The stories I write are mainly set in Australia because it is a country with a culture and cities I know reasonably well. I’ve lived in various locations around the world, and draw on personal experience to create a sense of place for people and action. However, I’m aware that many of my readers are international, particularly American, so I strive to bring the Australian environment alive and make the culture accessible for all readers, without compromise.

As population grows larger, the world grows smaller by virtue of the internet, social media, and telecommunications. I like to drop in characters of differing origins and non-English-speaking backgrounds who might use another language in conversation throughout the story. That mix can be disconcerting, yet it reflects an Australia that is proud of its multicultural society which developed by dint of migrants who arrived from a dazzling array of countries over at least the last hundred years.

Those who once were ‘foreigners’ are now as Aussie as they come – part of the culture and landscape, which is all the richer for their presence – I make sure to include them.