The desert is a spiritual place, we vaguely understand, and the sea the mere playground of our hedonism.

The notion that love is abroad in the world has shaped my life.

I liked books - the respite and privacy of them - books about plants and the formation of ice and the business of world wars. Whenever I sank into them I felt free.

It's impossible to imagine what Australia would be like without surfing.

The ocean is a supreme metaphor for change. I expect the unexpected but am never fully prepared.

It is hard for me to speak of themes. I like the reader to do that. Otherwise it feels like writing a 3rd grade essay on someone else's work.

Optimism is necessary even if you don't instinctively feel it.