Well . . . no, not quite.
But I was recently interviewed by Olive O’Brien for her new children’s book blog, Lilliput Library, on the Hello Magazine’s website.
One question that came up during the interview with Jackie Hayden in the Riverbank Arts Centre on Saturday was how one goes about getting interviews in the media. There is no easy answer to that: sometimes you can get attention on radio or in the newspapers (hardly ever television) because you’re a new writer breaking in; sometimes you can be asked your opinion if you have an informed view on a particular issue, and then once you’ve become established enough as an author or illustrator – and you’ve shown any kind of ability to formulate coherent sentences – interviews come up pretty regularly.
The interview on Saturday was the first time I was able to answer questions without being rushed. On radio, you’ve got to keep your answers short and snappy, and television’s even worse. There’s a real skill to that, and I’m only starting to get my head around it. It does help if, like many questions authors get asked, you’ve been asked it a hundred times before.
One good thing about being interviewed for a blog or website is you can have time to answer properly – the kinds of answers people actually want to hear or read.