Interview with Tristan Bancks

What Readers want to know...

SS: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?

TB: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Preferably on the 4D Spiderman ride.

SS: What’s your best quality?

TB: My energy and juice

SS: Who is your favorite fictional hero?

TB: Huck Finn. (And Sam Gribley from 'My Side of the Mountain.')

SS: What’s your fantasy profession?

TB: Pilot. Astronaut. World-changing, Bono-esque rock star.

SS: What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?

TB: Honesty, Authenticity, Fun

SS: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?

TB: Fingernails. No. Take that back. Toenies. Definitely toenies.

SS: How would you describe perfect happiness?

TB: Flow – Doing something you love so much that time disappears. Everything else disappears. For me Flow happens when I’m writing, reading, watching movies, hanging with good friends and family and when I’m playing sport.

SS: What’s your greatest fear?

TB: Writing about my fears because then they might come true, si?

SS: Which living person do you most admire?

TB: Amber Melody - my beautiful wife and the most creative, juicy and authentic person I know. And Barack Obama, for his open-mindedness and willingness to reach out to people. And Will Ferrell – for Talladega Nights.

SS: What are your most overused words or phrases?

TB: Rock on. Giddyup. Nice. Awesies (as in awesome). Repuggies (as in repugnant. Actually I don’t use ‘repuggies’ so much. I just like it. I might start using it more. Nice. I mean giddyup. Nuts.)

SS: What do you regret most?

TB: I don’t do regrets. They’re banned from my dojo.

SS: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?

TB: The ability to fly. (Do superhero abilities count as ‘talents’?)

SS: What is your greatest achievement?

TB: Spending my life doing creative work that I love and making a living at it. And having been on a date with the Queen. Well, kind of not ‘officially’ a date. It was the annual royal gala movie premiere in London’s Leicester Square. She was sitting in the row in front of me. There was no kissing involved. I have a ‘not on the first date’ policy. And security stopped me.

SS: What’s your greatest flaw?

TB: Definitely the living room flaw. It’s got a really nice Persian on it.

SS: If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?

TB: I’d be the Chrysler building. It’s cool, good-looking, hard-working. It gets to hang out in New York City all the time. It has great views over Manhattan, but without all that pressure of being the Empire State. Not a lot of travelling, though. That’d be the main drawback of being the Chrysler.

SS: What trait is most noticeable about you?

TB: My energy. I’m juiced up about the things I love.

SS: Who is your favorite fictional villain?

TB: Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day Lewis) in Gangs of New York. Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) in Swimming With Sharks. Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) in King of Comedy.

SS: What is your biggest pet peeve?

TB: People who talk too loud in cafes. Especially if what they’re saying is interesting. Don’t they know I’m trying to write a book here?

SS: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?

TB: Travelling. Most definitely. Forward motion. Seeing the miles clock up, the ground move beneath my feet, something new each day, each moment. That’s when I’m truly alive. That’s when the ideas flow fast.

SS: What are your 5 favorite songs?

TB: These are five of my faves that I listened to over and over while writing 'Mac Slater Hunts the Cool': 1. Vertigo – U2.  2. Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve. 3. Rockbox – Run DMC  4. Too Young – Phoenix. 5. New York – Eskimo Joe

Quick Start

SS: How would you describe your life in only 8 words?

TB: A big rollercoaster adventure with occasional boring bits.

SS: What is your motto or maxim?

TB: ‘Be Scary’ I borrowed it from filmmaker, Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Spy Kids) and it became Mac Slater’s motto in 'Mac Slater Hunts the Cool', too.

Questions About Books and Writing

SS: Who are your favorite authors?

TB: Stephen King John Marsden Markus Zusak Cormac McCarthy Anthony Horowitz David Benioff

SS: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?

TB: CHILDREN'S / YA: Huck Finn - Mark Twain The Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George Tomorrow, When the War Began – John Marsden Fighting Ruben Wolfe – Markus Zusak (Growing up, I was also obsessed with The Hardy Boys.) ADULT The Body - Stephen King The Road - Cormac McCarthy A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway Siddhartha – Herman Hesse Reflections on the Art of Living – Joseph Campbell

SS: Is there a book you love to reread?

TB: The Body – Stephen King

SS: Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?

TB: Show up every day, write even when it’s painful and you will get better.

SS: What comment do you hear most often from your readers?

TB: That they read 'Mac Slater' in a night. And 'Where do you get your ideas?'

General Questions

SS: What is your birthdate?

TB: 12/21

SS: What were your previous occupations?

TB: Actor, Filmmaker

SS: What was/is your favorite job?

TB: 1. Ratcatcher. 2. Children's / Teen Author. Best jobs ever.

SS: Where did you go to high school and/or college?

TB: High School in the Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia. College at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia.

SS: Name of your favorite composer or music artist?

TB: Charlton Hill

SS: What is your favorite movie?

TB: Stand By Me

SS: What is your favorite television show?

TB: Ever? Gilligan’s Island. Sad, but true. Specifically, the Harlem Globetrotters movie-length episode. It rates a 3.5/10 on IMDB but you haven’t lived till you’ve seen it.

Get more on Tristan Bancks at SimonandSchuster.com