Meet Paul
Paul is a course director at a university in central Seoul. He follows Spurs (mostly through his fingers) and has published several short stories (all through Drugstore Books). The Blowfish Detachment is his first novel.
Seoul has many cycle paths, but this part close to home has to be the strangest. Neon lights, wading birds, eerie music. Did The Blowfish Detachment begin life down here in this underpass?
A Short Interview With Paul
Tell us about The Blowfish Detachment.
Well, at its heart it’s a police procedural although it’s nothing like one you’ve ever read. One reason for this is its speculative setting. Khanada follows the Qilin Moon, and the year is Something ’81; so, from the opening page, you’re dropped into a world you’ve never experienced and then walloped on the head. This world has its own rules and logic, yet people live their lives, crimes are committed, and the police must try to solve them. The streets in The Blowfish Detachment might seem surreal, but a gritty realism pervades, and this gives the atmosphere many tones.
Are characters important, or is it more about the case, the plot?
BOTH are hugely important. I see character and plot as two sides of the same coin. Character dynamics are in constant flux – especially between Song and Luff – and conflicting motivation is something I’m always exploring. The case, the plot, I won’t talk about, except perhaps that it’s dark, fast-moving, and full of surprises. It’s also something you’ve never seen before.
If you can’t talk about the case, can you say a bit more about the main characters?
Song is tenacious with a sharp eye for detail, and Luff, when he’s motivated, is instinctive, a force of nature, even . But it’s tricky to say more (although I really want to) because their character traits and personal situations affect the plot. I will say this, though, I loved writing all these characters, but especially Song and Luff. When those two are together sparks fly, and it was sometimes difficult to type fast enough.
You’re planning a series. What direction will the next book take?
The Blowfish Detachment is the first novel in a trilogy called the Khanada Crime Series. Short stories will also be part of the series, but the shorts will only be available to members of the Readers Club (for free). The shorts will be set between novels, and I hope to write four. But the years these days pass at warp speed, so it might be less. As for the direction of the next novel, I’ve pretty much figured that out, but I’m keeping my mouth shut!
Besides The Blowfish Detachment, is anything else written yet?
I’ve written Knife Wind, the first short story. Knife Wind is set four months after the events of The Blowfish Detachment. Knife Wind will be available to members of the Readers Club in winter 2025/2026.
Why did you set The Blowfish Detachment in an alternate Asia?
I’ve lived in Asia for over twenty years. My wife and in-laws are Korean, and Asia is my home and my daily reality. Quite simply, I couldn’t set the story anywhere else. Detective fiction and alternate worlds have long interested me, so I explore those genres by drawing on what’s around me and what I’ve seen on my travels. The speculative setting is a unique time and place that riffs off the past, present, and future. In some ways, it’s perhaps a photographic negative of those three things.
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