Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in the east end of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in a housing project we nick named the White Survey, which was a large, sprawling complex of over a hundred and fifty units. I lived in #19 for most of my pre-adult life. I think my oldest remaining friend, Scott, lived in #142. Living in the survey for so long, I learned to get along with people of various backgrounds and not to look down on people if I could help it. It also inspired me to write about the chaos of people entering your life unannounced, which is a recurring theme in my work, I think.
When did you first start writing?
Childhood, in the 1970s. I was into storytelling even as a boy. My most distinct early writing memory is of writing a fanfic adventure of Rom the Space Knight, with little crayon drawings of battles taking place in the margins.
Read more of this interview.