What is your favourite book out of all of yours? (Cooper, Nat, Maggie)
That’s a hard one, guys. Sometimes I think it’s the very first book I ever wrote, more than 20 years ago. And sometimes it’s the latest book, which is called The Calamitous Queen. I also really like The Desperate Dwarf. I think it’s the funniest of the Grim and Grimmer books. There’s more about these books on my website, at http://www.ian-irvine.com/grimgrimmer.html and there are a couple of readings by me here: http://www.ian-irvine.com/audio.html.
What was the first book you wrote? (Zac)
It’s called A Shadow on the Glass, and it’s the first book of a huge fantasy series, called the Three Worlds, for older readers (aged 14 and up). You can read about it here: http://www.ian-irvine.com/threeworlds.htm. I first started writing it in 1987 and it was first published in 1998. It’s been a very successful book and series, also published in England, the USA, Russia, Korea, Holland, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic. Oh, and Greece, too.
Did you have a favourite book when you were little? (Pramith)
It’s so long ago when I was little, Pramith, that I honestly can’t remember. What I do remember is that I absolutely loved books and read everything I could think of – boy’s books, girl’s books, non-fiction, murder mysteries and encyclopaedias, Mum’s Women’s Weekly’s. You name it, I devoured it. I wanted to know about everything in the world. I suppose I still do, actually.
Are you good at art? (Matt)
Not really, Matt, though I am very interested in it. I used to like drawing when I was younger (I used to draw the backs of people’s heads in class, and I was good enough at drawing that people knew who I’d drawn from the back of their head, but I haven’t done any drawings in years and years). However I do come from an artistic family. My wife is an etcher and printmaker, and my oldest son is a movie animator who worked on the fantasy movie about owls, Legend of the Guardians, that was in the movies last year. My daughter is a photographer.
What is your favourite ice cream flavour? (Imogen)
It’s called Chocolate Obsession, Imogen, and the day I got my first publishing contract I walked round and round the kitchen, eating a whole litre of it in one go. I still dream about that day. In fact, I have the urge to eat a huge plate of ice cream right now.
What is your best book yet? (Stafford)
I’m not sure what my best book, is, Stafford. The Grim and Grimmers are certainly the funniest. And the ones I wrote about climate change (the Human Rites books) are definitely the most important. Perhaps my best book is Geomancer, a big fantasy novel which my fans have voted as their favourite. What do you think?
Is it true that you liked climbing trees when you were young, I do. What is your favourite part? (Nina)
Yes, I did, Nina. My dad was in charge of a big pine forest and we lived in a house in the middle of the forest for years. I spent a lot of my childhood climbing trees when we lived there, just standing up in the treetops 30 metres up above the ground, daydreaming.
Do you mean my favourite part of the Grim and Grimmer books? It’s in The Desperate Dwarf, when Mellie’s failed spell blows Ike’s bottom up to the size of an airship and he spends all day bobbing around the ceiling.
What is your favourite colour? (Kye)
I suppose it would be blue, Kye. That’s the colour of my eyes and also all my shirts. I also like the colour gold, though maybe that’s because I’d like to have more of it. I must get the desperate dwarves to bring me some. I’m sure, since they have so much of it, they’d be happy to share.
Why did you become an author? (Lewis)
Funny you ask, Lewis. I was never interested in writing when I was a kid (though I was very good at English). I just wanted to be a scientist, and I went to uni and studied science, geology and chemistry mainly. Since I graduated, I’ve spent most of my working life investigating pollution in the sea. But I still loved reading, and when I was in my 30’s I became really interested in writing and decided I had to have a go at writing a book. And so I did, and I’ve loved doing it ever since. I’ve just finished writing my 27th book and in total I’ve written 3.7 million words.
Did you like school and were you a good listener or a daydreamer? (Ms Trimble)
Ha! I didn’t mind, school, actually, but I was a daydreamer. I never caused any trouble. I just sat up the back of the class, lost in another world, and never did my homework until the very last minute. Too busy reading books, I suppose. Sorry, Miss Trimble. I must have annoyed my teachers.
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