Even as I was writing 'Empire State,' I knew there were more adventures for the main character, private detective Rad Bradley, to have. I also knew that the world was far larger than what I'd presented in book one.

Going to the roof of the Empire State Building is pretty amazing for kids.

My own writing has perhaps more of an American flavor than a British one, but that's because the stories I've so far written have needed it. 'Empire State,' 'Seven Wonders' and 'The Age Atomic' are all very place-centric, where the setting itself is almost a character. But there is a universality to story that isn't just limited to science fiction.

It's time for the people of the Empire State to strike back.

You want to see some of the basics of the city, which aren't expensive at all, like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, which you can see for free from the Staten Island Ferry. Places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has a suggested donation fee so it can be as inexpensive as you like.

I see a New York that is once again the empire state.