One Minute With: Stuart MacBride, crime writer

Where are you now and what can you see?

I'm sat in my study (in North West Aberdeenshire). I can see the back end of a cat and the Scot Rail website.

What are you currently reading?

'Managing Death Investigations' which is a textbook by the National Crime Faculty and is basically a murder manual.

Choose a favourite author and say why you admire her/him

It changes day by day. The one that's always going to have a strong place on my bookshelf is RD Wingfield. Many people have never heard of him but his 'Touch of Frost' books are so much better than the TV series.

Describe the room where you usually write

In the study. We have recently moved houses and the best words that describe it is a 'box-filled tip'. The study's on the ground floor overlooking trees, fields, wind turbines.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

Pooh bear. I used to be quite svelte but I'm getting more and more like him every passing year.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

I don't go in for hero worship but Spike Milligan is someone I would have liked to have met. An absolute genius.

Stuart MacBride's latest book, 'Close to the Bone', is published by HarperCollins