Alyssa Carroll is a graduate from Curtin University with a double major in Creative Writing and Professional Writing and Publishing. A crazy cat lady and a lover of books, Alyssa is hoping to pursue a career in writing.

Tell us about a typical day.

After being awoken by the lilting birdsong, I will stretch elegantly, kiss my raven black cat good morning, and descend from my lonely tower. Jokes. I wake up with a snort after my thirtieth alarm, because I’m just not like other girls. I’ll get up and read with breakfast. Morning is prime reading time for me, a chance to sip on a cheap Instant coffee and sift through a chunk of a good book. As for the day? I don’t even know. Every day is different.

What does port culture look like to you?

For those uneducated on the types of alcohol, port is a sweet wine, typically served with dessert as an after-dinner treat. I bring up the subject of alcohol, not to promote it, but to indicate to the convivial socialising that comes with sharing a drink after dinner. The meal has been consumed, bellies are bulging, cheeks are flushed. While dinner conversation was jovial and loud, the dessert and port conversation is muted and relaxed. Stories are shared, memories are exchanged. The dinner table becomes an island of experience, the port a medium to divulge.

If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and where would you take them in your city?

My Pop. Sorry, that might not be too interesting. But my Pop passed away when I was very young and it would mean a lot to me to have a long proper conversation with him. I get comments that I am a lot like him, as we both have/had a great love for literature and the complexities of the English language. Therefore, I would take my Pop to Ciao Italia, a very loud Italian restaurant that serves massive portions of the most delicious pasta and have extensive conversations on misplaced commodifiers and semi-colons.

What is your favourite book store?

The Paperback Bookstore in Melbourne. It’s your typical bookstore stereotype: stacks of books lining the floor, shelves bulging to breakpoint, books piled to the ceiling, and red carpet that’s dulled with hundreds of footsteps.

What’s your favourite sea creature?

Obviously a mermaid. And not the beautiful sirens like Ariel. I like the horrific, freaky creatures with fangs and bulging eyes, long sharp talons and gaping mouths, triangle shaped ears and greasy hair. The more demonic the better.