I wrote ghost stories because I'd always enjoyed reading them, and they seemed to be fizzling out... I don't take them terribly seriously. It's like a cake, with ingredients.

Though they don't always have to be set in fog, weather is incredibly important in ghost stories. As is suspense: you've got to turn the screw very, very slowly.

I have only read very classic traditional English ghost stories, other than Henry James, who wrote some magnificent short ones as well as the longer 'Turn of the Screw.' He, Dickens, and M.R. James are my influences.

It would be difficult to write a convincing ghost story set on a sunny day in a big city.

Ghost stories always creep me out and weird me out. Those are always interesting to watch.

I always wrote. My parents are writers. It just seemed like something people did.