People with children and people with their own business always pick up a ringing phone.

When you work alone, you need to socialize at some level.

When it comes time to write the book itself I'll shut the lights out, picture the scene I'm about to write then close my eyes and go at it. Yes, I can touch type.

Of course, all writers draw upon their personal experiences in describing day-to-day life and human relationships, but I tend to keep my own experiences largely separate from my stories.

Ideally, I like to integrate the human issues into the suspense story itself.

I was editor of my high school literary magazine and a reporter for the school newspaper.

Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh.