Kevin Vodden

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

Besides creative writing, I'm a keen photographer of wildlife and landscapes. Scrabble is another favourite pastime, and I also enjoy observing and photographing the night sky.

When and why did you start writing books?

My first book was never intended to be a book. I wrote short stories for my own pleasure – some based on recurring childhood dreams (or nightmares), and others drawn from ideas that came out of the blue. I had no thoughts of publication until 2008, when I decided that my manuscript of thirty stories could do more than just gather dust.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I still think of writing as a hobby rather than a career.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

'Disarrhoea' is my favourite book, as the six stories are so diverse in content and style – and they've been particularly well received by reviewers and relatives.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

'The Uncertain Past of Malachi Trendle' challenged me the most. I enjoy experimenting with language and wanted to write a novel unlike anything that I'd read before. The creation of a character with memories only of the future enabled me to incorporate future tense narratives into the story, as well as present and past tense narratives, depending on the characters' perspectives. For example, instead of recalling, 'Buzz jumped out, I locked the car and we filed back into the house', Malachi recalls, 'Buzz will jump out, I'll lock the car and we'll file back into the house.'

Who is your favourite author and book?

H.G. Wells has been my favourite author since I read 'The Time Machine' as a teenager. My favourite book, though, must be John Wyndham's 'The Chrysalids', which I read six times in my third year of high school. There was something about post-apocalyptic worlds that appealed to me back then.

What book are you reading right now?

Right now I'm reading 'Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank' … Yes, in German.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

I'm constantly inspired by speculative fiction books, TV series and movies, old and new, combined with scientific advances in the real world.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Aside from astronomy, photography and Scrabble, I enjoy travelling, locally and abroad.

Do you have any new books in the works?

As I've recently published my third book, 'Disarrhoea', I'm directing my energy towards marketing for a while. My next project might be a sequel to the novel, 'The Uncertain Past of Malachi Trendle' … or perhaps some more short stories.