It’s tough writing about someone like Tom Reynolds. For starts, he’s one half of a podcast double act I’ve become a huge fan of in recent weeks (thanks to a tip-off from Brother GBR). For seconds, he echoes a bunch of my own thoughts on writing, and what books should be.

So how do I write up an interview without being all hero-worshipy? Without coming over all swooning cheerleader to his starting quarter-back?

I guess I can’t, so I’ll just plough in.

I kicked off with the classic how come you decided to write a novel question. That always works.

“This story had been knocking around for a while in my head, and I’d always enjoyed writing, but had only ever done it for myself. I found myself with no day job – I’d just been laid off – and so I had time on my hands. We’d just gotten back from Europe after a tour with the podcast, and I had all this energy. I was excited, and I wanted to concentrate on creative things. I was lucky enough to be in a financial position where I could spend some time on it. So it was a case of if not now, when? I had no excuses anymore.”

This was a perfect storm. Money in the bank. A sudden few months to fill. Creative juices flowing and a readymade fan base by virtue of his recent podcast tour. He ain’t joking when he says if not now when. The result is Tom's first novel - Meta - a modern day superhero tale.

But why a novel? Why not use the time to make more podcasts? Why not write that blockbuster HBO script? Why not jerk around and eat McDonalds until the money runs out? Well, partly because Tom Reynolds is better than that. And partly because novel writing appealed to his need to create something himself.

“This was not a collaborative process. It was towards the end, of course, and I got some kicks in the ass along the way to spur me along, but a novel doesn’t require anyone else to see the light of day. It meant I could just sit down and write. Sometimes I hit my stride and was up until 5am working on it. Other times I’d spend hours struggling through a hundred words. You never know what a session will be like.”

And here’s one of the things I love Tom Reynolds for. All those long writing sessions and an audience hanging on his every word on a podcast every week. But did he succumb to the temptation of becoming that dick who’s endlessly talking about the novel he’s writing? No, he did not become that dick.

“It’s a pet peeve of mine, being introduced to people and being told they’re a writer, but then finding they’ve never actually finished or published anything. I decided not to be that guy. I wanted to finish it first. It was frustrating not to tell people I was writing a novel. Of course, there are a few people close to me who knew, but for the most part, people just saw me spending hours a day locked away working. They knew I didn’t have a job. When they asked what I was doing, I’d just say ‘projects’.”

I am a huge fan of this. Aside from the obvious virtues of not being a dick, it’s something I can relate to. I made the same decision. Of course, my novel-efforts aren’t published like Tom’s (mainly because I’m not very good), but I can relate to that feeling – not wanting to let the cat out of the bag until you are sure there’s a cat in it in the first place. That’s classy. Way to go Tom.

And then Tom hit me with the biggest love punch of the interview. I was asking him about Young Adult fiction – a genre I’m a bit obsessed with because Mrs GBR loves it and I’m still to catch the bug (though I’ve enjoyed the odd YA book). Tom’s novel is YA, so he seemed a good guy to ask – how comes?

“I set out from the start to write a YA novel. I’m 32 - I wanted something old people can enjoy too, and I liked the idea of the protagonist being a teenager. Everyone can relate to that – everyone has been a teenager. Some of my favourite books are YA books, and I’m always struck by how entertaining they are. That’s what I wanted to do – I wanted to write a novel that entertained. It needed to be funny too.

“I wasn’t trying to write a piece of important literature, not something with lessons and stuff in. I mean, that’s in there too, but I don’t think much of it is too extraordinary. If people can find some bigger meaning in the story, then great. But it needed to be entertaining first. All that other stuff comes later.”

YES Tom! Books need to be entertaining first and foremost. It’s like you’re reading my mind!

I love this mind-set so much, I think Tom has earned a more overt plug with it. So here’s a gimme – what do you want people to remember most about your novel, Tom? “The voice of Connor, the protagonist. There’s plenty of sci-fi and superhero novels around, but I’m proud of Connor as a character – I think he stands out. I hope the readers believe in him, and are glad to be seeing this world through his eyes.”

So, now he’s done it, what next? “I’m working on the follow up now. I don’t know if I set out to create a series, but the more I figured out about the world Meta is set in, the more excited I got. It was like creating a sandbox to play in. I want to expand it and complicate it. It was more difficult than I thought though, creating this world. It needed its own rules and its own characters. My editor and a few of the early readers picked up inconsistencies that I had to correct. But I love that. I love that the idea is being poked and prodded to that degree. The best science fiction is well thought through.”

And that was it. My half hour with podcast and now author legend Tom Reynolds was up. I think I did an OK job of not going too hero-worshippy on him. And if not, at least we live on different continents, so I can’t go all stalker mode.

This guy is great; for his approach to writing, for his belief in what books should be, and also of course for his awesome podcast. The question now, of course, is whether his novel can actually live up to his other associated factors of awesomeness. We’ll see on Sunday I guess, when the GBR verdict is delivered.

If you want to buy Tom's novel in the meantime, knock yourself out here.