Interview with Julia Bortolussi

Khayrun Gure: What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?

Julia Bortolussi: I actually don’t know because I’m really picky with the stuff I read, so if I don’t like it in the first few pages, I usually just put it down.

KG: Where did your idea come from? What was your inspiration when writing your novel?

JB: My idea came from my friend because I was totally stumped about what to write for a game. So he sent me an idea, and I built on it. I really like animals and I feel a huge connection to them, so I find it easy to write about.

KG: Why do you think it is important to write in this genre?

JB: I find games to be really enjoyable, and I think it’s important to show the range of skills that we were taught here in the program, so I chose my game script.

KG: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

JB: I would say Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin. It’s a book about an intersex individual, and he lives in a high-prestige household. I believe his parents are both lawyers, and they’re very popular. So, he’s closeted, but he has some personal issues that arise during the novel. It’s very fascinating to read because the author uses an alternating point of view so it’s like diary entries from each character, and it’s really well done.