Chris Morphew
After school, Chris did a short stint as a primary school teacher - definitely the second-best job in the world - and then started writing for kids and young adults.
Chris still lives in Sydney and divides his time between writing and casual teaching. He remains a sci-fi junkie to this day, and believes there is no movie so great that it couldn't be improved with the addition of a spaceship.
Author's Comment: Q. Where did you write your latest book? How important to you is the space in which you write?
Chris: I do have a writing desk at home, but I find that I can't be alone in an empty house for too long before I start to lose the plot a bit. So a lot of my writing time is spent at the local cafe. I spend so much time there that one of the baristas recently decided I must have been unemployed and offered me a job. Nice to know they're looking out for me, I guess!
Q. Do you transform your space in any way for each book? Do you 'get into character' at all?
Chris: My desk at home has stayed more or less the same as I've worked on The Phoenix Files: laptop, books full of notes, a growing pile of the previous books in the series... As for getting into character, I will occasionally get out of my chair to physically act out a scene I'm having trouble capturing in words. My housemates are getting used to becoming reluctant participants in these exercises ("Okay, put your arm around my face like this and then let me see if I can hit you...") I also sometimes catch myself taking on a facial expression I'm trying to describe. Not the greatest habit when you write in public places.
Nationality: Australian