Internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning author Margo Lanagan is here!!
11th – 17th November is National Short Story Week in the UK, giving My Book Corner the perfect opportunity to interview award winning short story aficionado Margo Lanagan.
What a privilege!
Margo is the author of five captivating short story collections.
Black Juice, her second collection of stories, was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, won two World Fantasy Awards and the Victorian Premier’s Award for Young Adult Fiction.
Red Spikes won the CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Horn BookFanfare title, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize AND long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. Phew!
Her latest collection, Yellow Cake, will be featured on My Book Corner tomorrow. It is breathtaking.
Before handing you over to Margo herself, we have to offer HUGE congratulations to her in light of the latest announcement – Sea Hearts has just been shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2014.
Tell us about you in 25 words or less.
White, 5 feet 8 inches, silver hair, brown eyes, bookish, bit of a goose, mother of 2 sons, resident of Sydney, cultural background British Isles
What makes you happy?
Being in good health, the company of family and/or friends, having time to read—and a nice glass of wine doesn’t hurt, either.
Where have you always wanted to visit, but haven’t made it to … yet?
Italy, Spain, Portugal for history, food, culture and landscape. Sri Lanka and Northern India, for the same reasons. The Kimberley region of Western Australia, particularly the Bungle Bungle Ranges, for improbably round, stripy mountains.
Where is your favourite place to write?
I’m not all that fussed, actually. Quiet is good (absence of radio, television or overheard conversation—although traffic noise is okay), a table is pretty much essential, and a chair that’s not too comfortable, not too uncomfortable. A window with a not too interesting outlook. Comfortable temperature. A cheap lined pad of paper and a biro and a few hours’ free and I’m good to go.
What piece of advice would you give your teenage self?
Stop being a smartarse and try to be kind to people. And when you’re on the train with your school friends, for goodness’ sake pipe down.
What’s the best thing about being an award winning author? Any quirky perks?!
Being offered trips around the world is pretty good. Quirky perks, hmmm—probably the things you find out in the Green Room at festivals and events. *waggles eyebrows*
What’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked (and what was your answer)?
Question: What’s wrong with your shirt?
My answer: [unprintable word]
(I had ironed a large hole in the back of it, then forgotten about the hole and worn it to my office job.)
What is your worst habit?
Self-flagellation (mental and emotional only—I’m not kinky). And not speaking my mind when it matters.
Your favourite word(s)?
“Great” and “dark”—because they are great (and size is impressive), and dark (which is mysterious).
What’s the last book you read?
Kij Johnson’s At the Mouth of the River of Bees—if you like fantastical short stories, this collection is a feast!
Did we forget anything?
You forgot to ask me anything about my books! But that’s okay, because people can find out about them over here and over here, for example. They can also find me atwww.amongamidwhile.blogspot.com, and on Twitter as @margolanagan.
Just for fun
Tea or coffee? A decaf coffee first thing in the morning; herbal tea thereafter.
Paper books or e-books? Both, and lots of ’em, please.
Vegemite or Marmite? Need you ask? I’m Australian.
Write or type? Write when composing fiction, type when composing articles, blog posts, website copy and software instructions (my day job is technical writing).
Poetry or prose? Yes, large helpings of each, regularly.
Beach or bush? Uh-huh, preferably right next to each other.
Hot or cold? I prefer comfortably warm or cool, I have to say. But if I had to choose, hot.
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