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BOOKTHINK: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

GORDON: Tommy Cooper.

WILLIAMS: William S. Burroughs.

BOOKTHINK: What book are you reading now?

GORDON: The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers.

WILLIAMS: The Possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq.

BOOKTHINK: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

GORDON: Not at the moment - life is rather too frenetic.

WILLIAMS: That depends on what you mean by "new."

BOOKTHINK: What are your current projects?

GORDON AND WILLIAMS: The further adventures of Will Burrows.

BOOKTHINK: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

GORDON: A vainglorious need to be heard.

WILLIAMS: The possibility of making an internal dialogue an external reality.

BOOKTHINK: What do you see as the influences on your writing?

GORDON: A word processor, a lake of instant coffee and iTunes.

WILLIAMS: The eyes and the ears of "The Others."

BOOKTHINK: Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

GORDON: D.H. Lawrence for his short stories - I love the clarity in them, and find them so incredibly moving. I read somewhere that he complained that it was too much when he had completed his fifth edit on one of them. I wish we had his editor!

WILLIAMS: William S. Burroughs for taking writing by its complacent laurels and beating it into a living, modern art form capable of making things happen.

BOOKTHINK: Do you have to travel much concerning your books?

GORDON AND WILLIAMS: Yes, if you count Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

BOOKTHINK: Who designed the covers?

GORDON: Ned Hoste of 2H assisted us with the cover for The Highfield Mole, and Chicken House used their designer, Ian Butterworth, for Tunnels.

BOOKTHINK: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

GORDON: People who told me it should be a hobby.

WILLIAMS: Knowing when to cut loose and allow it to be printed.

BOOKTHINK: Do you have any advice for other writers?

GORDON: Stop reading interviews and just get on with it.

WILLIAMS: Get obsessed, stay obsessed, and have nothing in your life more important than your work.

BOOKTHINK: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

GORDON: Thank you for giving us a chance.

WILLIAMS: Dust is the enemy, dirigibles are our friends.

The pair made a striking image in their black attire - Rod in a corduroy suit and Brian in a long coat (he'd kept his sunglasses on throughout the whole interview). At last I understood. As the boys disappeared, I noticed they left chalky footprints on the floor and chalky fingerprints on their glasses. They looked a little pale, no tan even in this hot summer.

So the question is, "Is it fantasy fiction or fantastic reality?" I suggest you read the book and make your own mind up! As I ordered another glass of luxury banana and yoghurt smoothie, I noticed the boys had left a parcel on the table. Inside was a box of handmade chocolates from Fortnum and Mason. On it was a note that read "Up your cludgy!" from Tam and the boys - see page 276. I pinched myself and said out loud, "I'm back in reality!"