1. How is this collection of short stories different from your past collections?

This collection contains twelve short stories -- nine were inspired by my time in prison, so these are stories I would never normally have come across and one or two are quite remarkable in their own right.

2. The nine stories you mention were actually inspired by real-life accounts told to you by fellow inmates. How true did you remain to each person’s story and voice? Did you need to embellish their stories much?

I tried very hard to stay true to the person’s voice, but of course I either got a story that had a good middle and no beginning or end, or perhaps a story that had an interesting ending, but not a very good middle, so I had to embellish the tale, depending on what was lacking. In fact only with ‘The Man Who Robbed His Own Post Office’ did I get a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

3. Did you have to change many of the details to disguise identities and events -- “changing names to protect the innocent,” or more often, “changing names to protect the guilty”?

Yes, all the time. I had to avoid giving away any clues as to where the story had come from, by changing names to protect the guilty, as well as changing their backgrounds and their locations.

4. Why the title Cat O'Nine Tales?

‘Cat of nine tales’ is an old English expression referring to the whip used to flog prisoners and wayward sailors on board ships many, many years ago; twelve lashes with the nine tales would leave you scarred for the rest of your life. So nine of the tales have that sort of feel about them, and the great Ronald Searle has illustrated them with cats in mind.

5. Are the three separate stories also based on true stories? If so, how did you come across them?

The remaining three tales are also based on true stories. I picked up ‘In the Eye of the Beholder’ from an Italian, ‘A Greek Tragedy’ from a Greek friend and ‘The Wisdom of Solomon’ from an English judge. I’m always on the lookout for stories, and for every hundred you are told, it’s very rare for even one of them to be worth repeating. Sometime it can just be one line that gives me an idea, and sometimes, but far less frequent, someone has a complete story to tell you.

6. Tell us a little about Ronald Searle’s illustrations and how this collaboration came about.

It is a great privilege to have this book illustrated by the distinguished artist, Ronald Searle. When I first wrote to him, I expected to either not get a reply or one saying he was simply too busy. But he could not have been more warm to the idea, and agreed immediately to do twelve pencil drawings for the title pages to each tale. He also ended up doing some additional drawings that we have slotted in throughout the book.

7. Have you received any reactions to Cat O'Nine Tales from the people who inspired the stories?

Only one of the prisoners has actually been in touch, partly because I had to see him a second time to ensure I had all the facts correct. He was delighted with the story, and no-one has unearthed him yet.

8. What do you feel are the biggest challenges of writing shorter fiction?

When one is writing a long novel, you often know the first few chapters and then it takes over and you follow where it leads you, until you get to the end. It’s totally the opposite with a short story; you have to know the ending before you even write the first word, and you then work towards that ending, trying to fool and tease the reader into a different direction along the way. Also, a major novel can be anything from 250,000-350,000 words, but a short story rarely more than 10,000.

9. Which process do you prefer, writing novels or short stories?

I don’t have a preference, but confess that a change of mood, pace and direction is one of the many reason I still enjoy writing so much.

10. Who are some your favorite classic and contemporary short story writers?

My favourite writers are nearly all dead: Charles Dickens is probably the best combination of writer/storyteller, although I would have to put Alexander Dumas (and in particular his, The Count of Monte Cristo) in the same class. Of the short story writers, Maupassant, F. Scott Fitzgerald and O. Henry all have that amazing combination of being great writers with a God-given gift to tell a story.

11. What kind of project will you be working on next?

My next project is top secret.