I think to be a writer, you have to enjoy being alone. I was a loner as a teenager and was always drawn to characters in books and films who were at the fringes.

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• Markus Zusak:

  Failure has been my best friend as a writer. It tests you, to see if you have what it takes to see

• Markus Zusak:

  When I was growing up, I wanted to be a house painter like my father, but I was always screwing up

• Markus Zusak:

  Living in Sydney, I've taken the chance to start surfing again. One of my best memories of growing

• Markus Zusak:

  I like the idea that every page in every book can have a gem on it. It's probably what I love most

• Markus Zusak:

  I had many boxing matches with my brother in the backyard when we were younger, and I guess while o

• Markus Zusak:

  I'm not a writer who refuses to talk about a book until I've finished.

• Markus Zusak:

  I like to tell students, 'I didn't burst on to the literary scene.' I'm never good at things at the

• Markus Zusak:

  Every time you find something that doesn't work, you're a step closer to what does work.

• Markus Zusak:

  I think 'The Lord Of The Rings' is the mother of all cult books, because you can be in that cult an

• Markus Zusak:

  In the case of 'The Book Thief,' my research was hearing the stories of my parents when I was a chi