the Rings (yes it’s a trilogy, but I’m counting it as one!) or To Kill A Mocking Bird.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

Great, believable characters, a strong voice and an original idea.

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

I rarely put a book down without finishing it – but I will if the characters don’t grab me. If I don’t care about them, I find it hard to connect to the story. Having said that, I didn’t like the characters in The Slap much but finished the book and the story has stayed with me long after I completed it.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

Again with the one? So hard! ;) Tim Winton (and Robert Drewe.) I love their style, voice, imagery and …everything!

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

No classics? Are you kidding? Boy that’s tough. Okay, here goes.

Dirt Music – Tim Winton

Black Water – David Metzenthen

The Shark Net – Robert Drewe

Our Sunshine – Robert Drewe

The World According to Garp – John Irving

The Sound Of One Hand Clapping – Richard Flannigan

Atonement – Ian McEwan

The Bone People - Keri Hulme

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy

The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver

The True History of The Kelly Gang – Peter Carey

Ooops – that’s 11! I know the moment I walk away from the computer the list will change… My favourites are very much a fluid thing.

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

Another toughie that I can’t keep to one…

Six by Karen Tayleur. Six is complex, yet simple, clever and confronting. Look, just read it!

The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins. What a brilliant idea and terrific characters. Loved the first two books, but not as keen on the third. Sinister, frightening and thrilling.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I’m a dinosaur and love books. I would hate to think there would ever be a world without them. To quote Jerry Seinfeld – ‘A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking ’

As I write this, The Little Bookroom has just opened its new branch in Degreaves St Melbourne yet the Borders and Angus and Robertson chains have gone into voluntary receivership. How’s that for a strange pairing of events? I think it shows that books have a place but the way we buy them is changing.

As for eBooks – I have nothing against them or their growth, but I prefer to hold a book. I find my eyes tire of reading the screen, so I can read a book for longer.

Do I think the new technology will encourage people to read? Yes I do. Kids are so computer wired now, I can see them preferring it, but I can’t see the total demise of the book either. A picture book on the screen just wouldn’t be the same.

Sue runs fun, positive, fast-paced workshops for students, teachers and adults. Her books include the re-released 'Diva' series and young adult novels, Dare You, After, Finding Darcy and the award winning, Allie McGregor’s True Colours.

Find out more about Sue at www.suelawson.com.au

John Marsden - Author Interview Series

John Marsden has 40 published books to his name, mostly novels for teenagers, but also novels for children, picture books, and a few non-fiction works. He has sold about 5 million books worldwide, and in 2010 his novel Tomorrow When the War Began was made into a movie starring Caitlin Stasey.

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I was an Enid Blyton fan through and through! But I also enjoyed the Tasmanian writer Nan Chauncy, and the British writer Geoffrey Trease. I don't remember when I started reading, but by grade one I was a total addict!

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

My friend and I started a class newspaper in grade 4, and I loved writing articles and poems for it. That's when I first formed the intention to become an author. Most of all I want my readers to experience the lives of others, to go into different worlds, and to gain in empathy and experience as a result.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

No, generally I get very caught up in whatever I'm reading, and enjoy the experience thoroughly. But when I do come to a book that has more than a few clumsy sentences, trite images, or stale language, then yes, I do become very critical!

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

I happily accept the fact that everything I read, and for that matter everything I see and experience, may work its way into my writing. I can recognise the influence of other writers in passages in my own books. I don't have a problem with that – it's part of the creative process.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way.

From Graham Greene I learned that characters should be complex, contradictory and hypocritical. Neville Shute was a great example for me of the power of storytelling. Paul Zindel introduced me to the new genre of fiction for teenagers (round about 1980). Hammond Innes and Alistair Maclean taught me a lot about tension and suspense. And Joan Phipson and Nan Chauncy showed me that people who live in the Australian bush or on Australian farms can be delightfully interesting subjects for a writer.

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

Probably Impro by Keith Johnstone, because every time I read it I get a new insight into human behaviour, including my own.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

Characters whose lives are so engrossing that I cannot bear to go on with my life until I find out what has become of them.

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

Self-indulgent writing, characters who are essentially boring but the writer thinks they are absolutely fascinating (no doubt because they are based on his and her friends!), Vampire novels, clumsy sentences.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

Not one favourite, but one I admire is the Australian author Scot Gardner, who writes for teenagers, but is sadly underrated. His books are fresh and lively, vivid and engaging. He writes about stuff that matters, important stuff, but in a way that is always accessible.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, because it's such a great manual on how to live a good life.

The Human Comedy by William Saroyan, because the characters are so beautiful and Saroyan's musings on life and death so profound.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, because her observations of humanity are so acute and her characterisation so engaging.

