Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Arthur Slade. I’m lucky to get this interview because Art is one of those people who actually spends a lot of time writing, not goofing off. Right, Art? Plus he does many, many school visits. If you’re a writer aspiring to do the school visit thing, you should be reading Bloggity Blog Blog. Arthur Slade was born in Moose Jaw, raised on a ranch in Southwest Saskatchewan, and writes from his home in the mythical city of Saskatoon. He is the author of such fabulous books as Megiddo’s Shadow, Monsterology, Tribes, and the Governor General’s Award winning book, Dust. He also has a newly released book called Invasion of the IQ Snatchers.

Here are the Friday Five I asked Art.
Do you eat right, get plenty of exercise, and sleep eight hours, or do you sit in front of your computer writing all the time? I write about five hours a day. Sometimes I exercise. Sometimes I eat properly. Sometimes not.
What’s the riskiest thing you ever did and how did it work out for you? Quit my job writing radio advertising and attempted to write as a living. It seems to be working out now. I’ll update you in another ten years, maybe I’ll know for sure by then.
Where do you see yourself in ten years? Ah, the magic question. I hope that I’m still writing and have a few more series and one-offs under my belt. I would like to be on a tropical island, but it’d probably be too hot to write then. Nah, I don’t need the island. I do hope I have a new writing chair by then.
I gave you ten questions and asked you to answer five. Were you tempted to answer all ten? No. I’m on Facebook. I have no free time anymore.
Do you use an outline when writing, or just let it flow and write as fast as you can? I have a little bit of an outline in my head. Sometimes I’ll jot down a few things, but mostly I just let the story unfold as I write it. Though sometimes this can lead to some massive rewrites!

Thanks, Art for stopping by! And everyone else? Let’s do our best to help Art achieve his goals and get a new chair in the next ten year. Buy one of his books. You won’t be sorry.

Personal disclaimer: Dust is SCARY.

Oh! And don’t forget to enter to win a free book…not one of Art’s unless he’s throwing one into the hat. I can’t part with my first edition signed copy of Dust, but there are others to win. Scroll down to Monday’s entry to find out what’s on offer and how to get your free book. Cheers, Joelle