Matthew Nable quotes:

Given the choice of living in Los Angeles or living in Sydney, I would choose Sydney.

My week at school would be good or bad depending on whether Balmain won. I have such fond memories of those suburban grounds, and everything was so undiluted. The players weren't censored, and for me it was a wonderful period of my life when everything was simple and pure. For me, that resonated with rugby league.

Exposing characters and their shortcomings gives me great comfort. It's always great to write about someone more mixed up than yourself.

Post-traumatic stress disorder didn't surface as a condition until 1980... that fact was very relevant when I remember back to how these men behaved. A lot of walking on eggshells was required for wives and children.

By the time I was 23 or 24 and had written the first manuscript of 'The Final Winter', I knew I wanted to make it a career but didn't know how. It took me a long time to grow into myself, but when my love of writing returned, it did so with an enormous amount of venom. It is now a mainstay in my life.

Ive worked really physically hard, and I was never afraid of working hard as younger bloke.

Exposing characters and their shortcomings gives me great comfort. Its always great to write about someone more mixed up than yourself.

Writing novels is where I'm most comfortable. It's a very intimate experience.

I tend to keep things that bother me clandestine... well-hidden. I'm also not very good at recognising the reasons that change my moods - they just seem to happen, which is not great for those around me.

I've worked really physically hard, and I was never afraid of working hard as younger bloke.