I wrote The Midnight Watch as part of my doctorate at the University of Technology, Sydney, which was conferred in 2014. The novel at that time had a working title of Eight Rockets and was accompanied by an exegesis entitled ‘Stepping Back from the Rail’. The exegesis explored, among other things, the theoretical framing of the novel, its relationship to the facts, my international research, my visit to the wreck site on the 100th anniversary of the sinking, and my quest for ultimate meaning. I think some of my best writing is in the exegesis, and you can read it here: