Next Thursday, Purley resident and science-fiction author Anthony Fucilla will be signing copies of his first book, Quantum Chronicles in the Eleventh Dimension, at Waterstone's. Here he talks to GRAHAM MOODY about his inspirations, his follow-up and gives any aspiring writers some words of encouragement.

Graham Moody: Tell us what Quantum Chronicles in the Eleventh Dimension is about?

Anthony Fucilla: It is six sci-fi tales all with the common element, 'what is it to be human?', leading to much deeper questions about life and the meaning of our existence. My purpose was to promote thought in the reader to ask questions like, ’Why am I here?’ and to see the spiritual dimension in that. I write about robots and machines in most of the stories to demonstrate the point that a machine is an inanimate object which could take on greater roles than man, but could never compare.

GM: How long had the book been in the planning?

AF: The idea of writing a book happened over night. It came to me one evening as I was watching science documentaries on television. I came up with a plot for a short story, which actually is the last story in the book, Storm Chaser. All the other stories just started to flow.

GM: Do you have any follow-ups planned?

AF: Yes, Quantum Chronicles 2 will be released early next year and it will comprise of 10 short stories. The main theme to the book is '’What is Reality?’. One of my favourite stories in it is 'At your Request’, in which a man that goes to an agency that deals with reconstructing lost loved ones, in his case his deceased wife.

GM: How long have you been writing for?

AF: I started writing as a child because my father worked as a geo-physicist and we travelled and lived all over the world which stimulated my mind. I was 12 when I wrote my first book, a 40-page thriller made up of short stories that unfortunately I don’t have anymore. I vividly remember one of them which became the basis of ‘Mechanical Eyes’ in Quantum Chronicles.

GM: Do you have any advice for any aspiring writers?

AF: With hard work, focus and application you can achieve anything in life. Just keep believing in your talents and work towards your goals. I know at times it may prove to be extremely difficult to see a breakthrough as it is a very competitive industry, having said that you have to maintain a great desire and self belief.

Anthony Fucilla book signing, Waterstone's Whitgift Centre, August 12, 12pm and 5pm. Call 0843 290 8269 or visit waterstones.com.