Seldom Asked Questions

In my mind I write hard science fiction. I prefer sticking to logic and reality. I'm bound to have made mistakes, however.

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.

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.

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.

I do not have an agent or a publisher. I am a totally independent author. A one-man band.

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.

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.

Arthur C. Clarke. Followed closely by Michael Crichton.