Joining me today is author Scott Mariani, author of the successful Ben Hope series and the Vampire Federation series. Born in Scotland he saw the light and moved to West Wales, croeso I Gymru! An ardent nature lover and advocate of conservation, he supports charities such as The Woodland Trust and The World Wildlife Fund. Why do you write? What do you see as the main purpose of your writing? I write, principally, because doing this job enables me to not have to live in a town or city, put on a suit and tie and hack through traffic to and from an office every day, a way of life I'd do pretty much anything to avoid! I write because it allows me to be 'me' in a way that no other occupation can. And also, I guess, because I have stories inside me that need to come out. But that's not a creative or artistic whimsy on my part -- I firmly view what I write as a product, and the main purpose of creating it is to support myself, my home and my immediate circle. It's just what I do. If there was no such thing as literature, how would your life differ? Then I'd be writing screenplays... which is something I'd like to be doing. What kind of relationship do you have with your protagonists? Do you eat, breathe and sleep Ben Hope wondering what mess you can get him into next? The Sacred Sword I think