the short review: Christopher Fowler

Interview with Christopher Fowler

The Short Review: How long did it take you to write all the stories in your collection?

Christopher Fowler: They were written over a period of about two years - I dip into the collection when I'm stuck on my novels, or get an idea that needs to be put down quickly. In the Foreword there's an approximate timeline for writing the tales. As this was my tenth published collection, I'm pretty used to gathering tales together like this.

TSR: Did you have a collection in mind when you were writing them?

CF: Pretty much - I got started around the time that Clive Barker wrote the Books Of Blood, and have continued producing a volume every 2 or 3 years.

TSR: How did you choose which stories to include and in what order?

CF: I always used to write what I fancied, then wait until there was enough for a collection, but in this collection I targeted specific story types, ranging from humorous to gruesome, from the exotic, historical, futuristic and present day.

TSR: What does the word "story" mean to you?

CF: People doing something that illustrates what it means to be human. Having said that, read The Night Museum in the collection and you'll find there are other types of "story"!

TSR: Do you have a "reader" in mind when you write stories?

CF: Someone with a working machine on the top of their brain stem.

TSR: Is there anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection, anything at all?

CF: Which story did you like best? Which one did you dislike? Do you think the stories should be longer or shorter? Did you manage to read the one written in futuristic teen slang, or did it just annoy the hell out of you? Ws it value for money?

TSR: How does it feel knowing that people are buying your books?

CF: At first it was the weirdest thing in the world to see someone reading my book on a tube train, like you were befriending strangers in public. Actually, even after over 30 books it still feels like that. I get very excited about sharing my thoughts but like it best when readers respond. A writer without feedback writes less well.

TSR: What are you working on now?

CF: My memoir Paperboy is out, a new Bryant & May mystery is in the offing, and there's a new collection taking shape. Old Devil Moon won some prizes, so the follow-up is a real challenge.

TSR: What are the three most recent short story collections you've read?

CF: Classic collections, Tales Of Unease volumes 1 and 2, and two new collections called Islington Crocodiles by Paul Meloy and Tiny Deaths by Robert Shearman.