I have a rose tattoo on my arm.
2. Do you have a nickname?
No, but when ordering takeaway I call myself Amy so I don’t have to spell my name.
3. What is your greatest fear?
Snakes
4. Can you describe your writing style for us in ten words?
The story is the star, the words are the props.
5. What are five positive words that describe you as a writer?
Tenacious, dedicated, diverse, constant learner.
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Claire Beauchamp Randall from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I’d get to time travel, meet a handsome man, and never be sick because of time travelling immunity.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
2114, so I could prove that books will never lose their appeal.
8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
Wow, you did it. You’re actually a writer.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My mother. She’s had a hard life full of limitations and broken promises. Everything I do is to have a larger, more meaningful life to prove the worth of hers.
10. What or who made you start writing?
My challenging childhood was the inspiration for me to put pen to paper, as well as the best preparation for the rigour of being a writer.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Discombobulated. I have never used it in a conversation and only recently used it for the first time in something I wrote, so I’m feeling chuffed.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Geraldine Brooks’ Year of Wonders. I’ve read it multiple times and each time I’m awed by the strength of the writing and love Anna’s tale of losing everything, but finding hope and the strength to forge ahead.
Amra Pajalic is the author of award winning novel The Good Daughter (Text Publishing, 2009) and a novel for children, Amir: Friend on Loan (Garratt Publishing, 2014). She is the co-editor (with Demet Divaroren) of Coming of Age: Growing Up Muslim in Australia. This anthology, featuring the stories of twelve contributors of various backgrounds, explores the diversity of the Muslim experience in Australia. The book is published by Allen & Unwin and is scheduled for release in January 2014. Amra and Demet are also co-authors of the book What a Muslim Woman Looks Like.
Visit Amra's website to find our more about her books and latest news and events.
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