As I grew up, I read and loved many fairy-tale retellings and began to think about writing my own reimagining of 'Rapunzel.'

So, I have my own horse and two ponies. I grew up around horses, and that really is my passion.

I grew up horseback riding. That was my passion. I didn't start shopping until about 16 or 17, when I could drive myself to stores and explore on my own.

'The Secret River' began because, at the age of 50, I suddenly realised I knew nothing about how my own family had got its foothold in Australia.

What is writing but an expression of my own life?

The ogres and witches and giants of fairytales stand in as metaphors for those obstacles that we all face in our own lives.