When did you first start writing and when did you finish
your first book?
I first started writing properly in high school, and I
finished my first book I AM DEAD in 2009 after working on it for about five
years. I'd written a lot of short stories and plays before then.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book? And how you come
up with the idea?
My latest book, which is a prequel to I AM DEAD, is called
THE UNEXPECTED OCCURRENCE OF THADDEUS HOBBLE and is officially out in April. I
have also finished my 6th book, which will be out later in the year. I am
currently editing all 5 of my current books into one omnibus edition for a
hardback release in the near future. I generally use everyday life to come up
with ideas, giving seemingly mundane things a sinister twist.
When writing about something you don’t know very much about
where does your information come from?
In my latest book I covered quite a bit of history, such as
Charles Darwin on The Beagle and Adolf Hitler in his bunker, so I did some
research by reading around the subjects.
What is the easiest and the hardest part to write?
The hardest part is making the plot last. I tend to write
smaller stories then interweave them together to make a larger book. The
easiest is character, as I know a wealth of weird and wonderful people to draw from.
Do you ever experience writers block? If so how do you find
best to cure it?
No. If I feel like writing it comes very easily to me. I get
'in the zone' and it flows.
Have you written a book that you love but cannot get
published?
I've written a few books that aren't out yet, but I hope to
have them out in the near future.
Are there certain characters from any of your books that you
would like to back to and create a book based on them maybe set in the past or
future?
I've done that with the 6th book I've just finished, which
includes several minor characters from my previous books who are being featured
centre-stage.
What does your current protagonist think about you would
they want to hang out with you the author, their creator?
My main protagonist Peter Smith is a bit of a misanthrope,
so I doubt he'd enjoy hanging out with anyone let alone me!
How long does it usually take to write a whole book?
My first book took five years to write, but each one since
has taken about a year. My 6th book is shorter and only took about six months.
Once I've finished writing I leave the book for a month or two them come back
to it fresh and edit.
How you ever created a character for a book that you were
working on and then realised that they don’t work in that book and then used
them in something else?
I've done this all the time. Characters tend to write
themselves, and you can't really force them to do things they don't want to.
