ANZ LitLovers LitBlog

Photo credit: Mish Mackay

I first discovered the writing of Jacinta Halloran when I found her debut novel Dissection (2008) in a bookshop.  I thought it was an outstanding novel (see my review and a Sensational Snippet) so I was prepared to be perhaps disappointed by the follow-up, but Pilgrimage (2012) turned out to be great reading too.  (See my review for that one too). When along came The Science of Appearances in 2016 (see my review), it was time to find out more about the author of these absorbing novels.

I was a bit hesitant about asking Jacinta to participate in Meet an Aussie Author, because as well as being a GP here in Melbourne, she is also involved in initiatives for the Stella Prize (see her profile at Scribe Publications) but somehow she has generously found time to answer my questions!

1. I was born … the oldest of six. You’d think my bossiness skills would be better honed than they are.
2. When I was a child I wrote…far less often than I read. I devoured fiction – Alan Garner, EM Nesbit, CS Lewis – but didn’t entertain the possibility of becoming a writer until much later in life.
3. The person who encouraged/inspired/mentored me to write was…my year 9 English teacher. She told me I could do anything I set my mind to. I’ll never forget it.
4. I write in…  a white-walled upstairs room at Glenfern, a National Trust house in East St Kilda.
5. I write in … the mornings, with coffee and silence.
6. Research … doesn’t feel like work – in fact it feels a lot like play – but it’s crucial. The Science of Appearances wouldn’t have existed without it.
7. I keep my published works … scattered around the house. There’s probably a dusty copy of Dissection under a bed.
8. On the day my first book was published… I felt like a fraud. But the day I received my first publishing contract was one of the happiest of my life.
9. At the moment, I’m writing … my fourth novel. (‘Writing’ being code for mucking around with a few words in defiant capitals in an exercise book.)
10. When I’m stuck for an idea/word/phrase, I … go to my phone for a stickybeak at whatever. (I’m not particularly proud of that but I might as well be honest. And I’ll break the habit . . . soon.) And I now trust that the phrase will come when it’s ready.

There are some intriguing objects shown here in Jacinta’s studio.  A set of Russian dolls, a mini Christmas tree, some maps, and – unless I am mistaken – some images from the art of Shaun Tan.  Maybe from his picture book, Rules of Summer.  On the wall, some unusual small masks with huge black eyes.  Just miscellaneous objects, or clues to her next book?  We shall have to wait and see!

Jacinta’s latest novel is available from Fishpond: The Science of Appearances and good bookshops everywhere.

Thanks for participating Jacinta!

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