Penguin Books Australia

Q & A with Dave Hackett

What was your favourite book as a child?

My favourite book as a child was pretty obscure. It was called Encyclopedia Brown. He was a detective who new everything. Very cool.

Do you have a favourite book now as an adult?

My favourite book at the moment is I'm Being Stalked by a Moon Shadow by Doug Macleod

What authors do you admire? Did any of them influence your writing?

I admire Stephen King. His book called On writing is fabulous. I also really like Andrew Daddo and Bill Bryson is very funny.

If you were stranded on a desert island, which fictional character would you most want to be stranded with and why?

I would want to be stranded with Scooby Doo and Shaggy because they could always hunt down a good snack and they could scare away all the baddies.

What is the most outlandish plot idea you've come up with - and did it become a book?

I have a few ideas up my sleeves. You'll just have to wait and see.

If you could give any advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

Start writing and keep writing. Once it's down on a page, you can look at it and make it better. Just write and write and write.

Which of your characters do you most identify with?

I most identify with Bunky. He is the kind of guy I would have liked to have been when I was thirteen.

My favourite 5 CD's are: The Cat Empire (Two Shoes), Ben Lee (Ripe), Weird Al (Straight Outta Lynwood), Hairspray Soundtrack (courtesy of my kids) and Smell raT (Smells Like Teenagers).

My five favourite books are: Stephen King's It and Shawshank Redemption, Dave Hackett's UFO (1, 2, and 3), Douglas Adams Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

My five favourite movies are: 'My Blue Heaven', 'The Emperor's New Groove', 'The Incredibles', 'Hairspray' and 'Back to the Future'.

What is the one thing you can't live without?

I can't live without toasted bacon and honey sandwiches.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on a fantastic picture book, another UFO and an awesome new series for 8-10 year olds (plus about 40 other books).