Alison Goodman
Describe your latest project.
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn is an exhilarating adventure/fantasy novel inspired by the rich myths and traditions of Ancient China, shimmering with energy dragons, and fraught with tension.
Eon is training to become a Dragoneye, but does he have the talent to commune with an energy dragon? His ruthlessly ambitious master believes he does. And now the years of grueling training are about to be put to the test: it's time for the terrifying Rat-Dragon to choose his next apprentice. In a spectacular sequence of events, Eon is catapulted into the opulent but treacherous world of the Imperial Court. But he is playing a dangerous game: Eon is actually Eona, a 16-year-old girl whose true identity must remain hidden, for discovery would mean instant death.
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"The author's plotting is elaborate, smart and capable of taking the audience by surprise. Enthralled readers will be hard-pressed to wait for the story's second half..." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Fast-paced excitement carries Eon through this tension-packed adventure, where victory can only come with self-knowledge...this adventure, filled with intrigue, friendships, combat and magical allies, is a winner." Kirkus Reviews
"[H]igh-stakes action in a well-crafted fantasy universe. A second volume will follow, but this one has an ending satisfying enough that readers will not feel cheated." School Library Journal
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"This wildly entertaining novel successfully mixes adventure, humor, mystery, and sf into a fast-paced, thrilling story that will appeal to a wide audience." Booklist
"The plot and characterizations are well done; the book has lots of action, witty dialogue, and pop-culture references, and sensitively portrays complicated relationships between a mother and daughter, and members of different cultures....This intriguing and exciting read has lots of teen appeal." School Library Journal
Introduce one other author/illustrator you think people should read, and suggest a good book by him/her.
One of my favorite comedic fantasy writers is Steven Brust. Try his novel
Jhereg about Vlad, an assassin with magical abilities and a wisecracking familiar. It's a hoot, but also a great action/fantasy story.
Describe your most memorable teacher.
Miss Currer taught me in third grade and, although I am remembering her through the eyes of my eight-year-old self, she was quite elderly. Her fingers were twisted to one side from arthritis and she walked in a slow shuffle that, if I had thought about it at the time, must have meant she was in constant pain. Yet she was always smiling, always immeasurably kind and patient. And she finished every day with reading time, a magical half-hour when she'd gather the class around her and she'd read the next episode from an adventure novel. The stories were always enthralling, but what really made it magical was Miss Currer's talent: she gave every character a different voice and had an actor's ability to make them live for her audience. Every afternoon, she kept a bunch of squirmy eight-year-olds totally transfixed for over 30 minutes. Amazing! I can still hear some of her character voices to this day (my favorite was Mumfy, an adventuring elephant), and when I write, I am always able to give my characters a strong, individual voice in my mind; I think Miss Currer's reading time may have had a lot to do with that.
Offer a favorite sentence or passage from another writer.
Here is my fave passage from The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton:
I was still thinking about it while I was doing my homework that night. I had to read Great Expectations for English and that kid Pip, he reminded me of us — the way he felt marked lousy because he wasn't a gentleman or anything, and the way that girl kept looking down on him. That happened to me once. One time in biology I had to dissect a worm, and the razor wouldn't cut, so I used my switchblade. The minute I flicked it out — I forgot what I was doing or I would never have done it — this girl right beside me kind of gasped, and said, "They are right. You are a hood." That didn't make me feel so hot.
What is your favorite literary first line?
That is a tough question. There are so many terrific first lines out there because the first line is so important in a story. It needs to grab the interest of the reader so that they want to keep reading.
Okay, this is probably a bit cheeky and a cop-out, but I'm going to say my favorite first line is one of my own, from my novel Singing The Dogstar Blues.
Here it is: I saw the assassin before she saw me.
How did the last good book you read end up in your hands?
A few weeks ago, I was waiting at an airport to fly home from an awards ceremony (I'd just won the Aurealis award for Best Fantasy Novel — very exciting) and I didn't have anything to read on the plane. So, I wandered into the bookshop, intending to buy a fashion magazine to flick through. However, I saw Malcolm Gladwell's new nonfiction book, Outliers, and bought it on one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions. By the end of my two-hour flight, I'd read half of it; it is a fascinating exploration of what creates success in people's lives.
What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
I love porridge with rhubarb or strawberries on top. I also love Cheerios. And Carmen's Muesli which is available in Australia. And good old Corn Flakes. In fact, I am a bit of a cereal freak — I eat it for a snack as well as for breakfast (and often dry).
Tell us about your pets.
I have a Jack Russell Terrier named Xander or, more formally, "The Furry Lord of Darkness." He is a rescue dog and came to us bitter, Machiavellian, and very morose, but we love him. His favorite games are "Leave me alone and we'll all be happy," "What do you mean this is my dinner?" and, his all-time favorite, "Let me grab this ball, run away from you, and never bring it back."
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Alison Goodman was born in Australia, and, after a bit of wandering, now lives in her beloved hometown, Melbourne. She was the 1999 D. J. O'Hearn Memorial Fellow at Melbourne University, holds a master of arts, and teaches creative writing at the postgraduate level.
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