Mark Thwaite: What gave you the idea for Never go Back?

Robert Goddard: I got the idea for Never go Back from the recent vogue for reunions of all kinds together with publicity about various sometimes fatal scientific experiments carried out on National Servicemen in the Fifties. This led to the idea of reuniting me and readers with Harry Barnett, who featured in my earlier novels Into the Blue and Out of the Sun and has proved enduringly popular. He was of course a National Serviceman in the Fifties!

MT: How long did it take you to write Never go Back? Is this typical for you Robert?

RG: The book took about a year to write. That's slightly below average, which is probably because I didn't have to do so much preparatory work for the central character, since I knew him so well.

MT: How do you write? Longhand or directly onto a computer, straight off or with lots and lots of editing?

RG: I write by hand with a ballpoint pen. That's how I've always done it. I spend a lot of time preparing rather than revising, so there aren't umpteen drafts. My wife transfers the material to a word processor, criticizing (in a positive spirit!) as she goes, so a lot of editing is done at that stage. I suspect writing direct onto a word processor would lead to excessive fiddling, but of course my method merely reflects how long ago I started writing.

MT: What do you do when you are not writing?

RG: When I'm not writing I'm walking the cliff path, watching cricket, reading and of course thinking about writing. It's not something you can pick up and put down. It's really a way of life.

MT: Looking back over all your seventeen previous novels (Never go Back is your 18th book, I understand), which is your own personal favourite and why?

RG: I always have my highest hopes fixed on my next book, firmly believing it will be the perfect book. When I finish, I decide it wasn't quite that and try again. It would be best if I never produced one that satisfied me completely, for where would I go from there?

MT: Did you have an idea in your mind of your "ideal" reader? Did you write specifically for them?

RG: I write for my readers, some of whom I meet or hear from and all of whom seem to appreciate what I am aiming to do with my books - provide them with a sophistication of plotting they will not get elsewhere.

MT: What are you working on now?

RG: My next book is entering the final phase and should be out next autumn, but it's probably too soon to say much about it, apart from the fact that it will please those who enjoy my books.

MT: Who is your favourite writer? What is/are your favourite book(s)?

RG: My inspirations when I started were John Fowles and Wilkie Collins. I always enjoy the Zen novels of Michael Dibdin. I am a great admirer of the writing of Donna Tartt and Christopher Priest. I really don't think I could select a favourite from all the books I love.

MT: Do you have any tips for the aspiring writer!?

RG: The aspiring writer should remember that writers are giving up, dying, retiring or going out of fashion all the time. New ones are needed despite how difficult it might seem to be to get a break. Fashion however is a fickle guide. It changes so quickly. So, believe in what you do and persevere!

MT: Anything else you would like to say?

RG: A last word. Writing should be enjoyable for the writer as well as the reader. It's something a lot of people seem to overlook. And one question: does the Book Depository site have a grassy knoll?