Questions that Yann Martel has never been asked

In yesterday's Guardian review, authors at this year's Hay-on-Wye festival were asked to come up with questions that journalists never ask them.

They are great questions like "Have you ever been in trouble with the police? (Ian Rankin) "Who do you think you are?" (John Banville) and "Are you fun to go on holiday with?" Andrew O'Hagan.

Roddy Doyle's is my favourite, including "Does your wife love you?" and "the internet says you have 2 children, but you claim to have 3".

It made me smile as I'm interviewing Yann Martel on stage in Belfast's Black Box this Friday at 5 for the Hay Festival in Belfast. I'm juggling reading his new book with Colin Bateman's latest and the Kevin & Sadie series of books, 40 years old this year, (for a BBC Radio Ulster doc I'm fronting in July- yes the 12th of!).

So I'm going to intersperse the interview with questions hopefully he has never been asked before. Maybe, have you ever been on a life raft with a tiger? Have you ever had a restraining order from Stephen Harper? (Martel has been sending books to the Canadian PM to read every two weeks since 2007) And marmite or marmalade on your toast in the morning?

You know what, maybe best to let him choose. Avoid awkwardness and possible libel action!