Behind the Scenes With Tui T. Sutherland

What book feels like home to you? 

“The book that feels like home to me is Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Every time I reread it, I find myself wondering if I love it because I already identified so much with Anne or if I turned out the way I am because of who Anne is and how much I love this book.” 

What’s your most unusual writing habit? 

“I’m not sure how unusual it is, but one of my favourite writing habits is to do an online crossword puzzle right before I start writing. I don’t need it to be super challenging (because I don’t want it to take too long); I’m just trying to wake up my brain and get it to conjure words as fast as it can.” 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story? 

“Probably carnivorous plants, for Wings of Fire Book 13: The Poison Jungle! I knew I wanted to send my dragons to a jungle overgrown with plants that were big or scary enough to be a threat to dragons. So, I researched all kinds of dangerous plants.... I loved imagining how big they could be and what catastrophes the dragons might run into.” 

Which character from your books would you most likely befriend? 

“I want to be friends with all my characters, so this is a hard question! I think the easiest to befriend would be Kinkajou, because she can carry a whole conversation by herself if she needs to. She loves meeting new people, and she is funny and welcoming to anyone no matter how shy or nervous or introverted they are. I also think I’d be great friends with all the bookworms—I could imagine starting a book group with Cricket, Moon, Starflight, Hazel, and Turtle where we all have cocoa and talk for hours about our favourite books and what to read next!” 

What’s one thing every great bedtime story needs? 

“Either a happy ending, something really interesting to think about, or a scene you want to imagine yourself in. I love to read until I fall asleep, so that I’m immersed in the world of the book instead of thinking about my to-do list ...”