AustLit

'I was having lunch with some friends a while ago, and they asked me how the new book was going. It’s always a tricky question to answer, and depending on the day or the hour, I might smile and say, “Pretty good,” or fall on the floor sobbing.'  (Introduction)

'Not long ago I was on the island of Kauai when I spotted a street library in rustic Hanalei, and I was fascinated by this free exchange of books on the main street. An old wooden pantry was full of island reading books that one can find the world over – spy novels, mysteries, fantasy, history, romance and travel books – and so I slipped my poetry book among The Destroyer Killer (Edwin Hoyt), Murder in the House (Margaret Truman) and Husbands, Lover, Stranger (Suzanne Forster). A little poetry would not go astray, I reasoned, and would give the reader a choice for an island afternoon of escape reading.'  (Introduction)

'It was a house that I believe was soon to be condemned. The idea commanded my attention: it was as though the house had been damned. Everything had a religious tinge to it in those days.'  (Introduction)

'Did you know that some butterflies migrate up to 4000 kilometres? This is amazing for a creature that seems to flitter, flutter and flap erratically without apparent direction. A group of skippers a type of butterfly can fly more than 50 kilometres per hour.'  (Introduction)