My Childhood by Maxim Gorky, the greatest autobiography I have ever read – such a vivid and compelling description of a child's life (in prerevolutionary Russia).

Impro by Keith Johnstone – see earlier!

Tiger in the Bush by Nan Chauncy, because it's a warm and lovely book about people we often overlook – Australian "peasant" farmers.

Dibs by Virginia Axline, a book that makes me weep every time I read it, with its deeply moving account of the transition of a young boy from severe emotional illness to emotional health.

The Drama of the Gifted Child (also known as The Drama of Being a Child) by Alice Miller, a book of ineffable wisdom by a Swiss psychotherapist.

The Diary of a Nobody by George Grosssmith, an incredibly funny fictitious Victorian diary of a man who has no sense of humour.

1788 by Watkin Tench, the diary of a marine officer who accompanied the First Fleet to Australia, and wrote about the new colony with intelligence, humour and an enlightened mind.

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

My Experiment with the Truth by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's autobiography, which is stunning in its modesty but also in its obsessive commitment to virtue and integrity.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

It's all fine by me!

Find out more about John at http://www.johnmarsden.com.au/home.html

Kerry Greenwood - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - Interview

"Have you met Phryne Fisher?" It seems we will and very soon. Fans of Kerry Greenwood and particularly fans of her enchanting protagonist the Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher will no doubt be as excited as I was to learn that next year the ABC will be airing a 13 part series based on these popular novels.

I had a chat with Kerry about it...

Will you be involved in any way during the production of the series?

YES! I saw all the auditions and I entirely agree with their choice of Essie [Davis]. She reminds me of a young Diana Rigg. Her voice and her self assurance are perfect.

Where did the idea for the character of Phryne Fisher originate?

She walked into my life in a tram on Brunswick Street Melbourne just after I had got a 2 book contract. A perfect 1928 woman. It's as though I met her. By the time i got off the tram we were friends.

You seem happy with the casting of Essie Davis as Phryne. Do you know who makes up the rest of the cast? I would love to know who will play Dot and Cec and Bert.

Hey, me too, but I dont know about Dot, Bert or Cec.

When you wrote Cocaine Blues did you ever envision Phryne jumping from page to screen? How do you feel about it now that it¹s going to happen?

I held out firmly against a film because of the V I Warsharski film, which had such a bad effect on the author (she [Sara Paretsky] gave up writing V I) I dont want that to happen to me, film has power and creation comes from the imagination. I cant afford to let mine become contaminated. I always thought they would make good TV movies but I wouldnt sign until I got someone I trusted.

Was there a reason behind you choosing 1920s Melbourne as the backdrop for the series? How important is research to your writing? What is the most important thing to 'get right' when writing historic fiction?

I have to get everything right, or as right as I can. Luckily there is a lot of research material available, esp newspapers. Police reports. Maps. I adore doing research and from the research springs the book, I cant do one without the other. Phryne arises like Aphrodite from the ocean of fact. I have abandoned plots and ideas because I could not find out enough about them to convince me. If it doesnt convince me, it isnt going to convince anyone else. It's 1928 because I researched a Legal History thesis on the 1928 waterfront strike (my dad was a wharfie) and I knew a lot about that year.

The murder-mystery television series genre is popular in the UK, why do you think it's taken so long for an Australian producer to decide to bring a character like Phryne to the screen?

Historical stuff costs 30% more a day to make - that might be it. I know that funding has to be gathered from a lot of sources. And the English have rejected the Phryne novels for some reason. Whereas the US really likes them. No accountiing for tastes...

Is there any chance of a second season if the first series is a hit?

That's what they say. I'd better write more books. Actually I have this idea and am researching the Unemployed Womens' Movement, the brothel scene in Melbourne, and the Abbotsford Convent at present. No idea how or why, but it's worked nineteen times already so I trust the process.

Are you currently writing a new Phryne Fisher mystery?

I usually am... She's now in high summer 1929 and the economic situation is starting to look grim.

Do you know which of your stories will be brought to the screen next year? Do you have a personal favourite that you are looking forward to seeing brought to life?

All the ones which are set entirely in Melbourne, so not Castlemaine Murders, which is sort of my favourite. Actually I like all of them. Another favourite is probably - er.... well, I dont know. Raisins and Almonds, perhaps. It is solved in the last line of the book. A surpise to me, too.

If there was one thing you would want the producers to get right with the adaptation from page to screen what would it be and why?

The relations between Bert and Cec, and between Phryne and Dot. They are key. But they have the right Phryne, she's perfect, she even LOOKS like Phryne but more importantly she sounds like Phryne and she moves like Phryne. She'll manage it. And the scripts I have seen have been excellent. They are letting me check for dialect mistakes and historical errors, and I am very grateful. One Okay would drive me right up the wall...

