I'm always interested to read authors who write both short and long fiction, because I tend to think that most writers have a natural length, as it were, which it can be hard to move beyond. I've had around 70 short stories published in various places; they're my natural length, and while I've managed to produce the odd novel, it's like pulling hen's teeth. Enormously difficult, and I'm not talking about how much time it takes. The skills for a short story are different to those for a novel, and I'm curious where other authors sit on the spectrum.

Recently, for instance, I read a short story collection by Ben Aaronovitch, who writes the Rivers of London series. For me, his novels were significantly better than his shorts. I enjoyed the latter, but the difference in quality was marked. For Riggs, it's the other way around. I've read all the Peculiar novels, but as they went on they felt more and more laboured. The short stories, though... they're polished and delightful and I'd infinitely rather read them again than Desolations, for instance. I hope Riggs writes more short stories in the future, because I love the form and it's clear to me that he's excellent at it.