Band of Skulls is joining Cage the Elephant as my new musical caffeine.

I've never really found inspiration for story ideas in the news, but I'd say it certainly affects our lives in so many ways. I would say that certainly the stories of the day appear in the work - I just have never gone so far as to say, well, this particular event could influence a plot of an entire book.

What I love is the writing, it's not having written. I like the process of it.

I started writing as soon as I started reading.

Stephen King, by far, is the standard-bearer. I think anyone who writes suspense fiction and says that King isn't an influence is either lying or being foolish. I read his book 'On Writing' before I read pretty much any of his fiction.

Horror and supernatural novels give you a lot of what you look for in a crime novel, just with a twist that was very fresh for me as a reader.

You have only so many chances to tell stories. I didn't want to be forever wedded to one form of storytelling when there are so many out there.