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries has its own facebook page here.
Find out more about the delightful Phryne Fisher here.
I interview Kerry about her reading habits here.

Joanne Fedler - Author Interview Series

Photo by Richard Weinstein

Joanne Fedler is the author of The Dreamcloth (2005 Jacana Media), Secret Mothers’ Business (2006), Things Without A Name (2008) and When Hungry, Eat (2010 Allen & Unwin)

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

I was a die-hard Enid Blyton fan – I wanted to be one of the Five and to live in the Faraway Tree. Re-reading Blyton now with my son, I’m struck by how old fashioned it is. But in my childhood memory, it was magical.

When did you first realise you were a writer?

I’ve been in love with words all my life – I became my hard-of-hearing sister’s translator from when I was 9 months old and saw how she had to struggle for language. I wrote my first story when I was six, called Goodbye Kitchen and kept writing my own stories. My dad introduced me to Dylan Thomas when I was in my teens and that’s when it happened – like seeing a sculpture or hearing music that takes you beyond function and deep into beauty. And I knew then I wanted to do that with language. Then when I was in year 11 I had an extraordinary English teacher – Joan Orkin - who adored my writing and once gave me 100% for an essay. She made me believe I could be a writer. But funny thing the ego is, I only called myself a writer when my first book was published.

What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

I want people to say NO when someone asks if they can borrow my books – because they’re nervous they won’t get them back. I want my books to feel like a friend to my readers. I hope my books make people both laugh and cry and help them feel less alone.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

It depends what I am reading and why. I can read for pleasure if the book has nothing to do with what I’m writing, but I always learn from reading – I learn about good writing, bad writing, plot, character – and I can see the craft as I read, but I am able to switch off if I’m just reading to relax.

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

I tend to seek out the kind of writing that supports my own writing. I go for really beautifully written books (plot doesn’t matter that much to me) - so I love Arlington Park by Rachel Cusk, for example. I re-read certain kinds of books that have the same ‘tone’ or style that I am aiming for in the book I am writing. So while I wrote Secret Mothers’ Business, I was reading We Need to Talk About Kevin, and while I wrote Things Without A Name, I re-read Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way.

Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood
Toni Morrison, Beloved
Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones
Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Michael Leunig, The Lot

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

A book of poetry – probably something by Mary Oliver - because you never get sick of poetry.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

Beautiful prose. Each sentence a sculpture. Something I want to savour and not rush through. Finely drawn characters with subtle tensions.

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

Too wordy, overwritten or emotionally facile - I’m an impatient reader. If I read a book that seems sloppily thought through or badly written, I discard it after a few pages. Maybe even after a few paragraphs.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

No favourite authors, only favourite books – all the authors I love have written some ordinary stuff. But I will always read anything certain people write – like Franzen, Leunig, Amy Tan, Toni Morrison, Steve Toltz, Debra Adelaide…

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (how many people can can pull off a story about a 14 year old girl being raped and murdered and make it uplifting?… astonishing writing, extraordinarily conceived)
We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver (sharply observed, fascinating characters)
Beloved and Sula, Toni Morrison (writing you want to sink into, and re-read and re-read and re-read)
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (deeply observed, finely attuned to the subtleties of human interaction)
The 100 Secret Senses, Amy Tan (mystical, beautiful writing about a relationship between sisters that crosses lifetimes)
Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne (some of the finest characterization and dialogue you’ll ever read)
A Fraction of the Whole, Steve Toltz (sustained characterization of un-cliched characters, and bright, fresh, funny writing)
Anything by Dr Suess (everything I know about the lyricism of language I have learned from Dr Seuss)
Essays in Love, Alain De Botton (maybe just because I agreed with it all… but also sharply written, clear edited prose)

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

2010 was a fictionless year for me. I read heaps of books on spirituality (my favourite being Caroline Myss’s Entering the Castle) and relationships (the brilliant Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel about how to keep passion alive in a long-term relationship).

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

No idea how this will play out – technology will certainly influence how we read, but I don’t know if it will make more readers out of us. For me, reading is about what happens between a reader and a page, that grainy feel of turning the page, the dog-earing of pages you want to come back to, the writing of notes in margins. I will never be one of those readers of e-Books, but I see the value of them especially for travel. If there is no future for print books it will be a sad commentary of the people we’ve become – de-sensualized, over-technologized, virtual readers. But maybe it’s the greener, kinder option for our planet.

Joanne's books have sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. She is currently working on a sequel to Secret Mothers’ Business and is offering a two-day writing workshop in September - details here.

Find out more about Joanne at www.joannefedler.com or visit her blog at http://whenhungryeat.blogspot.com