Page Turning Books: Author Interview

Author Interview – Dana Hui Lim

What’s the reason for your life? Have you figured out your reason for being here yet? Coming face to face with mortality at a young age taught me the meaning of life, which is that it ends. Get on with it, appreciate the little things in life,don’t wait to be happy and like they say, dance like no one is watching.

How many friends does a person need? About 42….hey, wait a second!

What does love mean to you? Being able to trust someone more than you trust yourself.

What social issues interest you the most? The plight of refugees is a raw wound in Australia at the moment. I don’t have the answers but I know that the resolution is not to demonise people who are running from a nightmarish situation. I find it very difficult to blame people for wanting just a little bit of what most people in Australia take for granted.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why? “If there’s no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters…, then all that matters is what we do”. I just looked up who said this, and it turns out it was Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

When and why did you begin writing? I was telling my partner about my life soon after we first met, and he said that I should write a book. I thought about it for a while and decided that I wanted my story to still be here after I am gone. All that lives on after us is the impression we’ve made on others, be it in writing or via a personal relationship. I didn’t want to go quietly.

How did you come up with the title? The title is from an incident where my Mother defended us from an actual flesh, blood, toothed and clawed tiger. After all we had been through there was no way she was going to allow some overgrown tabby to take one of us.

Who designed the cover? Michelle, my wonderful publisher from Odyssey Books.