We had the opportunity to interview Nim's Island author Wendy Orr.  We took that chance, and she very graciously answered 20 quesions for us.  Enjoy!

WaldenFans.com: Tell us a bit about yourself, for our readers that might not know much about you.

Wendy Orr: I was born in Canada, grew up in Canada, France, and the USA but married an Australian while studying occupational therapy in London, UK, and so have lived in Australia ever since! My husband Tom and I have a grownup son and daughter. I started writing 20 years ago and have written picture books and novels for young adults and adults as well as my main genre of junior novels, like  Nim's Island.

WaldenFans.com: Can you give us a quick teaser for Nim's Island that will give us an idea of what we're in for?

Wendy Orr: Nim and her scientist dad, Jack, live an eccentric but idyllic existence on a tropical island. When Jack sails off on a two day plankton-finding excursion, Nim is happy to be alone with her animal friends, including sea lion Selkie and lizard Fred. However a violent storm comes up and Jack' s boat is damaged,  losing its mast as well as his satellite dish, so that he can't return to Nim or communicate with her. Meanwhile Nim answers an email from Alex Rover, the world's most famous adventure writer, and when she is injured attempting to answer Alex's research question, turns to the adventure hero for help. Unfortunately the real Alex Rover is in fact an agoraphobic woman, who must also draw strength from her own fictitious hero and face her fears to try to rescue Nim.