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1. What's been the most defining moment in your career so far? Personally, I feel the best accomplishment so far was the fact that my Inspector Gallo series has reached four books so far, surpassing my illustrious predecessors the late Ivo Muscat Azzopardi and Pawlu Xuereb, whose Bendu Muskat and Tarcy Saydon series, both stopped at three publications. This means that Gallo is much more popular than I envisaged him originally to be and has now chartered a life of his own in the local literary scene, apart from being referenced in articles and academic thesis. On a professional level, I think the fact that a small entity like the National Book Council managed to publish a very ambitious five-year strategy to im- prove, grow and safeguard the publishing industry shows the long-term goals we are establishing to thrive and succeed. 2. As a creative, how do you navigate the world and speed of social media? It is always a learning curve, sometimes you manage better sometimes you man- age less and you end up swamped with checking reels for a longer time than you expected or envisaged. Navigation is a perilous skill nowadays and you need to tread it carefully. 3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity? Definitely a threat. More important inter- national figures than myself are stating publicly the same worry lately. As for me it hinges on one central question: Who is tru- ly relying on his/her creative talents and who is not? This creates an unfair level play- ing field apart from threatening the exist- ence of not just authors but editors, proof readers and trans- lators too. The human touch will go lacking in books. I am proud that my novels have their Mark Camilleri imprint all over the writing. I don't need any AI to help me transform the ideas swirling in my mind into print. 4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard? It is not easy at all. So, motivation stems from determination to see your work cross the finish line, even if that might take ages. But motivation also comes from a lot of reading– especially crime novels—as each book teaches me something new, gives me a lot of insight, provides enough platform for self-improvement. 5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collaborators? As a writer the only expectation I have is towards my story, because once my story gets published then it becomes the reader's and no longer mine. I can't control how they interpret it but I can control the narrative and the red herrings, and the proverbial pulling of the carpet from under their feet and all the other necessary tropes of a crime novel. 6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow? Crime novelists are creatures of habit and most follow the same process almost religiously. I always start with the central idea, then develop the begin- ning and the ending of the story, create the universe of characters for that specific story, conduct all the necessary research (pathol- ogists, police officers et al), and then start writing as frequently as possible (or as my schedule permits). 7. Can you let us in on some of the future projects, works? I am currently in the final stages of the second translated book from Italian, in the Gowl! series. It is about a group of children, boys and girls, who form an unusual football team led by an unusual coach. I like to write about football and navigating in the world created by someone else—a famed journalist to boot. At the same time, I am still working on the manuscript for the fifth Gallo novel. It will be the hardest, most complex case for Inspector Gallo to crack as of yet and the most personal of all the Gallo novels. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 NOVEMBER 2026 Art The Silence of Light by Christopher Saliba ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt The Q & A MARK CAMILLERI 7 questions for... Extra round If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self before you start- ed writing, what would it be? Never give up and never ignore what the instinct tells you. You can achieve what seems impossible. Mark Camilleri is the author of the Victor Gallo series of detective novels, whose four volumes (and counting) have been published by Merlin Publishers. He also serves as the Executive Chairperson of the National Book Council, which will be organising the 47th edition of the Malta Book Festival from 4-8 November at MFCC, Ta' Qali PAGE 2 PAGE 3 Film New documentary challenges anti-gender narratives and calls for wider public debate MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta It is always a learning curve, sometimes you manage better sometimes you manage less and you end up swamped with checking reels for a longer time than you expected or envisaged

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