30 Seconds with

Who are you?

I’m a Staffordshire Bull Terrier devotee, and author of four novels.

What do you write?

My work is usually classified as literary crime fiction or literary fiction, but I also write essays from time to time.

Why do you write?

Sometimes to seek clarity, sometimes to pay the bills.

Best writing advice?

Never underestimate your reader.

What needs to change in Australian writing (or the Australian writing sector)?

We’re a small market, so many writers are dependent on grants. More money needs to be injected to support literature, and targeted to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

How has MARION helped you?

The 2016 HARDCOPY program was a fantastic experience. The teaching was insightful, and I still reflect on lessons I learned there.

Currently reading?

Cherrywood by Jock Serong.

Which living author would you like to champion and why?

The American writer, Willy Vlautin. He writes beautiful, tragic characters with such pathos and heart.

Mark Brandi's bestselling novel, Wimmera, won the coveted British Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger, and was named Best Debut at the 2018 Australian Indie Book Awards. It was also shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards Literary Fiction Book of the Year, and the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year.

Mark's second novel, The Rip, was published to critical acclaim in 2019, and his third novel, The Others, was shortlisted for the Best Fiction prize in the 2022 Ned Kelly Awards. His latest novel, Southern Aurora, was highly commended in the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Awards.