Mostly I wanted to be a writer, though for a couple of years there I wanted to be an animator, because I loved drawing and capturing beautiful movements.

I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to be a writer, particularly. I had been drawing and painting for years and loved that.

I write books for all age groups - young kids, teenagers and adults - because I get a range of different ideas.

The fact that I ended up married to a decent man is still a source of amazement to me, thanks to 'The Women's Room.'

I was lucky enough to be a child during the renaissance of Australian children's literature, when people like Ivan Southall, Colin Thiele, Lilith Norman and Wrightson were pumping out hugely inspiring stuff.

There's nothing quite as exciting or moving as the very finest literary non-fiction.