If you're a horror fan (like we are), you've seen a feather adorned novel by the title of Dead in Bed hovering in the top ranks. There's a reason Adrian_Birch has hit the #1 horror slot again and again. Find out why this su-SPEC-t writer doesn't have a car, and believes in the power of commas.

1. Did Bailey spawn out of someone you really know, or is she a bit of you, or both?

So, yeah. Bailey is definitely based on someone I know--or knew, a long time ago. Ashley, on the other hand, is a lot like me, and she probably reflects a lot more of who I am.

2. Is horror your favorite genre? If yes or no, why?

I like horror most when it's based on something real, or potentially real, rather than anything supernatural. Didn't Stanley Kubrick or someone say that ghost stories are fundamentally optimistic because they presuppose an afterlife? Well, I agree. If horror isn't tragic, it's not horror.

3. Any thoughts on spec lit?

Really good books, to me, are thought experiments. What happens when you put a few particular characters into an unusual situation? If by the end of the book you've learned something new about yourself or about life, then that speculative thought experiment has paid off. So I guess in a certain sense, spec lit can appear in just about any kind of book. And when it does appear, it's my favorite part of reading. In fact, I think spec is what makes all narrative unique and potentially profound, not just sci-fi.

4. Tell us about upcoming projects.

Now that all 14 parts of Dead in Bed are written and ready to be published (hopefully soon), I'm starting something new. And apparently I have a weird thing for meta-fiction, because now I'm writing an autobiographical novel about someone named Adrian Birch who's writing a book about someone named Bailey Simms who's writing a book called Dead in Bed. Yeah, I know. Even I'm confused.

5. Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?

More of a forager. Or a flaneur . . . or, for that matter, philanderer.

6. What song best describes your work ethic?

Some ill-advised combo of No Sleep Till Brooklyn and Sinner Man. With all of Unknown Pleasures playing in the background.

7. What do you think about when you are alone in your car?

I don't have a car. And I'm rarely alone. But today when I was carrying groceries home, someone on a distant high-rise balcony caught my eye. Just one tiny person, maybe a mile away, sweeping their balcony amid a whole vast cityscape. And I was wondering how we evolved to recognize the physical motion of other humans so intimately. Does that count?

8. What do you think makes a good story?

See #3. Or don't. It's up to you. (I wouldn't)

9. What is your best editing tip?

The Oxford comma. Use it. Follow that one simple rule, and you'll be a best-seller in no time.

10. Do you write naked?

Who doesn't?

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A writer, a nudist, and a philanderer. If you want to know more (which of course you do), visit the Dead in Bed website, or shuffle your readerly self to Adrian_Birch's profile.