Garth Nix is the author of sixteen novels for readers of all ages. His story in The Starry Rift is “Infestation”.

1. When did you start reading science fiction? How old were you, and can you remember the first book or story that really excited you as a reader?

My father is an avid reader of science fiction, so we always had tons of books to read. He also used to visit the USA regularly for his job and would bring back books not available in Australia. Probably the earliest SF I read was when I was around 9 or 10 years old, and would have been Andre Norton’s STAR MAN’S SON or CATSEYE, or Robert Heinlein’s HAVE SPACESUIT WILL TRAVEL or CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY.

2. What do you think science fiction has something to offer young readers today?

I think it has the same things to offer today as it had when I was a young reader, great stories and interesting ideas. Sometimes even the two things together!

3. Tell us about your story for The Starry Rift.

As is often the case, I was going to write a completely different story when INFESTATION arrived. I am best known as a fantasy writer, and this story appears to be fantasy initially, as it has vampires in it. Possibly it could have stayed fantasy, but because I wanted it to be SF, I had to think about a different kind of explanation for vampires, and also for my protagonist, J.

4. Did you find there was a real difference between writing for younger readers, or was your approach basically the same as when you’re writing for any other audience?

I basically always write for myself and simply try to tell a good story. If I can manage that, it will work for readers of any age.

5. What are you writing now? Is there something you’d recommend to readers who enjoyed your story in The Starry Rift?

Well, today I am writing a space opera story for the forthcoming NEW SPACE OPERA 2 collection. It’s tentatively called “Doctor Starkill”. Apart from that, I’m working on the seventh and final book in my THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM series, which is called LORD SUNDAY. I think that if you like my style of writing, probably anything I do will be of some interest, though of course the different books and stories do have varying appeal for different tastes.

Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia and grew up in Canberra. When he turned nineteen he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter. Despite a wheel literally falling off the car, he survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. He has since worked in a bookshop, as a book publicist, a publisher’s sales representative, an editor, as a literary agent, and as a public relations and marketing consultant. He was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, but now writes full-time.

His first story was published in 1984 and was followed by novels The Ragwitch, Sabriel, Shade’s Children, Lirael, Abhorsen, the six-book YA fantasy series “The Seventh Tower,” and most recently the seven-book “The Keys to the Kingdom” series. He lives in Sydney with his wife and their two children.