Frequently asked Q & A’s

If you have others, send me an email at the contact page so I can add them to the list

Who are you, when were you born, and where was it?

• Andrew Dugald Daddo.
• Royal Childrens Hospital, Melbourne
• February, 1967

Where do you live, now?

Sydney’s Northen Beaches – seven miles from the city and a thousand miles from care. (That’s what they say, anyway.  It’s nor really like that.  I mean, it is seven miles from the city, but I still care).

Who do you live with?

There are five of us, six if you include the dog.  Eight if you include our chickens Black Hawk and Chicken and Thirteen if you include those pesky Indian Miner Birds who sneak in the crack in the window to eat what Flog the Dog, Felix, Bibi or Jasper (our kids) or Jacquie (my wife) leave lying around.

Were you ever kicked out of school?

I was never kicked out of school but I went to a few of them because we moved about a bit.  Here’s the list.

• Mt Eliza Primary School, Mt Eliza, Vic. Yrs 0 – 6.
• Peninsula Grammar, Mt Eliza, Vic.  Yrs 7 – 8.
• Millburn Junior High, Millburn, New Jersey, USA Yrs 8 – 9 1/2.
• Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne, Vic.  Yrs 10 ½ – 12.

Did you go to Uni and what did you study?

I went to Monash University in Clayton, Victoria for three years.  For the first year I studied windsurfing, or that’s what it felt like.  I spent a lot of time hooning around Port Phillip Bay.  My degree was an Arts degree which lets you do a lot of bay hooning because I only had to be there fifteen hours a week.

I should have been there a lot more.

I got my Bachelor of Arts three years after beginning (that’s normal) with majors in Politics and History, a minor in sociology.

How many books have you written?

I have written nineteen books.

When is the next book coming out and what will it be?

The next book is a chapter book called “Skoz the Dog” and is due out around March.  I love writing dog stories.

Will you write more stories about Fergus Kipper and his family?

That’s a very good question and the answer is kind of pretty much yes.  Fergus is coming back but not as you’ve seen him before.  Stay tuned, news is coming.

AFL or NRL or Football or Union?

I’m an AFL fan.  My team is Melbourne – I barrack for them as a reminder of how good the rest of my life is.  Because whenever I think things are going well I have a look at the (once ) Mighty Dees and see things could be going better…

Would you rather be on TV, Radio or writing books?

I really enjoy all three.  Radio has been great fun and I haven’t really done it before – so anything new can be cool to do.  TV is something that’s been my job since I was 19.  Wow, that’s ages ago… and I love love love writing, even though I haven’t managed to do too much of it in the last couple of years?

Why haven’t you been writing much?

One of the funny things about being a writer is that you need stories to tell.  For a while I couldn’t think of anything because I was a bit busy doing other things.  I’m still busy doing other things but realised that I miss writing, so I’ve made some time to do it.

What’s the best thing about writing?

Telling lies and making them sound like the truth.  If I write a story about winning a grand final or scoring the winning run, it’s like actually doing it.

What is your favourite book?

It’s hard to pick a favourite, but the first is always special, and that’s not just writing.  It’s pretty much everything.  Remember your first bike or your first board?  How about your first kiss or first time you held hands with someone?  So Sprung! being my first book is pretty special.  And Goodnight, Me, being my first picture book is also pretty special.
It’s All Good is good, too.  How do you choose?  You don’t, you enjoy them all.

Do you have a favourite pet?

My first dog was cool.  His name was Skozza and he used to ride on my motorbike with me.  He’d sit on the engine.  The dog we have now is called Flog. Flog the Dog.  He’s hilarious, and mad and he’s a staffy.  The new book has a little bit of Skoz and Flog rolled into one.

How many of your stories are true and how many are made up?

There’s probably a bit of truth in a lot of them but then, a lot are made up as well.  You don’t think I’d throw eggs at the neighbours place in real life do you?

Andrew’s books are available to schools and librarians, and are loved by children in both primary and high schools. Many teachers have successfully used Andrew’s books in a range of curriculum areas, from Literacy, to Social Studies.They are easy to read, engaging and offer a wide range of uses to meet many syllabus outcomes.