Author: Kate Temple
Kate Temple. Kate Temple has had many dangerous jobs - from making hatpins out of darts to climbing ladders at midnight. Now Kate is in the dangerous business of writing books for children.
She has written more than twenty books with her writing partner, Jol, and The Dangerous Business of Being Trilby Moffat is her first solo book. Kate lives in Sydney with her two children. When she is not writing, Kate enjoys eating cake, and so do the characters in this book.
How did you get your first book published?
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer, either that or an ice cream inventor. I wrote lots of stories before I my first book was published. It was a little book called Parrot Carrot and I got it published by finding out who the editor was at a lovely publishing house and just sending it in!
What’s the hardest part about being a writer?
Hmmm, there are hard bits, that’s for sure. When I’m stuck and get myself in a bit of knot that can be tricky. But you know what? Every writer gets stuck and so do loads of kids when they’re writing stories. The trick is to just keep going. The other thing that can be hard is working alone, but sometimes that’s also really nice!
You work with your husband on a lot of your books – what’s it like working together?
I’ve written 20 books with Jol, but The Dangerous Business of Being Trilby Moffat is my VERY first solo book. So, I’m more used to working with someone and it’s a great way to work. I really like that when you collaborate you have access to all your ideas and all their ideas too. Downside, is you don’t always agree!
What were you like as a tween/teen?
I would love to tell you I was very very good and never got into trouble but that would be a HUGE lie. I was very very naughty. I was always looking for something otherworldly to happen. I was convinced that one day if I was in the right spot at the right time I would discover something very strange, like a talking giraffe, or an alien spaceship or a rip in time. I’m not sure I’ll ever stopped looking!
What’s your best advice for someone wanting to become a writer?
If you want to be a writer, there is one very important thing you must do. Ready for it? You have to write. I know it seems super obvious but it’s true. Sometimes we overthink stuff or come up with thing we don’t write down. You have to put them on the page and see where they take you. Maybe it will be somewhere fantastic, but if it’s not, never throw them out, you might find one day that there was something wonderful written there.
What are you working on at the moment?
Sooooooooo many things! Because I write lots of different kinds of books there’s always something on the go. At the moment I am working on the edits of the second book in the Trilby series. I am also developing a brand new graphic novel and I have some picture book ideas I’m working up. I think there’s six books out next year so I have to get my skates on!
Where do you find inspiration?
I have a special tree and when I’m out of ideas I just go pluck some off! No! That’s not true. I don’t know where inspiration comes from but I can tell you that reading is a great place to get it. I also think getting bored it useful, hanging out with friends and patting a silky haired poodle named Rudrick Macloon can also help.
Best food to eat while writing?
Chips. Chips. Chips. Cruch. Crunch.