One of the exciting things about your book is the way it meanders through multiple realities, both physical and conceptual. Even the layout of the text is unpredictable, with numerous word-illustrations, diagrams, and a flip-book segment. What inspired you to present the story in this manner?

As you say, the story takes place in both physical and conceptual worlds, and in the grey area in-between. As part of this, I wanted to play around with the idea of reading – I’m fascinated by the thought that when you see the word ‘tree’ in a story, you image a tree, but that image comes from inside your own head as much as it comes from the physical words in a book. I wanted to find a way to play the tension between seeing and imagining for the reader. What’s internal and what’s external very important in The Raw Shark Texts.


What is ‘un-space?’ Would I know it if I saw it?

You’ve probably seen un-space - or the entrance to it - several times already today. Un-space is what’s behind those No Entry gates and doorways, underneath drain covers, in abandoned buildings. It’s the maintenance crawl space under the floor or the forgotten attic. It’s all the gaps and spaces behind or underneath the familiar areas where we live our lives. It’s where spiders come from.


The Raw Shark Texts contains the collective spirit of multiple literary genres, as well as movies, comics, and even video games. Was this done consciously, or did it just emerge that way?

A little of both. I’m a real magpie and I get excited about crashing familiar things together to make something new. Also, I wanted to make the Raw Shark Texts novel feel a little like a brain, where everything is a twisted and half-familiar reflection of something else.


There is a film of your book in the works. Are you involved with the production?

Only in the sense that I’m on hand if they need or want to ask me anything about the book. I was offered the screenplay but (after a lot of soul-searching) I made the decision to focus on supporting my novel instead. Raw Shark the book needs me at the moment - I’m a little like a protective parent. I have a lot of faith in the people at Blueprint Pictures. We talked a great deal about the story before they took on the film and we see Raw Shark Texts in very much the same way. I’m excited to see how their version evolves.


Considering the eclectic nature of your approach, do you have any interest in writing for different kinds of media?

I’d love to. Even though I didn’t take on the Raw Shark script I’d still really like to write screenplay, maybe after or even alongside the next novel. I’d like a shot at comics too somewhere down the line. And if I got a phone call offering me an episode of Doctor Who or Heroes, I’d drop everything! I’ve heard rumours that some great UK novelists are plotting for their own Doctor Who episodes though, so I think I’m joining the back of a long queue there.


If you had to choose, would you rather be known as an innovator in form or a man who can write a great romantic love story?

That’s a tough question, I don’t think I can answer it because what I’m most interested in with fiction is story and innovation working together. At the moment I can’t imagine getting excited about a project which didn’t have some balance of both. That’s no answer at all really, is it? I guess it’s lucky that these things aren’t for me to decide.