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

Tuesday 29 August 2017

12 Curly Questions with author Eliza McCann

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I’ve watched The Sound of Music over 100 times (conservative estimate).

2. What is your nickname? 
Lizey-Lou.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Snotty tissues.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words. 
Casual, conversational, intimate. Always trying to squeeze something funny in!

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Funny, happy, relaxed, truthful and heartfelt.

6. What book character would you be, and why? 
I always wanted to be Heidi. I loved the idea of hanging out with an eccentric grandfather and some goats in the Swiss Alps.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why? 
I’d love to go back to 1930s Vienna so I could see the life my great-grandparents lead. I have a fascination with pre-war Austria. Based on the stories my family told me, I imagine life was full of luscious cakes, parties, books and long walks in the forest picking mushrooms.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now? 
It’s not always going to be like this!

9. Who is your greatest influence? 
Given my previous answers, this will be no surprise. My wonderful grandparents, whose crazy home was always open and full of love, cakes, family and homemade pottery.

10. What/who made you start writing? 
My husband is a writer and we wrote our first kids book together. He held my hand through the process (metaphorically, of course) and gave me the courage to put pen to paper.

11. What is your favourite word and why? 
Travel. Because I love going places!

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Complete Short Stories by Oscar Wilde. I was so fascinated by the stories as a child, particularly The Nightingale and the Rose and The Happy Prince. They didn’t offer a happy ending like all the other books I read. I still find them achingly beautiful.


Eliza McCann is the author of My Awesome Sydney Adventure and the creative brain behind the My Awesome Adventure series. When she isn’t writing the next Awesome Adventure, you can find her planning her next trip, doing a spot of travel writing, or at the gym, with her boxing gloves on, perfecting her right hook! See www.myawesomeadventure.com for more information.