In the Nix of time

Garth Nix writes young adult fantasy novels and his love of books extends to having worked in a bookshop and in editing for Harper Collins.

You can meet Garth at Fullers Bookshop Hobart Monday 23 of July and Tuesday 24 at Fullers Launceston.

Prior to his visit Garth answered the following questions:

Have you been to Tasmania before and what were some of the things you enjoyed about it?

I have been to Hobart and the nearby areas like Port Arthur several times, and always enjoyed the beautiful landscape and the historical nature of the city. I’d love to see more of Tasmania but haven’t yet had the chance. At least I get to Launceston as well this time!

Are you going to have time this trip to do some sightseeing and if so what plans do you have?

I don’t have much time, it’s a fairly flying visit. But I hope to be able to have a wander around Salamanca Place and if I’m very lucky maybe a quick ferry ride.

Any ideas for a future fiction being based in Tasmania?

I find ideas all over the place, and I’m sure I’ve been inspired by things seen in Tasmania on previous trips, and will be again.

Do you think a degree in professional writing helped you become a writer or just developed and refined the skills you already had?

It certainly helped me practice and develop the skills I had, forcing me to write a lot, and to write many different things. I also was in the company of other writers for three years, and I think I learned a great deal from them, and was inspired and encouraged by my fellow students.

Space Operas were once considered less valuable writing. How do you think the concept of the genre has changed?

I think science fiction in general has become much more part of the mainstream, resulting in a re-evaluation of its value and consequence. That said, I think it is always important to judge books on their own merits, not on the genre or category they are put in to help sell them.

What are some of the observations you had that proved a catalyst for A Confusion of Princes?

I suppose in essence the book is about a very spoiled young man with a massive sense of expectation discovering that while he is indeed very privileged, the universe and his place in it is not what he thought it was. I see facets of this kind of thinking and behaviour all the time in everyday life, and of course have had some of it myself. But there are also many small details that come from observations of people, from reading history, from personal experience of military and other organisations and so on. Every book is a patchwork of often very tiny pieces, drawn from everything the author has experienced, either directly or vicariously, via books, other media, things told or overheard . . .

Garth’s latest book ‘A Confusion of Princes’ is out now.
Paula Xiberras