What is your favourite music?

Modal jazz. Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is an album I never tire of hearing. But I don’t listen to music while writing – I need silence to focus.

And your favourite book?

There are several I love: Drown, The Secret History, Pastoralia, The Name of the Rose, One Hundred Years of Solitude. I have a long list of classics I’d like to get through in my post-publication spare time this year.

Who is your favourite author?

Junot Díaz, Michael Ondaatje, George Saunders, Yasunari Kawabata, Edith Wharton, Ursula K. LeGuin, Robert Olen Butler, and Peter Carey.

And your favourite literary hero and heroine?

Laura from the Little House on the Prairie series. As a kid, I was obsessed with the idea of living off the land, building my own cottage, smoking my own meat.

Name an early literary idol or influence whom you no longer admire – or vice versa.

I devoured The Power of One when I was a teenager, followed by Tandia and April Fool’s Day. I lost interest in Bryce Courtenay after that. My tastes became more literary, and I was suspicious of the speed at which he churned books out.

How old were you when your first book appeared?

I’d just turned thirty-five. As a first-time novelist, I felt both young and old at the same time. I’d always wanted to write a novel; After Darkness took me five years.

What, if anything, impedes your writing?

The Internet, self-doubt, noisy neighbours, household chores. It’s a constant battle, mostly with myself.

How do you regard publishers?

In my limited experience, they work hard to put out the best version of your book with a limited budget. Everyone’s in it for the love of books.

What do you think of the state of criticism?

There’s been a shift from the cultural gatekeepers of traditional media to the Young Turks of the Internet. While it’s great that more readers are having their say, I wish both arenas were equally strong.

If you had your time over again, would you choose to be a writer?

Probably, in one guise or another. I have a low tolerance for doing work that doesn’t interest me, especially when it’s for someone else. Writing gives me independence and the chance to pursue subjects I’m passionate about.

What do you think of writers’ festivals?

I’m a fan, although so far I’ve only been as a punter. You’re necessarily at the mercy of festival programmers – the topics and writers that they decide are hot that year. The bigger festivals feel very ‘us’ and ‘them’ – there’s limited space for writers and readers to connect.

Do you feel artists are valued in our society?

Overall, yes, but there is a growing inequality among artists. Due to the Internet and changes in the book industry, only a select few literary superstars are emerging, while it’s harder for new writers to be heard.

What are you working on now?

Short stories, a screenplay, and the kernel of my next novel.