Sacred Heart at Colac wrote:
1. Why did you choose Matt Ottley to illistrate your book??
2. How long have you been writing books for??
3. How did you get the idea for 'Lukes Way Of Looking'??
4. How many books have you written altogether??
5. How many awards have you won for your books??
FROM Nadia:
Dear Rap Reps at Sacred Heart School in Colac --
Thanks for writing. I used to live in Apollo Bay, and Colac was my market
town, so I almost feel as if I know you!
Here are some ansers to your questions...
Q1 and 3...
I met Matt in Perth during one Children's Book Week, and asked if he would like to collaborate on a book, if I came up with a story. A couple of weeks later, I thought up the story of LUKE'S WAY OF LOOKING. It came in the middle of the night, when I was worrying about how I was going to deal with a whole lot of dreary adult problems. I guess the idea came partly through the fact that my partner Ken is a painter. I think I was influenced by his stories of growing up and going to school. As you might expect, Ken and I go to art galleries a lot, and we have always taken his two children. They are grown up now, but when they were younger it was interesting to see what they liked to look at.
Q 2:
I have always wanted to write more than anything else in the world. I have
been writing for myself since I was five years old. I have been writing
professionally since I was twenty five. I am fifty two now.
Q4
Sometimes I write novels, sometimes I write history, sometimes I write
picture books. Sometimes I write for children, sometimes I write for or
young adults, and sometimes I write for old adults like myself. I have
written about twelve books, and I have also published four collections of
books by other writers.
Q 5
I don't know how many awards I have won, because some books win three or four different awards. About seven or eight of my books have won various awards, ranging from Book of the Year for Younger Readers, various CBC Honour Books, the Eve Pownall Award, the NSW Premier's Prize, the YABBA award.
Thanks again for writing! Have a good winter in Colac...
Best wishes,
Nadia Wheatley
