When did you first admit that you were a writer?

I love this question! It’s as though writing is a dark, secret identity that you must grapple with and eventually reveal. I’m sure there’s a thesis in there somewhere.

In retrospect, I find it quite ridiculous that I ever struggled to identify as a ‘real writer’. But I really did struggle, despite accumulating plenty of literary credentials.

I was around 10 years old when my first story was published in a newspaper.

At 18 I had a story published in a literary journal.

At 20 I had an article published in a book of historical essays.

I completed a degree in English literature, including a unit on writing fiction.

But it wasn’t until I was 34 – more than 2 years after I’d started writing online regularly and had been published in several online magazines – that I finally starting thinking of myself as a ‘writer’. The catalyst was completing the first 15,000 words of what would become Maternal Instinct.

To anyone out there wasting countless hours agonising over whether you’re a writer or not – tell me this: do you write? If your answer is ‘yes’, then you are a writer. Congratulations!

What was your favourite book as a child?

Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody. I adored Elspeth. I also desperately wanted to be able to read minds so I could answer the question that continues to fascinate me: Why do people do what they do? Or in other words, What were you thinking?

I was lucky enough to hear Isobelle Carmody speak at the Melbourne Writers Festival twice when I was at high school. She was truly inspiring and I wanted to grow up to be just like her. I felt like a total failure that I didn’t manage to write a bestselling novel at age 14 like she did. It took me until age 39 to publish my first novel, but I got there eventually.

What inspired you to write Stealing Time?

A chronic lack of time in my own life. Time to sleep, time to write, time to think, time to binge-watch Marvel movies in timeline order. I thought I was busy before I had children. I had my first child in 2010 and my second in 2012. Being a parent has redefined the meanings of the words ‘busy’ and ‘tired’.

The thought of being able to pop a pill (or a ‘time tab’) and receive four hours of uninterrupted time to myself was so incredibly attractive. That was the kernel of an idea around which I built the world of Stealing Time. The concepts of Time Chips, time thieves and Rest Time ceremonies all came afterwards.

Is there anything specifically Australian about your book/books?

Both Stealing Time and my first novel, Maternal Instinct, are set in Melbourne. The novel I’m working on now starts out in Gippsland. As a reader, it’s such a joy to pick up a book and read about strange themes set in familiar places. I wanted to put a bit more of that joy out there as a writer. At times you’d be forgiven for thinking that all fictional events happen in New York.

Why do you think listeners should read your book/s?

To escape. My stories are designed to pull you out of the daily grind and into another world, if only for a few hours. If you choose to take away some philosophical points about birthing ethics (Maternal Instinct) or end-of-life ethics (Stealing Time) that’s up to you. Otherwise, they’re easy, immersive reads you can enjoy even when you’re totally knackered at the end of a hard day.

Who was your favourite character to write?

I loved writing Elena, Varya’s mother in Stealing Time. I want to be like her when I’m in my 60s. Utterly irreverent and self-assured but ultimately kind and generous.