Goodreads asked Paul Tudor Owen:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Paul Tudor Owen Sometimes I’ve had to remind myself to sit back and appreciate that I’ve finally achieved this ambition that I’ve had for so long. I remember sending off my signed contract to Obliterati Press from the Guardian office in New York, where I worked at the time. It was early in the morning and I had to get it over to them quickly before I started another very busy day. I stopped for a second and forced myself to think: “You have just signed a publishing contract – you’re going to be a published author!” But then I had to get on with my work.

Seeing the book on the shelf in a real-life bookshop was another one of those moments. It was in my local Waterstones, where they had made it a recommended book, and there was one of those lovely handwritten reviews from one of the members of staff underneath. It said: “This extraordinary debut novel combines a crime story, evocative portrayals of New York, and Egyptian mythology. Beautiful prose makes this a ‘must read’.” It felt great to stand there and read that.

All my friends and family coming out to support me on the night of my book launch – that was a really great moment too.

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