What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A good day of writing, at that point when a story really starts to come together.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
The unknown soldier.
Which living person do you most admire?
As I get older, I have more and more admiration for my parents.
Which is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Lack of confidence.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I bought a12-string guitar I have no hope of ever being able to play well.
What is your favourite journey?
The one that takes me home.
On what occasion do you lie?
I lie every day, from the moment I wake. It's writing.
Which living person do you most despise?
Life is too short to let that kind of thing take root, but I have no time for people who look down on others.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Generally it's been my dogs.
When and where were you happiest?
I am pretty content now, in Douglas, the village where I grew up.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To have been able to play football as it should be played.
What is your current state of mind?
In the end stages of a new novel, so at a slight remove from reality.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having my books published by Jonathan Cape.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
A ghost.
What is your most treasured possession?
My sister gave me a gift of a framed Argentina shirt signed by Maradona.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Homelessness.
What is your favourite occupation?
Brewer.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Decency.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
The same. Decency is something to value.
Who are your favourite writers?
Hemingway, Steinbeck, John Banville, Yasunari Kawabata, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
What is your motto?
What's meant for you won't pass you by.
Billy O'Callaghan, from Cork, is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. His latest novel, Life Sentences, is a Top 10 Irish bestseller. For the Cúirt literature festival, he will be in conversation with Fin Dwyer on Saturday April 24 at 11am. See www.cuirt.ie
