Pearlie's Pet Rescue (13 page)

How are you and Alice similar, and how are you different?

Alice thinks she always has to be perfect – that it's her job to make sure everyone and everything is okay – and that's just what I was like when I was a little girl.

But Alice has much more discipline that I do. If I could work as hard at my writing as she works at her dancing, I think I'd feel a lot better! Also, we both like chubby babies, homemade cakes and Dalmatians.

If Alice were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

Ballet, of course! I think she'd have an extra-long class with Miss Lillibet (first barre work and then on pointe), and when they'd finished, Little would bring them a scrumptious morning tea.

When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

‘Papa Sir, why did the war make everyone so horrible? You weren't there, you didn't see, but it was awful.'

I started right at the end of Book 4, so I knew where I had to end up.

Davina, what's one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

Stand-up comedy! And that's not a joke!

Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

I'd give the same advice that Papa Sir gives Alice, which is this: Make beautiful art with everything that you do – how you live each day.

It's wonderful to have big dreams and goals and ambitions, but it's how you do the small things in life – how you talk to people, the effort you put into the things you do – that will shape how your life turns out.

Gabi, how are you and Poppy similar, and how are you different?

Poppy is much braver than I would ever be. She lived in a time where you had to be brave. In the 1860's there were not the comforts of today and there were many dangers out on the road like bushrangers. Poppy likes to ride horses and so do I. And Poppy loves her dog Fisher, like I love my dog, Hero.

If Poppy were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

Poppy would read a book while she's having breakfast. She's reading Tiger in the Bush. Then she would go outside and climb a tree. The tree looks over into her best friend, Noni's back yard. She would call out to Noni, and together they would get on their bikes and go on an all-day adventure to the beach.

When you sat down to start your OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

I don't remember what my first sentence was. I plotted all the Poppy books out in one sitting so it would have been something like, ‘Poppy lives at an Aboriginal mission near Echuca'. It sounds boring doesn't it? Of course you can't begin a novel like that. Nobody would read past the first page. It is only after a lot of research is done and some rough drafts are complete that I begin to try and make the sentences sing.

What's one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

Gliding. I would love to have the feeling of being completely free, soaring in the sky with only the wind to carry me. I have tried hang gliding and was really scared when I had to jump off the cliff. But I didn't go very far and I was with a friend. I think gliding would be different. I could be up in the clouds for hours.

Gabi, do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

If you want to be really good at something you need to practise. Talent is only a small part of it. If you have a passion, then practise that passion every day.

How are you and Rose similar, and how are you different?

I think Rose and I are alike in that we both like to think things through and make a decision, rather than putting it off. I suspect Rose is braver than me, and she is definitely better at sport than me. We both love reading, though.

If Rose were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

She'd be playing cricket in the summer! In the winter, I think she would be eating a large breakfast and looking forward to going to the footy.

When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

I can't remember! It's lost in the drafting somewhere, but I am pretty sure it was Rose wondering what she would get for her birthday.

Sherryl, what's one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

I wish I could play a musical instrument, maybe the piano. I know Rose hates her piano lessons but that's because the teacher is horrible.

Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

Be brave, stand up for what you know is right, follow your dreams.

How are you and Grace similar, and how are you different?

Just like Grace, I loved horses when I was a girl. I have always found them so mysterious and beautiful and graceful. Horses remind Grace that the world is a good and magical place full of possibility and adventure. Maybe horses reminded me of the same thing when I was growing up. I am different to Grace too, though. I am outgoing, I have always loved to laugh and share things with my friends. I am confident in ways that Grace isn't; I love to put on plays and perform and pretend to be other characters. Grace doesn't get a chance to discover that side of her personality until she meets Hannah.

Sofie, if Grace were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

Go to a horse-riding lesson with her best friend! And Grace would love picnics – where she can look at the trees and the water and the sky and feel free. Freedom is very important to Grace, as is family. I would hope that if Grace were around today she would find herself in a loving family with brothers and sisters to share her life with.

When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

I better get back to the shore before the tide comes in or I'll be drowned like poor Annie.

What's one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

Surfing. I am scared of the waves and of sharks and of being that out of control. But I envy the surfers riding the waves, being away from the streets and buildings and shops and feeling peaceful, feeling brave, feeling powerful and close to nature.

Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere, Sofie?

Advice? Find creative ways to express anything that feels difficult or scary. Write, draw, make things, perform, play music. Being creative can change the hardest things into wonderful things.

Sally, how are you and Lina similar, and how are you different?

Lina and I are similar in that we both love books and longed to be writers from a very young age. I loved writing stories in English and at Lina's age, I had a teacher who would often read my work out in class. Also, like Lina, I had a father who was hoping I would go on to university to study to be a doctor or a lawyer, but instead I went to China to study traditional Chinese painting. He was disappointed for a while, but my father is proud of what I do now.

If Lina were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

She'd probably lie in bed til midday and read!

When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

Before I began writing the first book, I planned out what was going to happen in the four books in a detailed synopsis. The first paragraph was: ‘Carmelina (Lina) was born in Melbourne of an Italian migrant family. She has two bossy older brothers and one younger brother who she complains about having to look after but secretly adores. The only advantage of being the only daughter in the family is that she doesn't have to share a room with her brothers, but she does have to share a room with Nonna who is hardy and fierce and doesn't think twice about giving a wayward child a slap to keep them in line.'

The first line I wrote for Book One made it into the final version: “Lina woke to the sound of the rooster crowing in the back yard.”

What's one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

Sing on stage with a band. In another life I would have loved to be a musician.

Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

I love this Oscar Wilde quote: ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken'. I think it's a perfect piece of advice for an OAG.

Michelle, how are you and Daisy similar, and how are you different?

Daisy and I are both dreamers. Like Daisy I enjoy acting and coming up with thrilling stories. Daisy is very protective of her little sister, Flora. I have a younger sister, Kelly, and when we were growing up I liked to read to her and take care of her. I've actually never ridden a horse even though Daisy is crazy about her horse Jimmy. Daisy is a very good friend and that's something I try hard to be as well.

If Daisy were around today, what would she do on a Saturday morning?

If Daisy lived now, she would probably go to acting classes on Saturday mornings, or she might go to a park for a picnic with her family, or on a bike ride with her best friends.

What's the one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

I wish I could sing in a musical on stage. I love singing and I do it all the time around the house. But I've never been brave enough to do it in public.

When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

The first sentence I wrote in
Meet Daisy
was ‘I'll come back for you Jimmy, I promise I will', which was going to be the first line of the book, but I later changed it to the way it is now.

Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

My advice to OAGs? Be yourself. No one else in the world can do it as well as you can, and that makes you unique and special.