Where are you happiest?

Under the trees in my garden, by the goldfish pond, playing with my small grandson. I’m also very happy at my desk, which overlooks an enchanted glade all year long.

What is your favourite word?

Granada. My second favourite is Paris.

Which human quality do you most admire?

Definitely kindness.

What is your favourite book?

Only one? If I name one, I am afraid all the others will fly off the shelves and attack me. I love Le Grand Meaulnes, Under Milk Wood and The Great Gatsby. However, my sweet favourite probably is Twenty Years A-Growing, by Maurice O’Sullivan.

And your favourite literary hero and heroine?

I am not sure that I have any of these. I am fascinated by poor Tony Last in Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust, but he is not exactly a hero. I think I prefer villains, like Richard III.

What, if anything, impedes your writing?

Nothing really. Even if I am not putting words down, I am usually engaged in some kind of mental conversation with my work. Writing is what informs everything for me.

How old were you when your first book appeared?

I was ancient – forty-three – but very happy and proud. I had been writing for a long time.

Of which of your books are you fondest?

The most recent one, Child of the Twilight, and that’s the truth. I keep thinking about things in it and feel really pleased. Of course, because it is new it is also young and tender, and I am protective of it.

In a phrase, how would you characterise your work?

Life’s dramas, with a twist.

Who is your favourite author?

I’m very fond of Shakespeare. He would be my desert island companion.

How do you regard publishers?

Where would we be without them? In fact, they fascinate me. In Australia the people who work in publishing move around a lot from one house to another; it’s quite a sport to track them. I have worked with a range of publishers, and have very good memories of them all, particularly McPhee Gribble, my first publisher, in the 1980s. I have been with HarperCollins for ages now and am very happy there.

What do you think of the state of criticism?

Just when I think all is lost I read a review of some book or other and am thrilled and transported by the brilliance and generosity and insight. I would like to see more long reviews in Australian papers.

If you had your time over again, would you choose to be a writer?

I love writing, being a writer, being a reader. I think I would always (in every incarnation) wish to write. I would also like to be a cartoonist, a dancer, an actor, a painter and a pianist.

What do you think of writers festivals?

I enjoy meeting old friends among the writers, and making new connections with others. It is also very pleasant to meet my readers.

Do you feel artists are valued in our society?

There is really much admiration for artists here, though the cult of personality probably overwhelms the art itself.

What are you working on now?

The final edit of a collection of essays by ten Australian prose writers. The title is Home Truth and the essays explore the meaning of the word ‘home’. I am also in the early stages of a novel – working title Iron Gates – which is an Australian family saga set mainly in Melbourne, spanning two centuries. There is a children’s picture book Finola Fox that is being illustrated by Kerry Argent. I am always working on short stories and essays. I also blog: www.carmel-bird.blogspot.com.

Carmel Bird, who lives in Melbourne, is the author of nine novels, including The Bluebird Café (1991), The White Garden (1996) and The Red Shoes (1998), all of which were shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Carmel is also the author of three non-fiction guides to writing and countless short stories and essays. She edited The Stolen Children – Their Stories (1998).