In his office you will find Rod typing feverishly, flanked by two enormous dogs, and surrounded by the ephemera he has collected on his travels. "I always read. Since I can remember. First Asterix, then Willard Price, then Conan Doyle, then everything else. I've had a paperback jammed into my back pocket most days of my life. I remember wanting to write a book when I was about 12 and wanting to put everything into it" "I've read every kind of book, but the ones I love most are stories of adventure, so that's what I write. I've put thousands of hours into learning to do it well. It's taken me a long time, but I've developed my own voice, and my own style. I spend so much time with Si, my main character, that he seems as real to me as anyone I know. In some cases, more so. I regard myself as having the best job in the world. I get to learn about anything that interests me, go to any place I like and spend hours and hours in the company of the most interesting people, all without leaving my room. "I'm the happiest and most productive when travelling about in my battered old truck with a canoe on top and a dog in the back." Rod Humphris is the winner of N. N. Light Best Fiction Award 2016