Claire Zorn

Author

Claire Zorn is the critically acclaimed author of young adult novels The Sky So Heavy and The Protected. Both books have been shortlisted for multiple awards. The Protected was awarded Young Adult Book of the Year 2015 by the Children’s Book Council of Australia, and won both the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the 2015 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for young adult fiction.

Where were you born?

I was born in Penrith and grew up in the Blue Mountains NSW. (The lower Blue Mountains, not the glamorous upper mountains.)

What other jobs have you had?

I was a very incompetent waitress for far longer than should have been allowed, then I worked in retail where I spent my time trying to trick people into buying things they didn’t need. Finally I got a temp job as a publishing assistant and then an editorial assistant position for an educational publisher.

What themes are recurring in your work?

The following things occur in all my novels: carparks, shopping centres, funerals, awkward conversations. I always write about catastrophes, whether global or personal – something always goes very wrong in my stories.

What have been the highlights of your career?

Winning the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year 2015 and the Victorian Premier’s Award. I also once sat next to Richard Flannegan on a mini bus; that was pretty great.

Where have your works been published?

Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Germany. Not an extensive list yet, please be patient.

What are you passionate about?

Teaching high school students that their voice and their opinions about the world are valid and valuable. I also really like swimming, horses and pancakes.

Haven’t I seen you before?

That would be the time I sold you those shoes that were really ugly and you didn’t actually need at all.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I am Christian and a horrible speller. These aren’t linked, as far as I know.