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I don't really consider my work, on the whole, 'fringe' in my own mind; science fiction and fantasy have been pretty solidly in the mainstream for a while.

In all my books, I try to have a strong element of realism underlying the fantastic.

Like many readers, I am continually in search of books that allow me to lose myself in an entirely unique universe.

I like to think of myself as an unmediated novelist - or perhaps a national novelist.

I can inhabit any character in a way that is difficult to do successfully in a contemporary novel.

I'm a science fiction and fantasy geek.

I'm a reluctant writer of non-fiction, in part because I don't really feel qualified.

I'm a massive science fiction and fantasy geek.

As a writer, you live in such isolation. It's hard to imagine your book has a life beyond you.

With the possible exception of steampunk aficionados, many reasonable people must view my fascination with Victorian and Edwardian popular fiction - mysteries, fantasy, and adventure - as eccentric or merely antiquarian.