Michael Thornton Books

Like all dozen or so others, yesterday's live interview on Perth radio about JACKAROO was wonderful -- until the end!

   The show's host, Sue, said, "Before I let you go, you have to take part in Sue's 5-question quiz". I was totally unprepared, completely caught off guard.

   "What's the best thing that's ever happened to you?" The first thing to spring to mind was the previous night's interview with Michael McGirr at Readings' Hawthorn bookstore, about which I raved in yesterday's blog.

   "What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you?" Sue asked next.

   "My younger son dying back in January," I replied. Of course, I immediately began to cry, didn't I? And that kind of made the remainder of the questions, and the interview, and the afternoon, and night, impossible.

   They immediately went to a station promotion -- and I put down the phone. I really do think radio stations need to be a bit careful. Sue was a lovely person; she said wonderful things about the book, saying she really was loving it, and was a truly lovely and bubbly person. But a lot of people carry with them a tonne of grief -- mine I've learnt to define as passionate sadness --- it will never ever leave me -- and I think to surprise someone with 'What's the worst thing ever to have happened to you?' is a tough thing to ask. For many people, at any rate. The rest of yesterday was pretty dreadful -- and teary.