Margo Lanagan

My latest book is Black Juice

It’s about ten stories long – eleven in the UK. Elephants, angels, tarpits, Deep people, stuffed toy dogs, gypsies, accordions and dormer-beetles are also involved.

The best thing about being a writer is getting cheques in the mail for work you did many years ago. Having work that totally absorbs you comes a close second.

If I wasn’t a writer I’d be something else just as peculiar, I’m sure.

My first published work was a story about fairies, I think, for the Catholic Weekly children’s page.

Morning person or night-owl? Both. Especially if I can get a nap in the afternoon.

My first job clerk, Commonwealth Department of Social Security

On a quiz show, my special subject would be buzzing at the wrong moment and blushing. I’m only good at quiz shows when I’m in my lounge room watching them on TV.

My last holiday was to the southwest of the US, a tour built around the LA Times Book Prize night and the Nebula Awards Weekend. Oh, and I had a weekend in Bathurst mid-May.

My perfect Saturday is fine, involves a 50 km bicycle ride and a breakfast at Kali Orexi in Dolls Point, then a hot shower and a good book and a comfortable couch, with family passing by every hour or so with news of all their activities.

The last CD I bought was Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder

I’m currently reading Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins

Big Brother or Australian Idol? Spicks and Specks looks a lot less terrifying than either of those. Even if it is a quiz show (see above).

Favourite film/tv show is, Film: Talk to Her (Almodovar); The Sea Inside (Amenabar). TV show: Global Village

My favourite book is very changeable. Right now, Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. I will always have a totally uncritical love of Tove Jansson’s Moomin books, too.

The book character I would most like to meet is any one of Anne Tyler’s Baltimoreans. I’d like to be in the presence of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, but I’m not sure I’d like to actually meet him.

The book character I would least like to meet is the narrator in Michel Houellebecq’s Platform.

The worst thing I’ve ever written is my one entry in the Vogel Award (now safely destroyed). Any kind of journal I try to keep is pretty terrible, too.

When I was growing up I wanted to be a musical child prodigy (I think a library book called The Young Mozart might have been responsible). Unfortunately, my parents didn’t start me on piano lessons until I was about 7, and even then I was unremarkable.

My heroes are front-line emergency workers of all kinds.