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Seldom Asked Questions

  • Do you write hard or soft science fiction?
    In my mind I write hard science fiction. I prefer sticking to logic and reality. I'm bound to have made mistakes, however.
  • How long does it take you to write a novel?
    Most of my novels have taken at least a year to write. The exception was Xeno, which took only four months from start to finish, and that included everything: writing, editing, proofreading and designing the cover.
  • What's your favourite of the books you've written?
    Probably Xeno, which was greatly inspired by Ridley Scott's 1979 classic Alien. I believe it could make a good movie. I'm also proud of You Cannot Kill the Root, which is the most message-based book I've written.
  • Some of your books aren't positive when it comes to where technology might lead us in the future. Are you a technophobe?
    Absolutely not! I love technology – especially computers. Often I regard it as the only thing that might stave off our own extinction. As a science fiction novelist, I simply use it to devise what are (I hope) interesting and exciting storylines.
  • What's your view on artificial intelligence and writing?
    Human writers consciously or unconsciously borrow ideas, storylines and narrative tricks from every book, film, play, news item, etc. they've ever laid eyes on. AI does exactly the same thing, only much quicker and drawing from a much broader range of source material. Can we really blame AI for pulling our own trick? At the same time, do I want someone using AI to write books without putting in the work I have to? Of course not! AI definitely poses problems for writers. How do you prove a book was written by AI and not a human? Conversely, how do you prove you're the author of a book and not AI?
  • Do you have a literary agent or a publisher?
    I do not have an agent or a publisher. I am a totally independent author. A one-man band.
  • What are your tips for independent authors just starting out?
    I made every mistake under the sun when I started independent publishing. My top tip would be not to worry about it too much. Make mistakes. Don't slavishly follow advice. As long as you learn from them, mistakes are invaluable.
  • Which book do you most wish you had written?
    Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. It's both a beguiling mystery and a triumph of hard science fiction writing. Its sequels were good, but could never live up to the greatness of the first one. I also really admire the loose trilogy by James Jones that includes From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line and Whistle. They're not science fiction or horror books but they are amazing.
  • Who is your all-time favourite author?
    Arthur C. Clarke. Followed closely by Michael Crichton.
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