As a child my favourite book was ... the Just William books by Richmal Crompton: hilariously funny stories about an hilariously naughty boy, raising havoc in an ye olde English village.

Describe Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else in one sentence: the strange history of Australia, as told through its strange placenames –from Foul Bay and Tittybong to Trousers Point and Dead Mans Pass.

The best part of writing Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else was ... discovering that the King of “Kings Cross” had his own Royal sex chair, and that Dr George Bass of Bass Strait fame was probably not “straight” at all.

In preparation for writing Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else I ... read dozens of books, scanned hundreds of maps, and heroically decided to not include the Perth suburb of “Upper Swan”.

When I’m not writing I ... give very serious thought to doing some exercise, then sit down on the couch with a glass of wine.