'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Tuesday 5 May 2015

12 Curly Questions with author Becky Albertalli

Credit: Decisive Moment Events
1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I can touch my tongue to my nose! I’m also a decent singer (not great - strictly decent).

2. What is your nickname?
Technically, Becky is my nickname (my real name is Rebecca), but I’ve collected a million other nicknames over the years. Some highlights: Beckster, Beck, Bex, and Bay.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Death (my own, and especially the death of people close to me). I’m HUGELY anxious about it. I think I write happy stories as a way of not thinking about it.

4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
I try to be funny. My characters kiss a lot.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Voicey, rhythmic, joyful, romantic, earnest

6. What book character would you be, and why?
If I could choose, I’d be Hermione Granger. I think I’d feel so at home in the Harry Potter universe, and I’d love to spend my life surrounded by Weasleys and Potters. Also, I think it would be incredibly interesting to live inside Hermione’s head. Her mind is so spectacular. It would be so cool to experience the world with her level of insight.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why? 
I think the risks of traveling back in time would freak me out too much, so I might travel ten years into the future, just for a glimpse of what my life is like. I have two sons under three, and I’m very curious to see how they’ll grow up. I’m guessing they’ll be really geeky tweens, just like their parents were.

8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
I think my ten-year-old self would say, “What the heck are these new flavors of Oreos, and do we like them?” (No, ten-year-old Becky. We do not like them.)

9. Who is your greatest influence?
I actually don’t know! I feel like I have so many influences – friends, family, books, television… If I had to pick one thing, I would say I’m most influenced by the memories of my own teenage experiences.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I’ve always loved to write. I don’t even remember making a decision to start writing. I’ve been writing stories since I was in preschool. I decided to write a novel after my son was born, and I left my full-time job as a psychologist.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
As the mom of an almost-three-year-old and a six-month-old, I’m going to go with “sleep.” I assume that’s self-explanatory.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Harry Potter (but I get the whole series!)


Becky Albertalli is a clinical psychologist who served for seven years as co-leader of a support group for gender nonconforming children in Washington, DC. Her first novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is published in Australia by Penguin Books. Visit Becky's website and tumblr for more information about her books and writing. You can also find Becky on Twitter (@beckyalbertalli)

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