Lauren Oliver is the author of Pandemonium, the follow-up to Delirium, published by Hodder & Stoughton. She is touring Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in March.

What would you put on a shelf-talker for your book?
‘A world without love; a society on the brink of revolution. Read it and weep. Literally!’

What is the silliest question you’ve ever been asked on a book tour?
Sometimes people ask me to sing The Little Mermaid, which is silly but also kind of fun!

And the most profound?
I’m consistently surprised and delighted by the level of profundity my books seem to elicit. I’ve been asked what my greatest values are, how I would spend my last day, whether I’ve had my heart broken …

What are you reading right now?
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (Fourth Estate).

What was the last book you read and loved?
The Game of Thrones (George R R Martin, HarperVoyager). I thought it was brilliant.

What was the defining book of your childhood?
Matilda by Roald Dahl (various imprints). I still read it every time I’m sick!

Which is your favourite bookstore?
I have quite a few. I love Anderson’s in Naperville, Illinois; when I was growing up, I spent loads of time in a local bookstore called Second Story, which is unfortunately now shuttered.

Facebook or Twitter?
Twitter, probably. Facebook has gotten, like, too complicated for me. Timeline? No, thank you. I feel like it’s pointing the way to my death.

If I were a literary character I’d be …
Elizabeth Bennett, so I could marry Mr Darcy, of course, or Lucy in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

In 50 years’ time books will be …
Beautiful collectibles; stories will commonly be told via interactive mediums.