At All Times, Think Like A Writer,

I Still Think Most Writers Are Just Kids Who Refuse To Grow Up. We're Still Playing Imaginary Games, With Our Imaginary Friends.

I Think Writers Have To Be Proactive: They've Got To Use New Technology And Social Media. Yes, It's Hard To Get Noticed By Traditional Publishers, But There's A Great Deal Of Opportunity Out There If You've Got The Right Story.

My First Novel Was Turned Down By Half A Dozen Publishers. And Even After Having Published Five Or Six Books, I Wasn't Making Enough Money To Live On, And Was Beginning To Think I'd Have To Give Up The Dream Of Being A Full-time Writer.

I Started Writing Novels While An Undergraduate Student, In An Attempt To Make Sense Of The City Of Edinburgh, Using A Detective As My Protagonist. Each Book Hopefully Adds Another Piece To The Jigsaw That Is Modern Scotland, Asking Questions About The Nation's Politics, Economy, Psyche And History ... And Perhaps Pointing Towards Its Possible Future.

I Used To Think That: Whenever I Heard That Someone Had Taken 10 Years To Write A Novel, I'd Think It Must Be A Big, Serious Book. Now I Think, 'no - It Took You One Year To Write, And Nine Years To Sit Around Eating Kit Kats.