I’m an expert shot with a bow, But I keep it so well hidden that I usually miss.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Erich von Stalhein from the Biggles series of books by Captain WE Johns. He was a Gestapo officer who was always trying to force information out of Biggles by cruel interrogation methods. I just think it’s a great name for a villain.
3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
My two daughters, Katy and Penny, Kate McClymont, Michael Connelly, Kenneth Grahame.
4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Excalibur.
5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Always putting off getting started.
6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
He was a great storyteller
7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
My desk is so cluttered that it’d be hard to find anything there.
8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
Fernando was a mule – pig headed and stubborn like most of his kind. From Two Kinds of Truth, by Michael Connelly.
9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I’d ask Shakespeare did he really expect to be remembered for hundreds of years.
10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
Since I love doing both, neither. (Figure that out)
John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband adventure series have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. His books are available in more than one hundred countries, are regularly on the New York Times bestseller list, and have had multiple award shortlistings and wins in Australia and overseas. John, a former television and advertising writer, lives with his wife in a Sydney beachside suburb. For more information, see www.worldofjohnflanagan.com.
