Where do you live?
In the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
How did you get started as a writer?
I entered every competition that I could, sent articles and short stories to magazines and newspapers, then approached book publishers with my short stories. Also lots of hard work. Occasional panic. Pots of green tea.
Why do you write books?
I love books, reading and writing them. It's fun and I pretend to be the characters in my stories - it's like acting on paper. I hope my readers will be moved to laugh, think and sometimes cry.
What awards have you won?
Click here to read the list (pdf 22kb)
What inspires you?
You, the reader. And all of the readers out there. When someone has a reaction to my story, I love it. Although I wasn't too sure about the time a young fan asked for his book to be autographed, then turned to his friend and said loudly, 'This will be worth a lot of money when she dies.'
What was your first book?
I wrote a book about a girl lost in the jungle, waiting to be saved by a handsome hunk (as you do when you're stuck in quicksand!). I was nine years-old and sitting up a tree in my Nan's back garden. That story was never published. But I loved it. My first published book was Outer Face, a collection of short stories that came out in 1992. And in case you're wondering, I didn't write it up a tree.
Where has your writing been published?
Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Russia, United States, Sweden, France, Korea, Italy, Canada, Thailand, Brazil and soon, Japan.
Did you have any special friends when you were little?
My imaginary friend, Jennifer Hobarr, and my Nanna Mavis. Nan made me plaits from darning wool when I pretended to be a princess and 'adopted' me when I imagined being an orphan. And she had a fantastic garden full of trees and bushes to play in and climb on (and write books in).
Where do you get your ideas?
Stories children tell, things I see or hear, articles from newspapers, movies, other books, pictures, songs and childhood memories. Every story is like a jigsaw. Pieces come from everywhere. I've travelled so I can write about other places: Russia, China, Turkey, Italy, Syria, Fiji, Vanuatu, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yugoslavia, Bali, Cook Islands, Thailand and Vietnam.
Usually I write at my computer desk. With short stories I compose directly onto the screen, but with longer novels I write scenes or character descriptions on paper first, with different coloured gel pens. I sign letters to publishers with a blue pen, for luck, because the first story that I ever had accepted for publication was signed in blue ink.
What is the strangest place you have ever written a story?
Pizza Hut on a serviette.
Have you written other things besides novels?
Check out the book section of my website - then you can see the covers and read the blurbs. But yes, I have published poetry, short stories and plays. Some of my short stories were adapted into a dance performance called Second Hand by Outlet Dance in 1995. I've edited several books, and had articles, stories, and photographs published in newspapers and magazines. Oh, and I love writing lists. They're not for publication, of course. But I couldn't through a single day without writing a list.
What's the best part about being a writer?
I can act weird and people expect it. I work whatever odd hours I like - or take a 'power nap' if I'm tired. Writing is exciting. I receive wonderful emails from readers. Sometimes they write to me, Christine Harris, and sometimes to my characters. One of the funniest was from a boy who wrote to Jesse Sharpe, the 'Spy Girl/Undercover Girl' character, saying, 'Do you know you're not real?' Holding a new book in my hands is pretty good too. I look at the cover, then open the pages and sniff them. Don't laugh till you try it.
What's the worst thing about being a writer?
Waiting for my agent or the publisher to say whether they like my story. And when I'm about to start a new book, I sometimes worry that I can't do it and spend a long time doing a cover page and setting up paragraphs because I trick myself that I'm working on the story. I used to have a deal with the writer 'me' that as soon as I completed a game of Solitaire on the computer, I would start writing. But sadly, I became quite good at Solitaire and started getting the cards right in the first game. So my delay tactic stopped working.
Do you belong to any writers' groups?
Australian Society of Authors. South Australian Writers' Centre. PEN, an International group that believes writing should cross borders and that no-one should be imprisoned for writing the truth. It supports persecuted writers around the world. It's all about human rights, which includes freedom of speech.
What does it take to be a writer?
Imagination, being observant, regular practice - even if it's diary or letter writing, and determination. Reading a lot, and all sorts of books, is a good idea. I think we absorb language patterns and ideas without realising it. A thick skin helps. Sometimes I'm asked, 'Do you ever get rejections?' Of course I do. What writer doesn't? There's an old saying, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'
Where can I find out more information about you?
Really? Wow. Well, if you're determined, you can try these links:
Read my Writers-bitz Blog about the highs and lows of a writer's life
My Amazon Connect Blog
Scholastic Australia
The Trades - online magazine interview
