A Conversation With the Author
Where are you from? I live in Oxford in the UK, but grew up in Dorchester (more famous as Thomas Hardy's Casterbridge).
Who are your favorite writers?
Keith Douglas
Franz Kafka
Hans Christian Anderson
Daniel Clowes
Which book/books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
Reading Kafka's The Metamorphosis really opened my eyes to how unreal and real events could mesh together in fiction. Recently I reread The Little Mermaid and that's had a big influence on the story I'm writing now.
What are your hobbies and outside interests?
Sketching and listening to music. I really love going to the cinema, too.
What is the single best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
Trust your gut instincts.
What is your favorite quote?
"Nobody realises that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal."-Albert Camus
What inspired you to write your first book?
Coming up with the image of a girl with feet made of glass. I had been writing a lot of short stories at the time, all based around images, but this one seemed to have more to explore than any of the others. I think I already had the main character (Midas) ready when that image arrived. He was just waiting for the right story to take part in.
Where do you write?
Some days I can write straight onto a word processor, and others I need a pen and paper, in which case I'll write anywhere. In the summer I try to write outside.