1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
The whole time I was playing AFL footy as a girl, which I wrote about in The Whole of My World, I was also studying classical ballet. I loved both for a while, but then I got really embarrassed about doing ballet and quit right as I was learning to go en pointe, which we were all dying to do!
2. What is your nickname?
So unimaginative – Nic. Or Hayesy on the footy field.
3. What is your greatest fear?
Beyond death and destruction to all mankind and my family? Spiders.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Chaotic and disjointed first drafts, structured and disciplined edits.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Passionate, creative, persistent, instinctive, diverse (in range).
6. What book character would you be, and why?
6. What book character would you be, and why?
Hermione Granger, no question. Because she is literally the coolest, most awesome book character to ever hold a wand.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Can’t I go forward? Just to see how it all turns out? If I have to go backwards, I’d love to see 1971 – all the politics, Gough Whitlam, the changing shape of gender and society. So much was happening and it was mostly driven by young people.
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Why didn’t you fight to keep playing footy?
9. Who is your greatest influence?
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My mum. (And, before he died, my dad.)
10. What/who made you start writing?
10. What/who made you start writing?
My dad taught me to love words and language at a young age. I found out after he became sick that he’d written two books. But he didn’t try to get them published. When I was in primary school, he used to give me new (difficult) words to learn – most of them I still remember.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Sorry. Because it’s the most misunderstood word in the English language. We say it too often and too easily when we shouldn’t and too rarely or with too much difficulty when we should.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That is possibly the cruelest question ever! Sigh. OK. Beloved, by Toni Morrison. Every time I read it, I find something new, so it never gets boring and I’d always be learning.
Nicole Hayes’s books include her latest YA novel A Shadow’s Breath, and the award winning One True Thing and The Whole of My World. She co-authored A Footy Girl’s Guide to the Stars of 2017 and From the Outer: Footy Like You've Never Heard It with fellow Outer Sanctum podcaster and footy fan Alicia Sometimes. For more information, see www.nicolehayesauthor.com.