I've been enthralled by deep vistas of space and time ever since watching George Pal's film of 'The Time Machine,' while an early encounter with Arthur C. Clarke's 'The City And The Stars' cemented my love for books with a scope spanning millions of years.

For me, the distant future and far-off galaxies is where it's at. That's where my imagination can really come out to play.

When I'm working on one book, part of my imagination is thinking ahead to the next one.