Meaghan now answers the Booktopia Guru\u2019s Ten Terrifying Questions. I was born, raised and schooled in the leafy inner suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and it was never a very comfy fit for me. Early escape from convention came to me through the pages of the books in my parents\u2019 library, where I discovered worlds that were far more interesting than the one I was occupying. It was most likely when I was buried between the pages of one of the Time-Life Great Ages of Man books, or the Peebles Art Library, that I reached the conclusion that I\u2019d do just about anything to escape the future that was being mapped out for me. You could say The Honourable Thief<\/em><\/a> is the end product of many years of determined escapism.<\/p>\n 2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you meet my hero, Benedict Hitchens, it won\u2019t come as any surprise to learn that at twelve, I was determined to be Indiana Jones or Han Solo. It never occurred to me that there were a few things standing in my way. For one, I wasn\u2019t a man. For another, I wasn\u2019t Harrison Ford. Not to mention, both characters were fictional and occupied made-up worlds; that universe in galaxy far, far, away was exactly that. Far, far away. But they ticked all the boxes in my twelve-year-old brain: both were unconventional characters, both were embarking on adventures to unknown worlds, and both were having a hell of a great time doing it.<\/p>\n By eighteen, I\u2019d set about injecting a little practicality into my career aspirations. Tertiary courses for intergalactic pilots and smugglers were, sadly, few and far between. So archaeology it was, and off I headed to the Arts Faculty at the University of Melbourne where I embarked on an intoxicating adventure through the history of the ancient world led by inspirational and brilliant teachers. I lapped it up. The other half of my combined degree in Melbourne\u2019s Law School\u2026 less so. Any interest I may have harboured in the legal world was fatally squished by torts and contracts. I lasted a year. But my passion for archaeology and the classics blossomed, only to lead to that moment of existential crisis faced by so many Arts students at graduation: study law, become a lawyer; study medicine, become a doctor; study arts, become\u2026 unemployed? With the wisdom of hindsight, and after the professional adventures I\u2019ve had over the years, not a day goes by when I don\u2019t give thanks for having embraced the unknown. But it did take a certain amount of blind faith. Or self-delusion, if you\u2019d asked my father\u2019s opinion at the time.<\/p>\n Once I got to thirty, it had occurred to me that the thing I loved doing more than anything else was writing. With the prospect of producing some offspring at some point, I\u2019d put my days of excavating in Greece and Turkey to one side, and pursued a more sedentary and family-friendly career in the commercial art world, a path that would lead me into art auctions and a return to academia, where I wrote my doctoral thesis. Academic writing, with its relentlessly dispassionate tone, just about kills me. But the fact that I\u2019d nonetheless managed to churn out 100,000 odd words was a pleasant surprise. Although I\u2019d always harboured a secret ambition to be a novelist, the thought of such a huge undertaking had been daunting. Yet, there I was with what amounted to a book sitting on my thesis supervisor\u2019s desk. That was it for me. Whatever else happened, and even if I never managed to find anyone interested in reading my work, I would write novels.<\/p>\n 3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?<\/strong><\/p>\n That history would win and the proliferation of information and communication available via new technology would mean that humankind would begin to learn from past mistakes and forge a brighter future.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t believe that any more. The capacity of our collective memory seems to be about as persistent as that of a goldfish.<\/p>\n This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because I have an abiding passion for countless creative works. But the following are certainly things that have been with me for all of my adult life, and have inspired me as a writer.<\/p>\n Every couple of years I re-visit Albert Camus\u2019 The Outsider<\/em>. I first read it at the age of twelve, and it gave me a new lens through which to view the world. Each time I read it, my perspective and understanding of the human condition has evolved, so it\u2019s like encountering it for the very first time.<\/p>\n The words of Homer captured in Richmond Lattimore\u2019s translation of The Iliad<\/em><\/a> have always moved me deeply, which is why I have made it so central to the story I tell in The Honourable Thief.<\/em><\/a> Written almost three thousand years ago, but just as likely based on oral traditions many thousands of years older, the raw emotions of its characters are palpable and relatable. Even Homer\u2019s gods are ribald, fickle and vindictive. It\u2019s the same thing that drew me to archaeology \u2013 it proves to me that, notwithstanding the trappings of modern life, human beings haven\u2019t changed much at all.<\/p>\n Finally, Colleen McCulloch\u2019s First Man In Rome<\/em><\/a>, which I first read at a very young age, showed me what I already suspected \u2013history is anything but a fusty, musty subject. She offers us an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of gripping and exciting tales populated by extraordinary characters. First Man in Rome<\/em><\/a> reminds me that I can put my knowledge of history to good use as the backbone of stories that I hope people will enjoy reading while also learning a little along the way. Think of it as education by stealth.<\/p>\n 5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve stretched my scribing skills across many, many different writing formats: art auction catalogue entries; newspaper opinion pieces; travel guides; academic articles; advertising copy; TV scripts; blogs. It\u2019s been a bit like paint sampling \u2013 test out as many as possible before settling on the one you like the best. The closest I came to channelling my writing skills in a different direction in recent years was as an academic. But what I enjoy more than anything else is making up stories and writing things that move readers and transport them to other worlds \u2013 which is the antithesis of academic writing. So, it had to be novels, with scriptwriting as my day job. So I get to make things up all day. I guess you could say I\u2019ve become a professional liar.<\/p>\n 6. Please tell us about your latest novel<\/strong><\/p>\n We meet archaeologist Benedict Hitchens in Istanbul in 1955. He\u2019s lost everything: his job, his reputation, and the love of his life. A chance encounter with a woman on a train three years ago set in motion a chain of events that left his life and career in ruins. Hounded by the police who suspect him of antiquities smuggling and shunned by his peers, he comes to the realisation that he has been an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes game of lies and deception.<\/p>\n Forced to confront spectres from his past, he embarks on a perilous chase that leads him from the ancient city of Istanbul to London\u2019s art world and the sun-drenched Greek Islands. What begins as a quest to clear his name becomes a race to find out what happened to Eris Patras, the woman he loved, and uncover an ancient prize that will change history.<\/p>\n 7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Not for a minute do I underestimate or undervalue what a commitment it is to choose a book. The thought that readers will elect to spend days\u2026 or weeks\u2026 in the company of my story and characters is deeply humbling. So the thing I hope more than anything is that their vote of confidence pays off and that they enjoy the experience. But I also hope my words will transport them to places I know and love \u2013 not only Turkey and Greece, but also the curious pastime of digging around in the soil to find old stuff, and that they\u2019ll have fun on the ride. My enduring wish is that the characters will stay with them and that readers will want to revisit their world to share more of their adventures.<\/p>\n
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\n![\"meaghan](\"https:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/The-Honourable-Thief-high-res.jpg\")
<\/a>1. To begin with why don\u2019t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"meaghan](\"https:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2008-april-185.jpg\")
<\/a>4. What were three works of art \u2013 book or painting or piece of music, etc \u2013 you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n