Q. Which other EAFOL 2016 participant are you most excited about? Ian Rankin is a hero of mine, and his Rebus books are superb. I was also very impressed by H Is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald. Q. Which book(s) are you reading now? The proofs of my second Inspector Akyl Borubaev novel, A Spring Betrayal, and the new Stephen King short story collection. Q. Which literary character would you invite to dinner? And why? Dave Robicheaux from the James Lee Burke books. A fascinating man, whose flaws are redeemed by his moral code. Q. There have been some interesting additions to the dictionary over the years. Which word would you remove? There is no excuse for that vile word, 'selfie'. Q. Who would write/ illustrate the story of your life? I think it extremely unlikely ever to happen, and I'm sure no-one would read it anyway.