An Interview with Adrian Quinton

Adrian Quinton writes thought-provoking thrillers that explore the intersection of science, philosophy, and human consciousness.

His debut novel, A Quantum of Thought: The Discovery, is the first book in a trilogy that explores the mysterious relationship between human consciousness and the quantum world and asks whether our thoughts might influence reality in ways science has yet to understand.

Blending quantum theory, neuroscience, and ancient philosophy, Adrian creates stories that are as intellectually engaging as they are suspenseful. His writing explores the boundaries between science and spirituality, reality and perception, and humanity and technology.

Adrian has spent thirty-seven years working in IT, a career that shaped his fascination with technology, systems, and the rapidly evolving relationship between humans and machines. His interests extend beyond the page into science, consciousness, artificial intelligence, and the future of humanity.

When he isn’t writing, Adrian can usually be found researching ideas, exploring the coast or contemplating questions that probably don’t have straightforward answers.

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Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Since my early twenties, I’ve been fascinated by quantum theory and have read book after book on the subject. Over the years, I realised that I wanted to share some of the extraordinary ideas I’d encountered. I’m not a physicist, so writing a non-fiction book about quantum theory was never really my intention, but exploring those ideas through a gripping thriller felt like something I could do.

The moment that finally pushed me to start came one evening in 2012, when I was in a restaurant with friends and the conversation turned to writing. The old adage that “everyone has a book in them” came up, and I said, “Well, I do!”

The gauntlet was jokingly thrown down, and the very next day I started writing A Quantum of Thought.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’ve worked in IT for thirty-seven years. While it’s been a very rewarding career, I’ve spent much of that time thinking in a structured and logical way. Writing gave me the opportunity to unleash a completely different, more creative side of myself. I found a freedom in it that I hadn’t expected, and I’ve never looked back.

What’s something my readers won’t know about me? Well, I like to challenge myself! In 2010, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, in 2011 I ran the London Marathon, and in 2013 I cycled from London to Paris. Along the way, I raised more than £10,000 for various charities.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I had the title of the book nailed long before I started writing it.

At the heart of the story is the idea that our thoughts create the reality in which we exist, and that, in some way we don’t yet understand, our consciousness may interact with the fabric of the universe at a quantum level. From that idea, A Quantum of Thought felt like the perfect title.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

As a writer, you spend hundreds if not thousands of hours looking at a Word document. The first time I imported my manuscript into Vellum and saw it formatted as a proper novel was amazing. Suddenly, it looked like a real book.

But nothing beats holding that first physical copy in your hands, flicking through the pages and smelling the ink. That’s when it really became real for me, and it’s an amazing feeling.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I’m a big fan of Gary Numan, Sting, Metallica, and The Cure. But if the credits were rolling at the end of the film, it would have to be Gary Numan’s End of Days. The atmosphere and lyrics of the song would perfectly suit an epilogue I originally wrote but ultimately removed from the published novel. It offered a glimpse of a malevolent character called Zarek and his experience in purgatory after his death.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

I wanted to write a gripping thriller that entertains but also leaves readers questioning the way they see the world and our existence within it. Quantum theory has shown us that, at a fundamental level, reality can behave in ways that challenge our everyday understanding of how the world works.

We’re all busy building careers, raising families and getting on with everyday life, and very few of us stop to ask the really big questions: How did we get here? What is consciousness? And is our experience of reality quite what we think it is?

If A Quantum of Thought leaves readers thinking about those questions long after they’ve finished the final page, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

The sense of achievement that comes from finishing and publishing a novel is incredible. You spend years working on something that, for much of that time, exists only between you and your computer, so finally putting it into the hands of readers is enormously satisfying.

The most rewarding part is hearing from readers. I wrote A Quantum of Thought hoping it might encourage people to question some of their assumptions and perhaps see the world a little differently. When someone tells me that the book genuinely made them think differently about reality, consciousness, or their place in the world, that’s incredibly rewarding. For me, that’s what writing is all about.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on the second book in the trilogy. The story has been mapped out, and I’ve drafted the first five chapters. It continues some of the ideas and themes explored in A Quantum of Thought while taking the story in a new direction. I’m aiming to publish it in late 2027.

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