Q: Hey Toni -- how do you make a living? Do you live off your writing?

A: I'm a HR manager :)

» Asked by TheObviousChild at 18:26 on the 18th Jun 2008

Q: Why do we never see pictures of you on-line? (Yes, this _is_ a thinly veiled attempt to get you to post some pictures, now that you mention it... ;P)

A: Because looks taint how people interact with you.

» Asked by John Shioli at 18:26 on the 18th Jun 2008

Q: Are you trained as a writer, or is your formal training in some other field of endeavour?

A: I studied business and continue to do so. I'm a HR manager and people management and development is my big passion.

» Asked by Robert Grujic at 18:27 on the 18th Jun 2008

Q: When and where were you born and what childhood experiences did you have to make you a good writer? Exhaustive detail please. :P Hmm. Question worth answering. When did you discover poetry first, and how long before it became an actual part of your life? Was there a reason you started writing? Doesn't Dan Brown suck? Markout :)

A: When and where were you born and what childhood experiences did you have to make you a good writer? Exhaustive detail please.
I was born on the 3rd of April in whatever year makes me 18 at the time of reading ;) My place of birth is a small town in South Yorkshire.

I think i had a pretty normal working class kids childhood and i don't know that it's the experiences we have that make us good writers.

When did you discover poetry first, and how long before it became an actual part of your life? Was there a reason you started writing? Doesn't Dan Brown suck?
Like most people i discovered poetry at school. However, it wasn't until my English teacher introduced me to Philip Larkin that i started to see poetry as something other than a subject i was forced to learn about.

I've always been interested in poetry and literature and had collections around the house, but it's only in the last 2/3 years that it became something i allowed to start defining me. There was no real reason beyond indulgence.

As for Dan Brown. Do you really think he sucks? I mean, i'm not saying he's a literary genius, but he seems to be an enjoyable read ;)

» Asked by Mark Noonan at 19:09 on the 9th Dec 2006

Q: How long have you been writing? What made you decide to write? What do you want to tell the world? Do you floss? What do you love most, and what do hate most?

A: How long have you been writing?
I've only been writing poetry for about three years, but i've always been interested in language and communication, and studied English Language at A'level.

What made you decide to write?
I don't think there was really one thing that made me decide to write. I used to spend a lot of time discussing literature with a novelist friend of mine and he encouraged me to think about poetry as something to participate in, rather than only being something to observe. It took me a while find the courage to show him my poems, but he was gentle and encouraged me with soft criticism until my confidence grew. About a year later i started to post my work on deviantART for feedback.

What do you want to tell the world?
The meaning of any communication is the response it elicits.

Do you floss?
No. I brush and gargle.

What do you love most, and what do hate most?
I love my niece and i hatehatehate feet.

» Asked by Lee Dyer at 18:57 on the 9th Dec 2006

Q: Where did you think up this title, miss?

A: The title comes from a line in the title poem :) I'd had the line in my head for a while and when i came to actually consider putting together a collection it just seemed to fit. It's sufficiently twee and, i hope, it summarises the collection well.

» Asked by Thomas Purbrick at 18:42 on the 9th Dec 2006

Q: how did you pick the order the poems went in?

A: The order for this collection came easily because the book has a distinct progression as the narrators' mature and age. So the poems seemed to have an order of their own. Funnily enough this didn't have anything to do with the order they were written in.

» Asked by Hallucinatedlight at 10:11 on the 8th Dec 2006

Q: If you were a colour, what would you be? and a literary question: What is your favourite book? :)

A: My favourite book is The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (The 'Good Parts' Version).

And colour. Hmmmm. I think i'd be red because i'm sometimes serious but always a little bit cheeky ;)

» Asked by Tilly B. Fraser at 10:01 on the 8th Dec 2006

Q: If you could only have 3 albums to listen to, what would they be and why?

A: Gosh, how do people answer questions like this! If i couldn't have a mixed tape of my favourite songs, and i had spend days and weeks mulling over which albums to pick, i would probably end up with: iron & wine - the creek drank the cradle, pink floyd - wish you were here, and and and probably cake - fashion nugget for something a bit more upbeat.

» Asked by Stephen R. Smith at 09:58 on the 8th Dec 2006

Q: So . . . Do you pee in the shower? FESS UP!

A: I do not. However! As soon as my shower room is grouted i am going to give it a go ;)

» Asked by Todd Keisling at 02:06 on the 8th Dec 2006