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My middle-aged dreams are somehow linked to the assorted day-to-day anxieties that come with the territory. When I was young, I had a recurring dream in which a man dressed in black and wearing a fedora stepped out of the cupboard at the end of the bed and stood over me. Years later a psychic told me it was my grandfather, signwriter and poet George Baker, who died when I was eight months old.
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Where are you happiest?
At home at break of dawn when my two children (seven and four) sneak into bed; and in the evening, with the house asleep, reading or watching a great action film or television gangster drama.
What is your favourite music?
The work of Steve Kilbey and The Church. Malcolm McLaren reworking Satie. Early David Bowie. Tunes belted out on an acoustic guitar by my mate Gas Wylde after a barbecue and a few beers.
Which human quality do you most admire?
Resilience.
What is your favourite book?
A dead heat: Patrick White’s The Twyborn Affair; Henry Handel Richardson’s The Fortunes of Richard Mahony; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Who is your favourite author?
If I could combine aspects of White, Scott Fitzgerald, Thea Astley, Simon Raven, and Graham Greene into one author, I’d have a singular favourite.
And your favourite literary hero and heroine?
Possibly the unforgettable Kenneth Toomey in Anthony Burgess’s Earthly Powers, and in recent years the monumental Edith Campbell Berry in Frank Moorhouse’s League of Nations trilogy.
How old were you when your first book appeared?
Twenty-six.
What, if anything, impedes your writing?
Full-time employment.
How do you regard publishers?
With the respect they should rightfully be accorded!
What do you think of the state of criticism?
Personally, that varies through the journey of an author’s career. Generally, to read informed and balanced criticism that in itself is well written and reveals something new to the reader can be intoxicating.
If you had your time over again, would you choose to be a writer?
I would cautiously say yes. To be honest, though, I remain in awe of the great painters and contemporary artists that I admire, and I have always wanted to take up a brush. But that would involve a whole new type of courage.
What do you think of writers’ festivals?
There is nothing like a writers’ festival where you are literally immersed in crowds of people who love books. It is a unique vibe: exciting, balming, satisfying.
Do you feel artists are valued in our society?
Sometimes more than they deserve, sometimes less.
What are you working on now?
A sequel to my true-crime book Three Crooked Kings, which is called All Fall Down. Then I plan to swan dive into the infinitely more comfortable genre of fiction.
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