Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Joanne Macgregor is super funny...

...She really is though. Before the Team Trinity YA panel debate a few weeks ago, I'd met her at a SCWIBI Gauteng event and she seemed nice enough. But at that Skoobs YA panel, I feel like Joanne really showed her true colours. I actually LOLed. So of course I asked her to do a Puku interview. I posted it this morning and I think it's full of more chuckles.

I have to admit that I haven't read any of her books (my bad) but this is only because they seem to be more on the side of Y than A. Nothing wrong with that, in fact I think we need more local books for the 9 - 12 set, it's just not my drink of choice. What I would love though is for her to take on something that reflects her unique and intelligent humour: regardless of whether that takes on the form of something for adults or another contemporary novel for teens.

The last bit of the interview was my favourite so consider it a spolier alert and head to Puku to read the rest:

What are you working on next?

I’m currently revising a YA romance which is a modern-day retelling of my favourite fairy-tale, and I’m 22 000 words into a new manuscript – a YA dystopian novel. It’s a real challenge because I have to imagine how the world and its people will be different after a cataclysm. If you know my writing, it’s a fair guess that amazing young women will still find time for hot young men while saving humanity!

As one does! What was your favourite book as a child/teen?

When I was young, we didn’t have nearly the range of awesome books that are available now, so I cut my reading teeth on Enid Blyton, like almost everyone else. Although I was already an adult when I read them, my all-time favourite books for children and young adults were the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. I initially resisted reading them because of all the hype (I’m stubborn that way), but when I did, I fell in love and became something of a Harry Potter expert. As a writer, I admire the craft, the characterisation and especially the ingenious, intricate plotting over the seven-book story. No fair that I didn’t get an invitation to Hogwarts!

Read the rest
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1 comment:

  1. JoJune 18, 2013 at 3:15 AM

    And you are really sweet! (I got the invitation to the mutual admiration party, as you see.)

    Though I would say Turtle Walk and Rock Steady are more for 11/12 - 14/15 years, than 9-12, you might be interested to hear that the last two books I've written are for older teens. And both have the LOL's. I'll let you know when they're out. :)

    Thanks for all the hard work you and PUKU do to promote books and reading in Southern Africa - it's such important work!

    Cheers, Joanne.

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