First I asked Non to introduce herself, for the benefit of those who don't know her work (do catch up though!)
So Non, who do you write for? What do you write about?
I write books for teen-minded humans. My novels Trouble, Remix and Truth or Dare (coming out June 1st) and novella Unboxed, all have a contemporary setting and tend to involve quite a lot of friendship drama and a little bit of sexytimes because these are the things I was most interested in as a teenager… and as a thirty-something adult.
Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?)
I am one of those rare beasts: a full-time author. My job before this was as an editor in children’s publishing, so I’m pretty much a one-profession pony. No international spying for me.
When did you start writing?
I’ve been writing since I was fourteen – about a lot of the things I’m still writing about now. When I started, there weren’t that many books catering to teen interests and I was desperate to read about teenagers that were a bit like me (but doing cooler, edgier stuff, like hanging out in the park, drinking, getting into fights and having sex). My first novel was about a group of people who really liked the rain – called The Rain Gods – and I finished it in the middle of the night in a flood of tears when I was about nineteen.
What 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?
A grown cat chasing its tail in an empty bath tub. Anyone paying me a compliment on my hair. (nice hair, Non) Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.
Do you have any pets?
We used to have two cats – Remy and Fenix. Fenix was my cat and he would come and sprawl over the paper on my desk and purr at me. He died earlier this year, but Remy seems to have been observing the Fenix’s behaviour and now comes to see me at 2pm every day to trip over stuff on my desk and try and climb on the back of my office chair while I type. It is not helpful, but it is sweet.
Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?
My favourite author is Patrick Ness. We actually have the same editor at Walker (in fact, my love of his books is the reason I submitted my novel to Walker in the first place). His books are very different to (and much better than) mine, but I recently realised that I’d never tried writing into the first person present tense until after I read The Knife of Never Letting Go – and that was the first time I found my voice as a writer. So, Patrick’s been pretty bloody influential as it turns out!
Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
I’ve got my sticky little mitts on The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which comes out in April in the UK. It’s about Starr, who is witness to a police officer shooting her friend. The book was inspire by the Black Lives Matter movement and you’ll hear a lot of people saying why this book is so important (it is) and timely (it is), but despite tackling some very serious and under-addressed questions, it’s written in such a deft manner that one moment you’ll be gasping in horror at the truth of what it must be like to constantly have to watch out for others’ dangerous prejudices and careless microaggressions, and the next you’ll be grinning at some of Starr’s wryly observant one-liners and the A++ flirting that goes on. This is a book that is rich and varied and worthy of the hype you’ve been hearing.
Where do you do most of your writing?
Staring out of the window on a long train journey, or sitting in my office at home. I have my grandad’s old desk where I plot stuff out or hand-write when I get a bit stuffed up and at right-angles to that I have a sit/stand desk where I type stuff up on my PC.
Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
My favourite character is still Neville from Trouble. He’s a cantankerous old bastard and he’s brilliant.
What is your favourite biscuit?
McVites plain chocolate digestive. Eaten at least three in a row, all dunked in hot tea.
Tea or Coffee?
Tea. (Preferably accompanied by some chocolate digestives…)
In the film of your life who would play you?
Bex Taylor-Klaus who plays Audrey in the Scream Netflix series could play a Young Non. She’s basically my style icon (in character and out) and I think she’s fab. No idea who could play me as Old Non. Alison Janney? Just because Alison Janney is amazing? We look and sound nothing alike though!
Who wouldn't want to be this cool? |
I like the idea of a potato and a sloth...could you get a lazier creature? (my soul mate) I would cross a snake with an aubergine. Aubergines have the loveliest skin – imagine that on a snake.
This is Non Pratt’s Hive Page Go buy books!
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Thanks so much for taking part Non!
I can confirm that (gay) teen girls love her books, and I know that DD will be keen to read the new one, Truth or Dare